獅子王

In the late Heian period, a dark cloud gathered nightly above the Shishinden hall of the imperial palace, causing the emperor to suffer. The master archer Minamoto no Yorimasa was summoned and loosed an arrow into the night sky, striking a nue — a chimeric monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the tail of a serpent, and the limbs of a tiger. His retainer Ino Hayata finished the creature with his blade. In recognition of this feat, Emperor Konoe bestowed the tachi 'Shishiō' upon Yorimasa — named for the lion (shishi), king of beasts, who drives away all evil. Yorimasa later raised an army against the Taira at Prince Mochihito's call but was defeated at the Battle of Uji River and took his own life. Shishiō stands as both a symbol of valor and a memorial to the tragic hero Yorimasa.