Watanabe no Tsuna (953–1025) was a Japanese samurai, a companion in arms of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, one of the earliest samurai to be famed for his military exploits in a number of tales and legends.
"Watanabe no Tsuna meets Ibaraki-dōji at Modoribashi Bridge." Ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kunisada.
"A Strange Account of the Destruction of the Bandits by the Elite Four" (Watanabe no Tsuna, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Urabe no Suetake, and Fujiwara no Yasumasa.), Yomihon book by Utagawa Toyokuni and Takizawa Bakin.
Watanabe no Tsuna fighting Ibaraki, mid Edo-period wood carving
Watanabe no Tsuna fighting the oni Ibaraki, ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Shuten-dōji is a mythical oni or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto no Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head.
An ukiyo-e by Yoshitoshi depicting Minamoto no Yorimitsu's retainers, Watanabe no Tsuna, Urabe no Suetake, Usui Sadamitsu, and Sakata no Kintoki and aristocrat Fujiwara no Yasumasa fighting Shuten-dōji on Ōeyama.
Scene from the Ōeyama Emaki.—Itsuō Art Museum
Raikō fights with Shuten-dōji. Scene from the 17th century edition of Ōeyama Emaki. Chester Beatty Library