Most tengu are referred to impersonally (Ashkenazi 56).
Sōjōbō is an exception and is one of the tengu that are given personal names and recognised as individual personalities (Ashkenazi 56).
The name Sōjōbō originated in a text called Tengu Meigikō, which dates back to the middle of the Edo period in Japan (Knutsen 95).

The name Sōjōbō originates from Sōjōgatani, the valley at Mount Kurama near Kibune Shrine associated with the Shugenja.
It is in this valley that Ushiwaka-maru trained with Sōjōbō in legend.
Sōjōgatani means Bishop’s valley or Bishop’s vale (Knutsen114; de Benneville 273).
The name of this valley is derived from the ascetic Sōjō Ichiyen (de Benneville 273).

In Japanese, the name Sōjōbō is composed of three kanji: 僧,正,坊.
The first two characters of Sōjōbō’s name (僧正, sōjō) mean 'Buddhist high priest' in Japanese.
The final kanji (坊, bō) of the name, M.W. de Visser says, also means “Buddhist priest” but is also commonly used to mean yamabushi (82).

The yamabushi (山伏, 'those who lie down in the mountains') are ascetics from the Shugendō tradition (Buswell et al.
1019).
Shugendō (修驗道, 'way of cultivating supernatural power') incorporates elements of many religious traditions, including Buddhism (Buswell et al.
812).
Both tengu and yamabushi had a reputation for dwelling in the mountains.
Yves Bonnefoy suggests that this contributed to the folk belief that yamabushi and tengu were identical or at least closely connected (286).
Most tengu are referred to impersonally (Ashkenazi 56). Sōjōbō is an exception and is one of the tengu that are given personal names and recognised as individual personalities (Ashkenazi 56). The name Sōjōbō originated in a text called Tengu Meigikō, which dates back to the middle of the Edo period in Japan (Knutsen 95).
The name Sōjōbō originates from Sōjōgatani, the valley at Mount Kurama near Kibune Shrine associated with the Shugenja. It is in this valley that Ushiwaka-maru trained with Sōjōbō in legend. Sōjōgatani means Bishop’s valley or Bishop’s vale (Knutsen114; de Benneville 273). The name of this valley is derived from the ascetic Sōjō Ichiyen (de Benneville 273). 
In Japanese, the name Sōjōbō is composed of three kanji: 僧,正,坊. The first two characters of Sōjōbō’s name (僧正, sōjō) mean 'Buddhist high priest' in Japanese. The final kanji (坊, bō) of the name, M.W. de Visser says, also means “Buddhist priest” but is also commonly used to mean yamabushi (82).
The yamabushi (山伏, 'those who lie down in the mountains') are ascetics from the Shugendō tradition (Buswell et al. 1019). Shugendō (修驗道, 'way of cultivating supernatural power') incorporates elements of many religious traditions, including Buddhism (Buswell et al. 812). Both tengu and yamabushi had a reputation for dwelling in the mountains. Yves Bonnefoy suggests that this contributed to the folk belief that yamabushi and tengu were identical or at least closely connected (286).
Sōjōbō