I love Japanese folklore, with its stories of Samurai, demons and spirits. One of my favorite characters from Japanese lore is the Tengu, a mountain nymph of sorts, who likes to tempt Buddhist priests into breaking their vows and to teach devoted Shinto warriors to become masters of the sword. In Kamakura, there is a famous temple with over 40 Tengu statues and about a billion stairs. I guess if you want to meet the gods you need to pass the trials to get there?