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| Sōhei | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Sōhei |
| Native name | 僧兵 |
| Active | c. 10th–16th centuries |
| Country | Japan |
| Branch | Warrior-monks |
| Type | Monastic cavalry and infantry |
Sōhei were Japanese warrior-monks who served as armed retainers and defenders of Buddhist temples and monastic institutions from roughly the Heian to the Sengoku periods. Emerging amid shifting power between aristocratic houses such as the Fujiwara clan and rising warrior families like the Taira clan and Minamoto clan, sōhei combined religious roles at centers such as Enryaku-ji, Kōfuku-ji, and Tōdai-ji with military activity in provincial and capital politics. They frequently intervened in disputes involving imperial patrons including the Emperor Go-Ichijō and warlords such as Oda Nobunaga, shaping episodes like the Hieizan Enryakuji conflicts and the assault on Mount Hiei.
Sōhei arose in the late Heian period amid contestation between aristocratic houses such as the Fujiwara clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Taira no Kiyomori and monastic communities at institutions including Enryaku-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Tōdai-ji, Kongōbu-ji, and Kōya-san. Early incidents like the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War encouraged temples to recruit martial retainers from warrior families such as the Taira clan and Minamoto clan and from provincial samurai allied with the Ashikaga shogunate and regional houses like the Hosokawa clan and Takeda clan. Political crises involving emperors such as Emperor Shirakawa and shoguns like Ashikaga Takauji expanded the role of temple troops in disputes over appointments to institutions such as Rokuon-ji and Daigo-ji.
Monastic communities that maintained sōhei at complexes like Enryaku-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Tōdai-ji, Kongōbu-ji, Mount Hiei and Mount Kōya organized retainers under abbots such as the influential monks of the Tendai school and clerical networks tied to the Kegon school, Shingon school, and Pure Land Buddhism institutions including Jōdo-shū temples. Leadership often involved abbots and administrators with ties to aristocratic houses like the Fujiwara clan or military patrons such as the Hōjō clan and Ikko-ikki. Recruiting drew from provincial families such as the Saitō clan, Matsunaga clan, Azai clan, and retainers connected to daimyo like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu in later periods. Monastic life combined liturgy, scriptural study of texts like the Lotus Sutra and Heart Sutra, administrative tasks in archives such as those at Ninna-ji and Saiin, and martial training modeled on samurai customs from clans including the Sasaki clan and Imagawa clan.
Sōhei tactical practice adapted samurai warfare from battles such as the Genpei War and sieges like that of Kanazawa; they fielded ashigaru-style infantry and mounted units using weapons associated with warriors including the yari spear, naginata, tachi and later tanegashima matchlocks introduced after contact with Portuguese people. Defensive works around monastic complexes such as the walls of Enryaku-ji and fortifications on Mount Hiei employed fortresses similar to those used by the Takeda clan and Uesugi clan. Engagements with provincial armies led by commanders like Oda Nobunaga, Mori Motonari, Shimazu Yoshihisa, and Date Masamune showcased combined-arms tactics, ashigaru formations and archery influenced by practices from the Minamoto clan and the Taira clan.
Major sōhei forces organized around temples and networks such as Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei, Kōfuku-ji in Nara, Tōdai-ji, Kongōbu-ji on Kōyasan, and Ikko-ikki communities tied to Ikkō-shū sects around Ishiyama Hongan-ji and Kaga Province. Prominent conflicts included clashes with warriors of the Minamoto clan in the Genpei War, skirmishes with Oda Nobunaga culminating in the destruction of Enryaku-ji in 1571, struggles with the Shimazu clan in Kyushu, and prolonged sieges such as the Siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji involving Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Episodes involved figures like Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Hosokawa Katsumoto, Nitta Yoshisada, and Akechi Mitsuhide as they negotiated or fought with temple forces.
Sōhei influenced imperial politics involving the Imperial Court in Kyoto, aristocratic houses such as the Fujiwara clan and Taira clan, and military regimes including the Kamakura shogunate and Ashikaga shogunate. Temples allied with or opposed daimyo like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Uesugi Kenshin, and Takeda Shingen depending on patronage, revenue disputes, and appointments to positions within institutions like Enryaku-ji and Kōfuku-ji. Religious leagues such as the Ikkō-ikki challenged samurai domains in provinces like Kaga Province, Echizen Province, and Mino Province, prompting military campaigns by figures including Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
By the late 16th century campaigns led by Oda Nobunaga, sieges against Ishiyama Hongan-ji, and policies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and later Tokugawa Ieyasu diminished sōhei power, culminating in the razing of strongholds such as Enryaku-ji and reorganization of temple authority across domains including Ōmi Province and Settsu Province. Their legacy persists in cultural memory through chronicles like the Heike Monogatari, art depicting battles and monastic life in screens and scrolls housed in Nara National Museum and Tokyo National Museum, and influence on later institutions including Edo period temple administration and modern heritage sites such as Hie Shrine and surviving structures at Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji.
Category:Warrior monks Category:Medieval Japan