Benkei Musashibo

Benkei Musashibo makes the military commander who lived forlate Heian period, followers of Yoshitsune Minamoto; and nobody of the Yoshitsune best four King.

Benkei served Yoshitsune triggered by a fight in Yoshitsune Minamoto and Gojo Ohashi and let loyalty go through until he was killed in a decisive battle of Kinugawa.

A formidable man is superior in not only the prominent martial arts as the fakir but also the ingenuity, and the story of that "Kanjincho" is famous as a subject of Kabuki.

As for the formidable man, some idiomatic phrases that an anecdote and a formidable man about him caused it stay only to the famous armed monk.

I give words with much what is used now in Japan.


"Benkei's Standing Death"(Benkei-no-tachiohjo)
Words to express the formidable man who Benkei remain standing in the place even if a formidable man receives innumerable arrows to a whole body by a battle of Kinugawa, and was going to protect Yoshitsune.

It turned and came to mean an at a loss state.


"Benkei's Weak Point"(Benkei-no-nakidokoro)
It is human vital parts such as shins.
It is a vital part that even the hero like Benkei sheds tears if here is hit and complains of pain of.

One having a pain in is because it absorbs a shock thinly, and muscle and fat cannot disperse.

"The Achilles' tendon" is famous for a vital part of the human body, and even a genius points to the place becoming the weak point both.

It turned, and it was with words to point to the weakest place of a strong person, a few weak points.


"Benkei's paraphernalia"(Benkei-no-nanatsudougu)
The words that turned from seven weapons said to that a formidable man owned it.
It point to the thing that it is full of complete sets with seven.

detective of the paraphernalia , election of the samurai etc...


"Lion at home, outside guardian deity of children"
(uchi-Benkei,soto-Benkei)
A proverb to make it strong like a formidable man in the house, but to mean a thing becoming quiet like a doll outside the house.
The words named "the internet formidable man" are used in a meaning to make fun of an aggressive human being only in internet now.


"Reading by false groupings"(ginata-yomi)
A formidable man is the words of the origin.
It's used as a kind of wordplay.
The words that can interpret two in one sentence.


★Golden Warrior picture banner: ushiwakamaru: width 90 cm x length 6 m★

★Warabe Kabuki dolls benkei★

Yoshitsune Minamoto Anecdote3

The Ushiwaka-maru and Benkei

The Ushiwaka-maru is a childhood name of Yoshitsune.

This is an episode extracted from the book called "the description of Yoshitsune(Gikeiki)" written about Yoshitsune Minamoto.

Yoshitsune confronted a destruction monk called Benkei Musashibo at the age of 19 years old on Gojo-Ohashi of Kyoto.

Benkei was a priest of Mt. Hiei-zan.

However, he was the tall man who had a figure strange by nature and a violent property.

The Benkei challenged peoples to a fight in those days when he accused people via Gojo-Ohashi unjustly.

He took the sword of the loser when he won and collected it.

He was doing to take one thousand swords away with a target.

The Benkei obtained 999 swords without a defeat.

He established the thin good-looking boy who came over alone at a certain summer night with the last game.

The Benkei thought that it was an easy victory.

However, a boy is too light, and there is no point.

The Benkei was defeated by him after all without pouring the first attack.

The boy was Yoshitsune.

Benkei became a faithful subordinate of Yoshitsune by this defeat.


Yoshitsune stays in the Koromogawa buildidng in last moments and will kill himself.

Benkei fought against an enemy in front of a door of the Koromogawa building at time.

And he continued receiving a large quantity of arrows to a whole body and died with standing.

The story of "Benkei's Standing Death" is very famous.


★Warrior doll Yoshitsune★

★Japanese doll Benkei★