A hero, the son of legendary parents: formation of the Musashibo Benkei image in the “The Tale of Yoshitsune”

“The Tale of Yoshitsune” is the anonymous work of the 15th century that is traditionally referred to the genre of “war tales” ( gunki monogatari ). These tales were based on the real historical facts, including the materials of oral tradition and some of the pseudo-historical data. Traditionally, researchers relate this work, as well as the other gunki monogatari, to the literary works. Therefore it is often difficult to reveal their genre. But apparently, its origins lie in the oral tradition, one of the arguments being a striking example of a loyal retainer Saito-no Musashibo Benkei. It is difficult to find any historical records that could prove the existence of Benkei. For example, his name is mentioned in the Kamakura Shogunate’s chronicle “Mirror of the East” however its historical actuality is questionable in the current studies. Nevertheless, the image of the “fierce monks” ( akusou ) from the mount Hiei that support Yoshitsune influenced the image of Benkei that provided a basis for legends of the latest period of Benkei’s life, as well as the development of the storylines about Benkei’s childhood and young adulthood. As far as the Benkei’s character becomes popular, in an attempt to create a complete image of Bankei, new fairytale storylines seem to appear, accomplishing the biographical cycle and adding to the storyline a lot of the fairytale motives (longtime pregnancy (T570), supernatural growth (T615), etc.). Thus, the probable origins of Benkei’s character will be examined, and it will be shown that it was in “The Tale of Yoshitsune” that the figure of Benkei found its integrity and became a prominent character of the legend in the whole.

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