Saitō Musashibō Benkei

Musashibō Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶^?, 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 popular subject of Japanese folklore.

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 him as the offspring of a temple god. Many give him the attributes of a demon, a monster child with wild hair and long teeth. In his youth, Benkei may have been called Oniwaka (鬼若^?)—"demon/ogre child", and there are many famous ukiyo-e works themed on Oniwakamaru and his adventures. He is said to have defeated 200 men in each battle he was personally involved in.

He joined the cloister at an early age and travelled widely among the Buddhist monasteries of Japan. During this period, monasteries were important centres of administration and culture, but also military powers in their own right. Like many other monks, Benkei was probably trained in the use of the naginata. At the age of seventeen, he was said to have been over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall. At this point, he left the Buddhist monastery and became a yamabushi, a member of a sect of mountain ascetics who were recognisable by their black caps. Japanese prints often show Benkei wearing this cap.

Benkei armed himself with seven waepons, and may be depicted carrying these on his back. In addition to his sword he carried a broad axe (masakari), a rake (kumade), a sickle (nagihama), a wooden mallet (hizuchi), a saw (nokogiri), an iron staff (tetsubō), and a half-moon spear (sasumata).

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