 The Konjaku Monogatari , a collection of stories published in the late Heian Period , contains some of the earliest tales of tengu , already characterized as they would be for centuries to come . These tengu are the troublesome opponents of Buddhism , who mislead the pious with false images of the Buddha , carry off monks and drop them in remote places , possess women in an attempt to seduce holy men , rob temples , and endow those who worship them with unholy power . They often disguise themselves as priests or nuns , but their true form seems to be that of a kite . 
