Responses
Which one is which? My uneducated guess is tiangou is the Chinese reading?
Thanks for the explanation! I was already wondering bc I remembered that 'Tengus' are bird-people. (⌒▽⌒)
Yass
The dog is not a Tengu but a "Tiangou". They both share the same kanjis (天狗) but one is japanese and the other one is read in Chinese.
The title of this manga is probably a wordplay, because the winged one is a Tengu and the dog like one is a Tiangu but both spells the same.
To clarify: The japanese Tengu was created with the inspiration of the Tiangu god, but was really loose about it and actually ended totally different.
Tengus are bird-like yôkai, sexual beings and tricksters of the forest but also guardians and protector spirits. They are commonly depicted with wings and peaks or elongated noses and other bird-like treats, but also with the typical budhist robes of the Yamabushi. This fits with one of our characters.
In the other hand, the chinese Tiangou is depicted as his name observes: a Celestial DOG. Tiangus are black dogs that brings bad news; they cause child's death and also "eat" the moon causing eclipses.
so... yes, everytime that the (real) Tengu refears to the dog, it's name is misspronounced and should be "Tiangou"