Tiangou of the Shanhaijing, named1667 historical plate
Actual1000-pixel page directly inspected and complete labelled anatomy compared with textual profile. A striped wildcat-like quadruped is accompanied by a caption identifying a white head and Mount Yin; this is Chinese Tiangou, not Japanese Tengu. Smithsonian catalog dates physical volume1667 and public domain. Text witness retained separately. This Chinese white-headed wildcat-like being is distinct from Japanese Tengu.
Overview
Tiangou in the third western itinerary of the Shanhaijing is a white-headed beast from Mount Yin. Its body is compared with a li, a small wildcat-like animal in this context, and its cry receives a repeated sound comparison in the received text. The entry attributes protection against harmful influences to it. Its name means heavenly dog, but the actual comparison in this passage is not simply an ordinary domestic dog.
This profile distinguishes that named Chinese textual creature from the Japanese Tengu, whose name uses the same characters but belongs to different documented traditions and imagery. The directly read Shanhaijing passage does not describe an eclipse-eating celestial dog, a winged mountain monk, or a long-nosed human face. Those motifs require their own sources and cannot be inferred from a shared written name. The later illustrated edition’s labelled page can be evaluated against the white-headed animal description.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing western mountain itineraries
Records & interpretation
Directly read named primary-text transcription; historical illustration not yet assigned.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing, Western Mountains
Third western itinerary; Mount Yin
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Shan hai jing: er shi san juan (Smithsonian digitized edition)
Physical volume2; Shan hai jing tu illustration sequence. IIIF canvas index24 (zero based), labelled 天狗; no printed page number asserted
Actual 1000-pixel page directly inspected and complete labelled anatomy compared with textual profile. A striped wildcat-like quadruped is accompanied by a caption identifying a white head and Mount Yin; this is Chinese Tiangou, not Japanese Tengu. Smithsonian catalog dates physical volume 1667 and public domain. Text witness retained separately.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary text transcriptionShanhaijing: Western Mountains, received text and commentaryResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated bookSmithsonian digitized Shan hai jing v.2, canvas24: 天狗Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationTiangou of the Shanhaijing, named1667 historical plate
Actual1000-pixel page directly inspected and complete labelled anatomy compared with textual profile. A striped wildcat-like quadruped is accompanied by a caption identifying a white head and Mount Yin; this is Chinese Tiangou, not Japanese Tengu. Smithsonian catalog dates physical volume1667 and public domain. Text witness retained separately. This Chinese white-headed wildcat-like being is distinct from Japanese Tengu.
