The Tengu were originally Chinese monsters; correspondingly, the way a shooting star or a comet tail passes looked like a canine, which was called "Tengu," meaning a canine of the sky.
元来は中国の物怪で、流星または彗星の尾の流れる様子が狗（いぬ）に似ていることから、天の狗、すなわち天狗と呼ばれた。