Today's popular story of Ushiwakamaru is based on such pieces as: the short records contained in a history book, "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East), the military epic stories such as "Heiji Monogatari" (The Tale of the Heiji) and "Genpei Seisuiki" (The Rise and Decline of the Minamoto and Taira Clans), and "Gikeiki" (A Military Epic about the Life of Yoshitsune), which is a comprehensive story mixed up with more fiction based upon the above two epic stories.
今日伝わっている牛若丸の物語は、歴史書である『吾妻鏡』に短く記された記録と、『平治物語』や『源平盛衰記』の軍記物語、それらの集大成としてより虚構を加えた物語である『義経記』などによるものである。