The Forty-Eight Tengu and the Master of Mount Zozu. Edo period texts like the "Tengu-kyo" record rosters of famous great tengu nationwide, known as the "Forty-Eight Tengu," and "Zozusan Konpira-bo" is listed among them. Mount Zozu is the site of Kotohira-gu (formerly Matsuo-dera Konpira Daigongen), the head shrine of Konpira worship nationwide. During the era of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, it was a major stronghold for Shugendo. In this sacred mountain, which attracted numerous worshippers from commoners to seafaring men, Konpira-bo was considered a mysterious entity ruling over the deep mountains and valleys, hiding amidst the mist and giant trees. As the tengu leader of Sanuki Province, he is said to command numerous lesser tengu familiars, protecting the sacred mountain with mighty spiritual power and punishing the irreverent.

Shugendo and Konpira Daigongen. Konpira Daigongen originally derives from the Indian water deity (crocodile god) Kumbhira, which was syncretized in Japan as a guardian deity of maritime traffic and safe voyages. Mount Zozu, as a major hub for this training, gathered many ascetics known as "Konpira Doja." The birth of Konpira-bo stems from the fusion of these ascetics' training forms and the supernatural abilities they exhibited with tengu legends. The tengu acts as an envoy or guardian deity of the Gongen, protecting devout practitioners while mercilessly inflicting "Tengu punishments (spiriting away, tengu-daoshi, etc.)" upon those who disturb the sanctuary. In Edo period ukiyo-e or ema (votive plaques), the deities of Konpira worship are sometimes depicted in the guise of ascetics wearing tengu masks.

Tengu Beliefs in Shikoku. Shikoku boasts numerous legends of powerful tengu, such as "Shiramine Sagami-bo" (associated with Emperor Sutoku), "Ishizuchi Hoki-bo" of Mount Ishizuchi, and "Tsurugisan Taro-bo" of Mount Tsurugi, in addition to Konpira-bo. Among them, Konpira-bo stands as the guardian of Sanuki's Mount Zozu, an important figure supporting the spiritual landscape from the Sanuki Plain to the Seto Inland Sea. Even today, as worshippers climb the long stone steps to the main shrine, the dense forests around the inner shrine continue to evoke a sense that this is the dwelling place of the tengu.