Gikeiki

[1] It is the oldest extant collection of stories concerning Yoshitune's boyhood and fugitive years[2] and the single most important source for the Yoshitune legend which is written about how a legend is born and how a folk hero is shaped.

[2] Thought to have been written during the Nanboku-chō period, from the perspective of literature, it has provided inspiration to numerous Noh, kabuki and bunraku plays.

Much of the image that people today have of Yoshitsune and those associated with him (Saitō no Musashibō Benkei and Shizuka Gozen, for example) is considered to have been influenced by the Gikeiki.

All previous texts of Gikeiki are essentially the same, there are no major variations.

Yoshitsune was built on the sacrifices and dedication of others and reigned in popular legend as a symbolic presence.

Cover of the English translation
Yoshitsune 's illustration of Mt. Kurama . Training with Tengu at Mt. Kurama
Illustration of the Gojo Bridge from Gikeiki. Yoshitsune and Benkei fighting on Gojo Bridge (illustrated by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka )
The ghost of the great Uraha family. Yoshitsune and his party chased by the ghosts of the Heike clan (illustrated by Kuniyoshi Utagawa )