The present legend of Kintaro was perfected in the Edo period, and the image of a boy with immense physical strength among Yorimitsu's Shitenno became fixed in popular culture through Joruri (dramatic narrative chanted to a shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese banjo) accompaniment) and Kabuki (traditional drama performed by male actors).
現在の金太郎伝説が完成したのは江戸時代であり、浄瑠璃や歌舞伎を通して頼光四天王の怪力童子のイメージが定着していった。