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Kintaro ("Golden Boy") is a hero from Japanese folklore. He is based on a real man named Kintoki Sakata who lived during the Heian period and probably came from what is now the city of Minami-ashigara. He served as a retainer for the samurai Yorimitsu Minamoto and became well known for his abilities as a warrior. As with many larger-than-life individuals, however, his legend has grown with time. Sir Galahad, a hero of Arthurian legend In many myths and folk tales, a hero is a man or woman (the latter often called a heroine), traditionally the protagonist of a story, legend or saga, who commonly possesses abilities or character far greater than that of a typical person, which...
Japanese mythology is an extremely complex religion and system of beliefs. ...
History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei Overview The Heian period (平安時代) is the last division...
Japanese samurai in armour, 1860 photograph. ...
Minamoto no Raiko (源 頼光) or Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021), also known as The Oni Slayer. ...
Legend Several competing stories tell of Kintaro's childhood. In one, he was raised by his mother, Princess Yaegiri, daughter of a wealthy man named Shiman-choja, in the village of Jizodo, near Mt. Kintoki. In a competing legend, his mother gave birth to him in what is now Sakata, Japan. She was forced to flee, however, due to fighting between her husband, a samurai named Sakata, and his uncle. She finally settled in the forests of Mt. Kintoki to raise her son. Alternatively, Kintaro's real mother left the child in the wilds or died and left him an orphan, and he was raised by the mountain witch Yama-uba (one tale says Kintaro's mother raised him in the wilds, but due to her haggard appearance, she came to be called Yama-uba). In the most fanciful version of the tale, Yama-uba was Kintaro's mother, impregnated by a clap of thunder sent from a red dragon of Mt. Ashigara. Yama-uba (mountain crone) is a monster found in Japanese folklore. ...
Thunder is the sound of the shockwave caused when lightning instantly heats the air around it to up to 30 000 °C (54 000 °F). ...
Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century The Dragon, typically depicted as a large and powerful reptile or serpent with magical or spiritual qualities, is one of the few, if not the only mythological creature to be known around the globe. ...
The legends agree that even as a toddler, Kintaro was active and indefatigable, plump and ruddy, wearing only a bib with the Chinese character for "gold" on it. His only other accoutrement was a hatchet (a Chinese symbol of thunder). He was bossy to other children (or there simply were no other children in the forest), so his friends were mainly the animals of Mt. Kintoki and Mt. Ashigara. He was also phenomenally strong, able to smash rocks into pieces, uproot trees, and bend trunks like twigs. His animal friends served him as messengers and mounts, and some legends say that he even learned to speak their language. Several tales tell of Kintaro's adventures, fighting monsters and demons, beating bears in sumo wrestling, and helping the local woodcutters fell trees. This page is about a sharp instrument, see Hatchet (novel) for the novel. ...
Oni statue Oni (鬼) are fabulous creatures from Japanese folklore, similar to Western demons or ogres. ...
Sumo (相撲 SumÅ), or Sumo wrestling, is today a competition contact sport wherein two wrestlers or rikishi face off in a circular area. ...
As an adult, Kintaro changed his name to Kintoki Sakata. He met the samurai Yorimitsu Minamoto as he passed through the area around Mt. Kintoki. Minamoto was impressed by Kintaro's enormous strength, so he took him as one of his personal retainers to live with him in Kyoto. Kintoki studied martial arts there and eventually became the chief of Yorimitsu's "Four Braves" and renown for his strength and martial prowess. He eventually went back for his mother and brought her to Kyoto as well. Location of Kyoto, on the main island of Japan Kyoto (Japanese: 京都市; Kyōto-shi) is a city in Japan that has a population of 1. ...
Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...
Kintaro in Modern Japan Kintaro is an extremely popular figure in Japan, and his image adorns everything from statues to storybooks to action figures. Kintaro candy has been around since the Edo period; no matter how the candy is cut, Kintaro's face appears inside. Japanese tradition is to decorate the room of a newborn baby boy with Kintaro dolls on Children's Day (May 5) so that the child will grow up to be strong like the Golden Boy. There is also an anime titled Golden Boy, though with a significantly different plot from the legend. Basic Characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ...
An action figure is a posable plastic figurine of an action hero, superhero or a character from a movie or television program. ...
A shelf filled with candies Candy is a term for a type of confectionery prepared by dissolving sugar in water or milk and boiling it until it starts to caramelize. ...
History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Edo period (江戸時代) is a division of Japanese...
Childrens Day is a holiday in many countries around the world. ...
May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ...
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