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RELIGIOUS FIGURE

Benkei

1155 - 1189

Photo of Benkei

Icon of person Benkei

Saitō Musashibō Benkei (西塔武蔵坊弁慶, 1155–1189), popularly known by the mononym Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk (sōhei) who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185). Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, and then a rogue warrior. He later came to respect and serve the famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune, also known as Ushiwakamaru. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Benkei has received more than 1,253,752 page views. His biography is available in 30 different languages on Wikipedia. Benkei is the 667th most popular religious figure (down from 534th in 2019), the 89th most popular biography from Japan (down from 69th in 2019) and the 4th most popular Japanese Religious Figure.

Benkei is most famous for being a warrior monk who protected the emperor from his enemies.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 64.24

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 30

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.70

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.42

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Benkeis by language


Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES

Among religious figures, Benkei ranks 667 out of 2,238Before him are Isaac of Nineveh, William Tyndale, Je Tsongkhapa, Basilios Bessarion, Billy Graham, and Giulia Farnese. After him are Zayd ibn Ali, Robert of Molesme, Tarcisio Bertone, Zebedee, John Cassian, and Onuphrius.

Most Popular Religious Figures in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1155, Benkei ranks 4Before him are Isaac II Angelos, Alfonso VIII of Castile, and Niketas Choniates. After him are Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi, Ottokar I of Bohemia, Henry the Young King, Kilij Arslan II, Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus, Peter II of Courtenay, Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia, and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera. Among people deceased in 1189, Benkei ranks 4Before him are Henry II of England, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and William II of Sicily. After him are Gerard de Ridefort, Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, Emperor Shizong of Jin, Humbert III, Count of Savoy, and Frederick, Duke of Bohemia.

Others Born in 1155

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Others Deceased in 1189

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In Japan

Among people born in Japan, Benkei ranks 89 out of 6,048Before him are Emperor Annei (-577), Dōgen (1200), Akira Toriyama (1955), Empress Go-Sakuramachi (1740), Syukuro Manabe (1931), and Hasekura Tsunenaga (1571). After him are Chiune Sugihara (1900), Emperor Itoku (-553), Masaru Emoto (1943), Joe Hisaishi (1950), Fumimaro Konoe (1891), and Ishida Mitsunari (1559).

Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES In Japan

Among religious figures born in Japan, Benkei ranks 4Before him are Kane Tanaka (1903), Nichiren (1222), and Dōgen (1200). After him are Abe no Seimei (921), Empress Meishō (1624), Paulo Miki (1564), Mikao Usui (1865), Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659), Sen no Rikyū (1522), Ikkyū (1394), and Dom Justo Takayama (1552).