Sōjōbō, King of the Tengu

The myth

Sōjōbō is the king of the tengu, lord of the Sōjōgadani valley on Mount Kurama north of Kyoto. In tengu tradition he is a daitengu, a great long-nosed tengu with white hair, a feather fan and the robes of a mountain ascetic, commanding legions of lesser tengu. His fame comes above all from the legend of Ushiwakamaru: it was he who taught swordsmanship, strategy and agility to young Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The Muromachi-period Noh play Kurama Tengu shows the great tengu adopting the boy the others shunned and promising to protect him in his battles.

Why it has this power

An Epic level-8 Wind Bird with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF, a ritual monster: he arrives through the Rite of Mount Kurama, with the Karasu-tengu, the Yamabushi and the Ronin, servant, ascetic and lordless pupil. Wind, Feather and Crown make him king of the mountain sky. The Tengu Feather Fan, his own, adds 700.

Did you know

Kurama-dera temple reveres Maōson, a spirit said to have descended from the heavens to the mountain, and many traditions link Sōjōbō with that deity.

Connections

Where to get it

• Ritual: Summoned by the ritual Rite of Mount Kurama, with the materials Karasu-tengu Scout, Sacred-Mountain Yamabushi, Tōkaidō Road Ronin.
• It never joins the collection: you summon it mid-duel, by fusion or ritual.

Sources

1. Kurama-dera: history (鞍馬寺の歴史) — Kurama-dera
2. Tengu — Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
3. Warriors of Old Japan, and Other Stories (Project Gutenberg) — Yei Theodora Ozaki