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While Rome Burns Episode 11 – Benkei Musashibo Today's Story Is

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While Rome Burns Episode 11 – Benkei Musashibo Today's Story Is While Rome Burns Episode 11 – Benkei Musashibo Today’s story is a story of a legendary warrior. A mountain of a man who was known for his ferocity, strength, and extreme loyalty. The story of a warrior, who did not let his devotion to his lord waiver, even when facing certain death. Our story is also about the period of history of Japan that this warrior found himself in and how he ultimately became entangled with one of the clans that would eventually rise to power. Today’s story is the story of Benkei Saito Musashibo. Sit Back, Relax, and Let me Tell you a Story… While Rome Burns. The Heian period of Japan took place between 794 and 1185 CE and is known as a high point in classical Japanese culture. Kyoto was made the capital city, art, literature and philosophy flourished, and Japan enjoyed a long period of relative peace, compared to some of the other periods of Japanese history. The Heian period was also coupled with a steady decline in the central authority of the emperor, with power being wielded by various clans that competed for power in the imperial court. The emperor was reduced to a figurehead for centuries until the Meiji Restoration in 1868 CE. Reducing the Emperor to a figurehead allowed various clans to rise and fall in their political influence in Japan. The most influential of these clans was the Fujiwara clan. During the regency of the Fujiwara, the practice of forced conscription was abolished and the use of private armies rose, which eventually led to the rise of the warrior class, the Samurai. The power of the clans in the imperial court eventually led to a war which ended the Heian period and brought about the establishment of the shogunate, which would see various shoguns rise and fall over the next 700 years. This war was known as the Genpei War. One of the best known warriors from the Heian period and the Genpei War was the warrior Benkei Saito Musashibo. Legends say of how he was either the son of a demon or a god, other stories tell of how the head of a shrine raped the daughter of a blacksmith and Benkei was born as a result. Regardless of his origins, which are lost to history, Benkei was raised in a temple monastery and joined the monastic order, travelling to various buddhist monastaries in Japan. During the Heian era, the Monastaries were military powers, where many of the private armies that were springing up during this time would make their base. Benkei is described in sources as a towering figure, standing at just over 2 meters tall, broad shouldered and massive. He is said to have wielded seven weapons: A sword, a broad axe, a rake, a sickle, a wooden mallet, a saw, an iron staff and a naginata. This may be a invention by later authors who sought to make a legend or myth out of Benkei, much like the legendary stories of his birth, but based on the deeds recorded about the man, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was proficient in the use of any of the described weapons. Benkei eventually stopped his wandering ways and took up residence in Kyoto, Japan, the seat of the imperial capital. A legend states that he wandered the city at night on a mission to take 1,000 swords from 1,000 warriors that he encountered. His hulking size and years of training gave him an impressive advantage over all of his opponents… except one. After he had collected 999 swords from his nightly walks, he encountered a young man playing a flute in a nearby shrine. Benkei was struck by the man’s skill with the instrument, but was even more impressed by the man’s weapon: a gilded sword. This sword would have made for the perfect capstone to his collection of other weapons. Benkei demanded a duel with the man, but did not wish to desecrate the shrine with a battle. The other man agreed and the two walked to the nearby Gojo Bridge. The flute playing man was significantly smaller than Benkei and so Benkei believed that his size advantage would guarantee his victory. Unfortunately for Benkei, the duel was a mismatch and his impressive size actually betrayed him in this fight. The other man leapt, danced, and parried his blows, not giving an inch in ground. The dancing fighter pushed Benkei back, causing Benkei to lose his footing and forcing him onto the defensive. Benkei was eventually forced to surrender and kneeled before the man. “You are a good swordsman, so I will spare your life.” Benkei’s opponent was Minamoto Yoshistune, a renowned warrior and buddhist monk. Yoshistune and Benkei would duel once more a few days later, again with Benkei losing in disgrace. After that second duel, Benkei would devote himself to the service of Yoshistune and would be his faithful retainer for the rest of his life. The Genpei war was the result of the Taira clan usurping the remaining power from the Emperor of Japan. This led Yoshitsune’s clan leader to raise an army to fight against the Taira. Yoshistune and Benkei both rushed to the aid of the Miramoto Clan and eventually the War was underway. The war lasted approximately five years and saw the deaths of thousands of people. Eventually the war saw the end of the Taira clan’s power in the imperial court and the rise of the Miramoto Clan. Eventually, Yoritomo Miramoto, the head of the Miramoto clan and uncle to Yoshistune, was named first Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate. Yoshistune began opposing his uncle and eventually incurred the wrath of the newly appointed Shogun. Yoshistune fled to the Fujiwara clan for protection and safety, but was ultimately betrayed. The Fujiwara’s soldiers surrounded Yoshistune’s home and Yoshistune knew that he was finished. He asked Benkei, his faithful retainer, a man whom he had bested in combat and who had served him through 5 years of war, to protect the residence for as long as he could, so that Yoshistune could commit ritual suicide in his home. Benkei agreed to do just that and the faithful retainer stepped out to face the onslaught of Fujiwara warriors. He took up position on the bridge outside the main gate of the castle Yoshistune had retired to. Weapon in hand, Benkei fought off any man who attempted to attack over the bridge, his devotion to his lord sustaining him through the battle injuries. It is said that 300 men fell at his hand during his defense of the castle until finally the Fujiwara warriors decided to fire a volley of arrows at the warrior. It is said that even as arrows pierced his armor and flesh, Benkei refused to fall over and died standing upright, defying death itself to defend his lord. This would be come to known as the Standing Death of Benkei. Today, a statue stands tall in Tokyo to revere the great warrior, who is held up as a paragon of devotion, loyalty and bravery even to this day. While Rome Burns is part of the 1up Podcast Network. Find more of our content, including transcripts, cast info, and more podcasts by going to 1upPodcasts.com. Cover Art by Igor Nunes. Find more of his work by going to Whyccan.Artstation.com and contact him for commissions on twitter @Whyccan. That’s W-H-Y-C-C-A-N. Background music provided by Monplaisir under a public domain dedication from creative commons. Find them on twitter @Monplaisirmusic or at FreeMusicArchive.org/music/monplaisir The next Episode will release in 2 weeks. Thank you so much for listening. .
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