Very few people know Nekurenbo in person but everyone knows the story of the legendary monk; his voyage to the most weird and wonderful lands, his meeting with the master of the monkeys who gave him a magic wand, his quest for the sacred knowledge of the dragons, how he conquered King Bakeneko who wanted to eat him to secure his immortality, and how he sealed the demon within him so as to teach him good manners. It was this last incident that made him enter the monastery of the Golden Mountain where he could learn to channel this negative energy with the help of a mask made from the wood of a mythical oak tree.