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One of the most famous tengu is Sôjôbô, the legendary king of the tengu who lived on Mount Kurama.  Sôjôbô is famous for having been the teacher of [[Minamoto Yoshitsune]] in swordsmanship and other martial arts.   

One of the most famous tengu is Sôjôbô, the legendary king of the tengu who lived on Mount Kurama.  Sôjôbô is famous for having been the teacher of [[Minamoto Yoshitsune]] in swordsmanship and other martial arts.   

Another legendary  tengu was the ghost of the emperor [[Emperor Sutoku|Sutoku]], who appeared to the monk Saigyô in the classic story "Shiramine", from Ueda Akinari's collection ''Ugetsu monogatari'', or ''Tales of Moonlight and Rain''.  Sutoku had been forced to abdicate, and after his death, in bitterness over the exclusion of his line from Imperial succession, his spirit followed the Tengu Way, entering the asura realm and becoming a tengu.  In his discussion with Saigyô, Sutoku claimed credit for the Heiji Insurrection of 1159, as well as the then upcoming [[Gempei War]].   

Another legendary  tengu was the ghost of the emperor [[Emperor Sutoku|Sutoku]], who appeared to the monk Saigyô in the classic story "Shiramine", from Ueda Akinari's collection ''Ugetsu monogatari'', or ''Tales of Moonlight and Rain''.  Sutoku had been forced to abdicate, and after his death, in bitterness over the exclusion of his line from Imperial succession, his spirit followed the Tengu Way, entering the asura realm and becoming a tengu.  In his discussion with Saigyô, Sutoku claimed credit for the [[Heiji Rebellion|Heiji Insurrection]] of [[1159]], as well as the then upcoming [[Gempei War]].   

Tengu feature in many folktales, one of which involves a motif that can be found in nearly every culture in the world.  A good old man with an unsightly tumor on his cheek stays in a ruined house one night while out traveling, for he cannot find any other shelter.  During his stay a group of tengu come there to dance and make merry, and insist that the poor old man participate.  He makes the best of his situation, dancing lively and tirelessly, and at the end of the night the tengu take away his tumor as insurance, to make sure he returns the next night.  When the man returns home, a neighbor with a similar tumor on his cheek hears about his fortune and goes off to the abandoned house seeking the same reward.  He too dances all night long and the tengu, again grateful for the company, mistake him for the first old man and give him the good old man’s tumor, leaving the poor neighbor with two tumors instead of one.   

Tengu feature in many folktales, one of which involves a motif that can be found in nearly every culture in the world.  A good old man with an unsightly tumor on his cheek stays in a ruined house one night while out traveling, for he cannot find any other shelter.  During his stay a group of tengu come there to dance and make merry, and insist that the poor old man participate.  He makes the best of his situation, dancing lively and tirelessly, and at the end of the night the tengu take away his tumor as insurance, to make sure he returns the next night.  When the man returns home, a neighbor with a similar tumor on his cheek hears about his fortune and goes off to the abandoned house seeking the same reward.  He too dances all night long and the tengu, again grateful for the company, mistake him for the first old man and give him the good old man’s tumor, leaving the poor neighbor with two tumors instead of one.