Saitō Musashibō Benkei

Saitō Musashibō Benkei (弁慶サイトウ武蔵坊?, 1155–1189), popularly called Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk (sōhei) who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He is commonly depicted as a man of great strength and loyalty, and a 流行的 subject of Japanese folklore. His life has been embellished and distorted 由 kabuki and Noh drama, so that truth cannot be distinguished from legend.

Biography

Stories about Benkei's birth vary considerably. One tells how his father was the head of a temple shrine who had raped his mother, the daughter of a blacksmith. Another sees...

Minamoto Yoshitsune, (born 1159, Japan—died June 15, 1189, Fort Koromogawa, Mutsu Province, Japan), warrior who engineered many of the military victories that helped his half brother Yoritomo gain control of Japan. He is probably the most 流行的 Japanese historical figure of the period, and his romantic exploits have captured the imagination of the Japanese people, who have perpetuated numerous legends, stories, and kabuki plays celebrating the adventures of Yoshitsune and his faithful follower Benkei. Many Western-style novels and films have also been based on his life.

Yoshitsune was the...