Watanabe no Tsuna
Encyclopedia
Minamoto no Yorimitsu
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take...
(also known as Raikō), one of the earliest samurai to be famed for his military exploits.
In Legend
Watanabe features in many of Yorimitsu's legendary adventures, and aids him in fighting many monsters, beasts and demons.In one such tale, Tsuna accompanies Raikō to the hut of Yamamba, a man-eating hag. There they find a boy known as Kaidomaru, who had been brought up among animals and endowed with superhuman strength. The boy requests that Raikō allow him to become one of his retainers, and Raikō accepts, giving the boy the name Sakata no Kintoki, often shortened to Kintoki.
Some of Watanabe no Tsuna's other comrades in legend are Urabe no Suetake
Urabe no Suetake
Urabe no Suetake was a retainer of the legendary hero Minamoto no Yorimitsu , supposedly during the Heian period in 12th century Japan. Suetake assisted Raikō throughout his life, being referred to as one of The Four Guardian Kings under Raikō. Suetake originated from the House of Seiryū...
and Usui Sadamitsu
Usui Sadamitsu
' was a warrior of the mid-Heian period. His official name was '.According to Otogizōshi stories compiled several centuries later, Sadamitsu was a retainer of the Japanese legendary hero Minamoto no Raikō. Sadamitsu is known as one of The Four Guardian Kings under Raikō. Alternatively, in Konjaku...
. Together, the four are collectively known as the Four Guardian Kings
The Four Guardian Kings
Shitennō , a Japanese term normally referring to the Buddhist Four Heavenly Kings, is also applied to particularly famous or loyal retainers, in groups of four, to certain of Japan's most famous legendary and historical figures....
, an allusion to the Buddhist Shitennō
Four Heavenly Kings
In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world.The Kings are collectively named as follows:...
.
Watanabe is also said to have assisted Raikō in slaying Shuten Doji, the demonic ground spider
Tsuchigumo
The , also called , were a people of ancient Japan, believed to have lived in the Japanese Alps until at least the Asuka period. The name means "ground spider", likely due to perceived physical traits that were later exaggerated or embellished....
. His most famous feat is most likely the defeat of the demon Ibaraki Oni, the principal follower of Shutendoji. He fought Ibaraki single-handedly at the Rashomon
Rashomon Gate
was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijō-kyō and Heian-kyō , in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout. At the other far north-end of Suzaku Avenue, one would reach the Suzakumon Gate, the main entrance to the...
gate at the southern end of Suzaku-oji, the central North-South street in the old capital Heian-kyo (now Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
).
At the end of the intense battle Watanabe no Tsuna cut off the demon's arm before it fled. Tsuna put the demon's arm away in a Chinese case (唐櫃). The demon later returned to claim the lost arm, and tricked Tsuna to release the arm. This legend is continued in a Japanese tale known as Ooeyama.
Tsuna and the Demon Ibaraki
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
Japan, Ibaraki, a notorious Oni, resided at Rashomon Gate
Rashomon Gate
was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijō-kyō and Heian-kyō , in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout. At the other far north-end of Suzaku Avenue, one would reach the Suzakumon Gate, the main entrance to the...
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. Ibaraki harassed people who tried to pass through to Rashomon Gate until a heroic samurai named Watanabe no Tsuna, a loyal retainer of Minamoto no Raiko, went to subdue the cruel Ibaraki. When Tsuna arrived in Rashomon Gate he was attacked by Ibaraki. However, Tsuna was a strong and valiant swordsman who was able to defend himself against the ferocious attack by the oni Ibaraki. The battle raged on until Tsuna drew his katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
and severed the arm of the demon. Screaming in pain Ibaraki ran away from Tsuna, leaving his severed arm at the Rashomon Gate. Tsuna swept up Ibaraki's arm as a trophy. When he arrived home at his mansion he wrapped up the severed arm and locked it away in a chest.
A few days later, an elderly woman appearing to be Tsuna's Aunt Mashiba, came to visit Tsuna. During the conversation, Tsuna's aunt asked her nephew to tell how he fought with the demon, and when Tsuna mentioned that he had the severed arm in his possession his aunt was curious and asked to see it. The unsuspecting Tsuna, brought out the chest with Ibaraki's arm inside and when he removed the arm from the chest, his aunt revealed herself as being Ibaraki in disguise, grabbed the arm and escaped from Tsuna's mansion. Tsuna was astonished that Ibaraki had posed as his elderly aunt Mashiba and did not give chase. However, even after retrieving his arm, Ibaraki never returned to dwell at Rashomon Gate again.
In popular culture
- Watanabe no Tsuna, is a character in the anime Otogi Zoshi.
- Watanabe, along with Raikō, Usui Sadamitsu, Sakata no Kintoki, Urabe no Suetake, Abe no Seimei, and several other well known figures in Japanese history, is featured in the XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
video game, Otogi 2: Immortal WarriorsOtogi 2: Immortal WarriorsOtogi 2: Immortal Warriors a hack and slash action game designed by From Software. Otogi 2 was published by Sega and was released for the Xbox in 2003. It was released in the West the following year and is based on the legendary Raikoh, his four generals and their guide, Seimei...
. In the game, he has a wolf-like appearance and wields a dual-sided curved sword.
- The main character of Ogre Slayer, a manga by Kei KusunokiKei Kusunoki, real name , is a Japanese manga artist best known for her horror and comedy manga series. She debuted in 1982 in Ribon Original with Nanika ga Kanojo Tōri Tsuita?. Her twin-sister Kaoru Ōhashi also works as a manga artist.- Works :...
, is believed to be Watanabe no Tsuna.