 The tengu in art appears in a large number of shapes , but it usually falls somewhere between a large , monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being , often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose . Early depictions of tengu show them as kite @-@ like beings who can take a human @-@ like form , often retaining avian wings , head or beak . The tengu 's long nose seems to have been conceived in the 14th century , likely as a humanization of the original bird 's bill . The tengu 's long noses ally them with the Shinto deity Sarutahiko , who is described in the Japanese historical text , the Nihon Shoki , with a similar proboscis measuring seven hand @-@ spans in length . In village festivals the two figures are often portrayed with identical red , phallic @-@ nosed mask designs . 
