Hashi Benkei Yama 橋弁慶山 — Courage, Loyalty and the Tale of the Heike | Gion Festival

Hashi Benkei Yama depicts a famous scene in Japanese and Kyoto history, when the gigantic warrior monk Benkei challenged the diminutive but superhuman youth Ushiwakamaru on Kyoto’s Gojō Bridge, located about a mile from this float. Born into the Minamoto clan of the famed Tale of the Heike, Ushiwakamaru (later known as Yoshitsune) remains one of the most beloved figures in Japanese history. Impressed by his own unprecedented defeat and Ushiwakamaru’s incredible martial skills, Benkei became Ushiwakamaru’s loyal servant, and the name Benkei became synonymous with fealty. As a pair they made Japanese history

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