19th – 20th Century A.D.
The karasu-tengu (烏天狗) mask is used in Japanese noh theater and is representative of a legendary creature. Traditionally, tengu are depicted as crow-like birds of prey and masks have long beaks. In folklore, tengue live deep in the mountain forests, and their powers include possession, flight, swordsmanship, and controlling the wind. Tengu are said to be either good or evil creatures that might protect or disrupt human society. One of the most famous noh plays with the tengu character is “Kurama Tengu” (鞍馬天狗), where a tengu teaches the main character secret tactics and war strategies.
Over time, the crow image of the tengu evolved to become more human-like. The human-like tengu masks still have large noses like the beak of the traditional tengu. Today, these human-like tengu are known as daitengu (大天狗), and the more traditional karasu-tengu is now depicted as easy to fool and servants of the daitengu.
