Tenjin

Tenjin--aka "Birdman"--is the caretaker of the buzzards, part of the Sky Burial tradition once held in his villages. Unlike most youkai, he managed to retain his sense of self and not succumb to Minus Wave. He valued the village's old tradition, "Chou-sou". For some time before the arrival of the Sanzo ikkou, the villager suspected that he was behind the disappearances of at least 10 local missing people.

Personality
Tenjin is not like most of the youkai that the Sanzo ikkou have met before and shows no sign of going berserk like the others. He is very calm, pleasant, and friendly. During his first meeting with the Sanzo ikkou, he invites them back to his home for tea, a gracious offer that the ikkou doesn't accept the first time. He is also the kind of person that suppresses his dark past, hiding it with an overly cheery nature. Due to his past relationship with the Chou-sou ceremony, he became very fanatic with it. He took on the job of watching over the birds, which he cares for deeply--even referring to them as children--especially a bird named Tenba, after his deceased son. Tenjin was very unhappy that the villagers have stopped the tradition, and when he met the Sanzo ikkou, they stated that he didn't look like the type of person who would kidnap. Besides his birds, Tenjin doesn't have much contact with living things, especially since the Minus Wave began to affect the youkai villagers. He developed something akin to friendship with Goku

Appearance
Like most youkai, Tenjin has the trademark long elf-like ears and craw-like nails. He has a tall, muscular build and is always smiling. He wears a turban messily around his head, with his hair sticking out at odd ends from underneath. He also has a very unkempt appearance because of his stubble facial hair. While handling the birds outside, besides his turban, he wears a coat, scarf, pants and black gloves. When inside, he takes off his scarf and coat as well his gloves, seen wearing a polo and vest.

Background
Tenjin once lived in the village at the bottom of the hill. The village use to be a peaceful community of Youkai and humans. Before the minus wave, Tenjin's wife die in child birth. His son was also born with a heart condition. He died and the villagers took his corpse to the Sky Burial sight and ripped it up for the birds to eat, as is tradition. Tenjin refused to stay in the village, he wanted to see for himself. He reached the site in time to see the birds picking the flesh off his son's bones.

"It was a beautiful sight. Tenba's soul returned to the great Mother Nature."

After this, he became rather obsessed with the Chou-sou tradition and took the job of care taking for the birds, moving up into the hills and becoming something of a hermit.

Story
The Sanzo ikkou met Tenjin after they defeated a band of youkai who'd attacked them. A flock of birds just flew in and swarmed the confused ikkou. But then the birds started to pick at the deceased youkai instead. Tenjin appeared, caretaker of the birds, and explained to the Sanzo ikkou that the birds only eat corpses. The village down the mountain has held fast to the tradition called “Chou-sou”, but since the beginning of the minus wave, it has become to dangerous to preform the ceremony and has since ceased. The village is surrounded by grave sites. Hakkai elaborates of Chou-sou, “Return all life to mother nature”. Tenjin, ecstatic that Hakkai understand the tradition, invites the ikkou to come into his home and have some tea, but the ikkou explains that in they're in a hurry and decline.

Down in the village, when the villagers hear that Sanzo is a priest they ask hear his sutra. While Sanzo appears busy, the remaining members of the ikkou hear from the villagers that in the past few day several villagers have gone missing. From adults to children, there are at least 10 people missing. One of the villagers suspected that it was the “Birdman’s” doing. Although Tenjin hasn't harm anyone yet, knowing his presence is so closed by, the villagers can’t help to be anxious. Goku claims that Tenjin doesn't seem like the type who would do such thing. The villagers requested the Sanzo ikkou ask Tenjin to leave the mountain.

In Tenjin's home, Tenjin was surprised to hear the accusations and tells the ikkou that he has nothing to do with the kidnapping since he used to live in the village, so he's kind of in their debt. And besides all that, he's a vegetarian. Even though he speaks the truth, the villagers won't stop blaming him. Gojyo asked why he doesn't he just leave, since the birds doesn't need him anymore. Tenjin states that "Chou-sou" is a very valuable tradition, "Allowing lifeforms to return to nature and the acts of those who use up their lives, offer their bodies to feed others". He believes that peace will return to Shangri-la. As Sanzo asks if that's the only reason why he wants to stay, One of the birds, that was fondly named Tenba, steals Goku's plate. He has an injured wing and is staying inside Tenjin's home.

Later on, Tenjin reminisces his past. He is drawn out of himself by Goku, who asks if something's wrong. Tenjin tells Goku that it’s been a long time since the birds could eat until they were full, and surely they will be happy to leave. Goku asks where they would go. Following Goku's question, Tenjin asks Goku Goku where he thinks spirits go. Since Goku really doesn't get into that kind of thing he responds with, “Why not try our best to live?” Tenjin, surprised by Goku's answer, laughs and apologizes for asking such a thing.

Early the next morning, the Sanzo ikkou catch the real kidnappers, youkai that have been picking off the villagers slowly as to not arise suspicion. After which Goku heads back up the mountain to tell Tenjin the good news. When he arrives he stumbles upon a storage room full of items, small things like accessories that belong to children. Tenjin found him there and invited him back to the house to have tea again. Goku tells Tenjin about how they caught the youkai responsible and that the villagers wont be blaming him anymore. Tenjin appears happy to hear this. Goku also asks about the collection of items in the shed. Tenjin shrugs it off by say that they are items that the birds have stolen from the villagers and that just hasn't returned them yet. Goku offers and Tenjin tells him no. Tenjin starts to tell Goku of his wife and son. As he does, Goku notices that his body has become heavy. Tenjin put something in the tea that Goku was drinking. He attempts to kill Goku, But is stopped by Gojyo who appears in the nick of time.

While Goku had gone to see Tenjin, Sanzo and the others had settled down to eat breakfast before heading out, surprised that Goku is missing a meal. A woman walks by and picks up a mitten that fell out of Gojyo's pocket. She asks were he got it. He says he found it on the hill (where the birds were), but as the woman looks it over more she states that it's the mitten that she made for her son who died from a disease six months ago. She was sure that she buried the mitten with her son in the cemetery on the outskirt of town. The villagers and the remaining Sanzo ikkou conduct their own little investigation and found that all the bodies buried in the cemetery over the last week have disappeared. There's no mistaking that Tenjin has something to do with this. Gojyo was the one sent to see if the "little Monkey" was still okay.

Gojyo had cut into Tenjin with his Shakujo from behind. He grabbed Goku, unable to move on his own, and they left Tenjin. At the end of the chapter, Tenjin was last seen outside, lying on the ground and injured. He was smiling as he watched Tenba and the other birds swoop down towards him. He reached out his hands to the sky while watching the birds flying. He was happy that he would return to the earth.

Relationships
Tenba - One of the younger birds that Tenjin looked after, and the closest to him, even allowing the bird to live inside his home. Tenba won’t approach anyone except for Tenjin, that is until the bird met Goku. Tenba's wings are injured so he couldn't fly. Because of the mutation, brought on by the sky burial ceremony, the birds could not find for themselves. Tenjin would bring Tenba a raw meat from domestic animals from time to time. Tenba was named after Tenjin's dead son.

Trivia

 * Sanzo states that "Tenjin" and "Tenba" both mean "Teaching of Buddha".