16Hi-no-ō, Mizu-no-ō, and Kaze-no-ō
The Hi-no-ō, Mizu-no-ō, and Kaze-no-ō are the masks of the tri-colored tengu, or long-nosed goblin, in red, green, and black.
A ritual of divination is used to decide the order of the masks and the weather forecast for the following year is announced.
If the red Hi-no-ō appears first, it is said that the coming year will have a lot of clear days. If the green Mizu-no-ō is first, the year will be filled with rain. If the black Kaze-no-ō is first, it is said that the year will be a windy one.
The tri-colored faces of the tengu are representative of the deity, Sarutahiko. It is said that Sarutahiko took on this shape because it is described in the Kojiki, Japan’s oldest historical record, that his nose was long, like tengu.
