Dwellings of the Karasu Tengu Far in the inner­most reaches of Yōkai Mountain, on sheer cliffs where neither humans nor lesser yōkai could ever reach, the karasu tengu make their homes. This picture of standard­ized materials and uniform arch­itect­ural design suggests a govern­ing presence of fixed rules. In truth, this is a reflection of the very nature of the tengu as a collective org­aniz­ation. Formed through a kind of natural sprawl, these settle­ments have come to symbol­ize the latent group conscious­ness that defines tengu society as a whole. These struct­ures stand as the largest and most distinctly vernac­ular arch­itect­ural land­scape in all of Gen­sō­kyō. ▼ Near view of a bird tengu sky-perched residence

▲ Exterior view of Sha­mei­maru Aya’s residence Karasu tengu dwell­ings are wooden struct­ures con­struct­ed using the ka­ke­zu­ku­ri method, clinging to the sheer rock faces of Yōkai Mount­ain. The design permits no ground access, allow­ing approach only from the air, much like the nests of flying creatures. At one point in time, the tengu collect­ive over­saw the mass con­struct­ion of homes using standard­ized materials, success­ful­ly im­pos­ing a measure of control over the living patterns of its members. And yet most karasu tengu, while feign­ing ig­nor­ance of the intent, have since carried out their own re­nov­at­ions to suit their personal tastes or occup­at­ion­al needs, there­by fashion­ing their own ideal living en­viron­ments.