Taking place in the late Heian era, 800 years ago, this historical fantasy recounts the escapades of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (also known as Ushiwaka), the eminent samurai chief, and his devoted warrior monk Musashibou Benkei (or Oniwaka). The novel is set during the rule of the Taira samurai clan, approximately at the same time as the onset of the Japan shogunate's emergence.