Man Of Honor
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The Japanese ideogram for samurai is translated as "he
who serves". This definition perfectly reflects Benkei, a
central character featured in Namiki Gohei's, Kanjincho. In
the Japanese tale a young prince attempts to flee the
tyranny of his older brother. As a result he turns to
Benkei, a well-known samurai, for protection. Benekei can
be described as a smart, resourceful and cunning, but above
all else he is noble. He respects the samurai code, and
devotes his life to his master the prince. Benkei is
significant because it is he that ultimately serves as
watcher over Yoshitsune. If the prince dies, there is no
story. When Benkei and Yoshitsune are confronted by a
barrier set up by Togashi, (a samurai whose mission is to
hunt the prince for his master.) we begin to see Benkei's
resourcefulness and devotion, as he tries to outwit
Togashi's endless interrogation...