Benkei, the Warrior Monk

The myth

Musashibō Benkei was a twelfth-century warrior monk whose life, told mainly in the Gikeiki, mixes history and legend. A brawling giant, he supposedly vowed to take a thousand swords from samurai in Kyoto; with nine hundred ninety-nine, he faced young Ushiwakamaru, the future Minamoto no Yoshitsune, on Gojō Bridge and was defeated. He then became his most loyal retainer. He followed him through the Genpei War and the flight north. At the battle of the Koromo River in 1189 he held the bridge alone and died standing, pierced by arrows, to buy time for his lord.

Why it has this power

A Rare level-7 Earth Warrior with 2300 ATK and 2500 DEF: defense exceeds attack because Benkei is above all the wall that died standing. Earth is his huge, steady body; Sun and Hammer, the strength of the armed monk. Fused with Ushiwakamaru, he forms the full legend: Benkei and Yoshitsune at Gojō Bridge.

Did you know

In Japanese the shin is called Benkei no nakidokoro, "the place where Benkei cries": even the giant would feel pain there.

Connections

• Fuses into: + Ushiwakamaru, Pupil of the Tengu → Benkei and Yoshitsune at Gojō Bridge

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0.11% per pack (Rare 2.8% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.69% per pack · 3.6% in the themed pack (Rare 7% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.78% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Rare 8% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 1.3% per pack · 6.7% in the themed pack (Rare 15% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 2% per pack · 10% in the themed pack (Rare 25% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 1.5% of days · 400 gems
• Craft with card dust: 600 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. Warriors of Old Japan, and Other Stories (Project Gutenberg) — Yei Theodora Ozaki
2. Minamoto Clan — World History Encyclopedia — Mark Cartwright
3. Japanese War Tales — World History Encyclopedia — Graham Squires