 Tengu are worshipped as beneficial kami ( gods or revered spirits ) in various Japanese religious cults . For example , the tengu Saburō of Izuna is worshipped on that mountain and various others as Izuna Gongen ( 飯綱権現 , incarnation of Izuna ) , one of the primary deities in the Izuna Shugen cult , which also has ties to fox sorcery and the Dakini of Tantric Buddhism . Izuna Gongen is depicted as a beaked , winged figure with snakes wrapped around his limbs , surrounded by a halo of flame , riding on the back of a fox and brandishing a sword . Worshippers of tengu on other sacred mountains have adopted similar images for their deities , such as Sanjakubō ( 三尺坊 ) or Akiba Gongen ( 秋葉権現 ) of Akiba and Dōryō Gongen ( 道了権現 ) of Saijō @-@ ji Temple in Odawara . 
