noun
mysterious falling rocks in the mountains
Folkloric term for rocks or stones that seem to fall from nowhere in mountainous areas, traditionally attributed to tengu.
山道で天狗礫に遭ったという話を聞いた。
I heard a story about encountering mysterious falling rocks on a mountain trail.
天狗礫は、天狗の仕業だと昔の人は考えた。
People long ago thought that tengu-tsubute were the work of tengu.
Compound of 天狗 (tengu, a mythical mountain goblin) and 礫 (tsubute, a thrown stone). The term reflects the folk belief that tengu cause stones to fall in the mountains.