Warrior Monks

[MrT]

The other day I felt really stupid. I looked at the Heiji Scroll (here is a good link http://learn.bowdoin.edu/heijiscroll/viewer.html) and realized that the warrior monks present wore the same equipment as the lower rank warriors. I had just assumed that they always were holy warriors fighting in robes. Then I read a little more in my A History of Japan to 1334 and realized that at least during the Heian to Kamakura period they weren´t necessarily that devout either. Also since the Taira under Kiyomori, for example, seems to have routed these warrior monks quite easily when they needed to their extreme morale in Shogun 2 also seems fictional. Haven´t had time to read up more and I don´t have much books about Sengoku Jidai which are good so I would very much like it if someone could help me understand these men better. Did they ever evolve after the Gempei War into something resembling the warriors present in Shogun 2 or is this entirely fictional? Did the gradually evolve into more devout buddhists? Basically, anything about warrior monks you want to share, tell me

[yupper]

Welp....there is this...

[MrT]

Interesting, not quite as historical as what I am looking for but I share your opinion on unit special-ness

[yupper]

In that thread, someone posted a link to the Wikipedia entry for Sohei, which does mention the roles played by them from the Gempei Wars through the Sengoku Jidai including the rise of the Ikko Ikki. Now, if someone would just explain why warrior monk archers have longer ranger than all other archers in this game (except the DLC Daikyu samurai)....

[MrT]

Oh sorry, missed that link. Then it is as I guessed, they continued to not discard armor and would use different weapons. Sounds like they were quite practical in how they fought really, chose their equipment to suit their needs and the ikko ikki were quick to adopt firearms. As for the longer range, divine guidance of course!

[RollingWave]

Ikko Ikkis were for a large part not monks, at least the rank and files were more often then not not much different from the Armies of many Samurais. Their leaderships often were Monks but they weren't exactly risking their skins on the front lines. meanwhile many Samurais were part of the Ikko Ikki to a good extend. at least if we use the wider definition of Samurai.

By the Sengoku Jida actual Sohei were more rare.

If we purely focus on the Nobunaga to Ieysu Period, the actual famous fighting force of the Ishiyama Honganji based Ikko Ikki were the Magoichi group lead by the Suzuki clan, who were famed as the best gunmen of the era , their most famous feat was that in a single battle they managed to kill both one of the major Oda generals (thus breaking the Siege on Osaka) AND badly wound Oda Nobunaga himself . And later on Nobunaga tried to root them out by sending a massive expedition against their homebase in Saika but ended up in an inconlusive settlement.