Amanozako (天逆毎)

Amanozako is a Japanese goddess who is depicted in "Wakan-sansai-zue" (an encyclopedia compiled in the Edo period). She is said to be an ancestor of Tengu (a mountain spirit, portrayed as winged and having a long nose) and Amanojaku (a character in Japanese folklore, depicted as a perverse fellow).

Summary

It is said that, when Susano (a deity in Japanese mythology) blew his ferocious energy out of his body, Amanozako came into being of the energy shaping. Although her figure looks like a human being, her face is like a monster, having a prominent nose, long ears and fangs.

According to a legend, she went on the rampage when things didn't go the way she wanted, flinging off powerful gods thousands miles away, and also breaking sharp swords into pieces with her fangs. She had to turn things the other way round, just like Amanojaku, saying the front as the back or the left as the right.

She had 天雄魔神 as her child, who later became the king of Kyuten (nine heavens) as a head of all violent and resistant gods. They disturbed both the wise and the foolish by possessing their hearts.

The parent and child, Amanozako and 天雄魔神, is also depicted in "Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki" (Continued Illustrations of the Many Demons Past and Present) by Sekien TORIYAMA.

[Original Japanese]