Benkei , popularly called Benkei , was a Japanese warrior monk ( " sōhei " ) who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune . He is commonly depicted as a man of great strength and loyalty , and a popular subject of Japanese folklore . Biography . Stories about Benkei ' s birth vary considerably . One tells how his father was the head of a temple shrine who had raped his mother , the daughter of a blacksmith . Another sees him as the offspring of a temple god . Many give him the attributes of a demon , a monster child with wild hair and long teeth . In his youth Benkei may have been called — " demon / ogre child " , and there are many famous Ukiyo - e works themed on ' Oniwakamaru ' and his adventures . During his life he is said to have defeated 200 men in each battle he was personally involved in . He joined the cloister at an early age and travelled widely among the monasteries of Japan . During this period , the Buddhist monasteries of Japan were important centres of administration and culture , but also military powers in their own right . Like many other monks , Benkei was probably trained in the use of the naginata . At the age of seventeen , he was said to have been over two metres ( 6 . 6 feet ) tall . At this point , he left the Buddhist monastery and became a " yamabushi " , a member of a sect of mountain monks who were recognisable by their black caps . Japanese prints often show Benkei wearing this cap . Benkei is said to have posted himself at Gojō Bridge in Kyoto , where he disarmed every passing swordsman , eventually collecting 999 swords . On his 1000th duel , Benkei was defeated by Minamoto no Yoshitsune , a son of the warlord Minamoto no Yoshitomo . Henceforth , he became a retainer of Yoshitsune and fought with him in the Genpei War against the Taira clan . Yoshitsune is credited with most of the Minamoto clan ' s successes against the Taira , especially the final naval battle of Dannoura . After their ultimate triumph , however , Yoshitsune ' s elder brother Minamoto no Yoritomo turned against him . During the two - year ordeal that followed , Benkei accompanied Yoshitsune as an outlaw . In the end , they were encircled in the castle of " Koromogawa no tate " . As Yoshitsune retired to the inner keep of the castle to commit ritual suicide ( " seppuku " ) on his own , Benkei fought on at the bridge in front of the main gate to protect Yoshitsune . It is said that the soldiers were afraid to traverse the bridge to confront him , and all that did met swift death at the hands of the gigantic man killing in excess of 300 fully trained soldiers . Long after the battle should have been over , the soldiers noticed that the arrow - riddled , wound - covered Benkei was standing still . When the soldiers dared to cross the bridge and look more closely , the giant fell to the ground , having died in a standing position . This is known as the " Standing Death of Benkei " ( , " Benkei no Tachi Ōjō " ) . Cultural references . It is Benkei ' s loyalty and honour which makes him most attractive in Japanese folklore . One kabuki play places Benkei in a moral dilemma , caught between lying and protecting his lord in order to cross a bridge . The critical moment of the drama is its climax , where the monk realises his situation and vows to do what he must . In another play , Benkei even slays his own child to save the daughter of a lord . In the Noh play " Ataka " , Benkei must beat his own master ( disguised as a porter ) in order to avoid breaking his disguise . Ataka is later adapted as the kabuki play " Kanjinchō " , and filmed by Akira Kurosawa as " The Men Who Tread on the Tiger ' s Tail " .