from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)

Karasu tengu — the crow-headed variant of the tengu, distinct from the long-nosed humanoid form — appear in Kyōsai hyakuzu as figures of wilder, more archaic supernatural power. Where the long-nosed tengu belongs to the realm of martial training and Shinto mountain worship, the karasu tengu retains an older avian ferocity: the glossy black beak, round eyes, and bird-form head set above a robed body combine the menacing qualities of corvid intelligence with supernatural authority. This print likely shows a karasu tengu in profile or three-quarter view, the crow head rendered with the kind of concentrated ornithological accuracy that Kyōsai applied to his kacho-e birds. The black feathering of the head and wings presented the block carvers with the challenge of preserving the iridescent quality of crow plumage without losing detail in areas of heavy ink. Symbolic attributes — glaive, feather fan, or scroll — may appear as compositional counterweights to the figure's dominant head.