Hiraizumi

Grave of Benkei in Hiraizumi, Japan

At the foot of the hill upon which sits Chūson-ji, the most important Tendai temple in northern Japan, lies the grave of one of the most legendary warriors in Japanese history. This is the story of Musashibō Benkei, a warrior monk whose strength, loyalty, and dramatic death have made him one of Japan’s most enduring folk heroes. The story of how Benkei came to be in Yoshitsune’s service is as r…