Saeculorium #5
🛡️ Warriors of History #2 🛡️

The Japanese Sohei

Many religions boast fearsome armed men to enforce faith. Japanese Buddhism is no different. The Sohei ([僧兵) were warrior monks in feudal Japan, often wielding noticeable governmental power, much like their samurai equivalents. They protected lands, guarded temples, and forced militaries and leaderships to comply with their agenda, whether with force or religious pressure.

You could compare them to many crusader orders, of which I’m sure many are familiar with: Templar, Teutonic, etc. They would operate as larger sects of brotherhood, as arms of religious faith, yet even with that unity, were not immune to the ravaging ideals of Japan’s war-torn society. There was no shortage of political rivalries and infighting with the sects, often centered around the most prominent temples of the country, such as Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Enryaku-ji, and Mii-dera – among others, of course. They would protest, raid, argue, and invade – necessitating equipment suitable for a soldier.

Being peaceful without the capacity for violence is often seen as weakness. The Sohei were not unarmed monks, vulnerable and pacifist; they were, by all accounts, trained killers. Bestowed with formidable weapons like the naginata and nagamaki, they often rode on horseback with o-yoroi standard samurai armor dressed in ceremonial robes, adhering to their historical legacy of religion. As with most Japanese warriors, they were also well-accomplished archers, but their weapon expertise expanded to many regions, for in the constant warfare of feudal Japan, it would be foolish to sit idly.

These warrior monks more or less came to an end with the Battle of Sekigahara and Tokugawa Ieyasu’s ascent to power in the country (which is covered here: https://sticknodes.com/members/demonic/activity/1945603/), but their legacy, just as the samurai’s, has not died off yet.

Links & Information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%8Dhei
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Buddhism

Related Music:
Kuroda Bushi, a traditional samurai/Japanese song – not directly related to Sohei but definitely from the time period: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzfI3rkWeww

Featured Images:
1. Modern art rendition of the Sohei
2. Art of Sohei armed as samurai
3. Enryaku-ji Temple in Modern Japan