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Benkei with Halberd
Otsu-e (Japanese Folk Painting)
18th Century, Edo Era
Length 63 cm
Below text courtesy of JAANUS
Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System
Benkei is a semi-legendary warrior-monk of the 12th century, who was associated with Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Ushiwakamaru) and a favorite subject in drama and art. A historical figure called Benkei appears briefly and insignificantly in The Mirror of The East (AZUMA KAGAMI) and other histories, but the warrior-priest who serves Yoshitsune in numerous stories -- described as prodigiously strong, unswervingly brave, irrepressibly cunning, and invariably good-natured -- is certainly a product of the imagination. Benkei plays major roles in The Annals of Yoshitsune (GIKEIKI), The Tales of Benkei (BENKEI MONOGATARI), and in several nou, kouwakamai, and kabuki dramas.
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