Art De La Guerre

[Mark G Fry]

Sōhei - Japanese Warrior Monks (794 - 1515)

Warrior monks first appeared in Japanese history during the Heian period (794 to 1185AD), when bitter political feuds began between temples, each with their own different subsects of Buddhism, often over imperial appointments to the top temple positions or gifted land and tithes. Much of the fighting over the next four centuries was over these sorts of political feuds, and centered around the four largest temples in the country. Buddhist Samurai Lords would also occasionally ally with a particular temple, providing their own Samurai and followers to bolster a temples military forces. Some temples also allied themselves with the fanatical Ikko-Ikki peasants movement. As the wealth and influence of the temples grew, the Sōhei became more belligerent, arrogant and aggressive, even challenging Imperial authority, openly meddling in Imperial succession disputes and often parading their portable sacred shrines through the villages and towns of opposing temples or those of Samurai lords who were not sympathetic to their sect of Buddhism, forcing the local peasantry and merchants to kneel and bow to their shrine, in a show of strength.
Over the centauries, increased wealth also saw some of the larger temples invest heavily in arms and training, but also as time progressed the warrior monks became more arrogant, more fanatical and even more impetuous in their fighting style. It was well into the Sengoko era in the 1570, 1580s and 1590s that first Oda Nobunaga and then Tokugawa Ieyasu finally demilitarizes the temples, with brutal force.

Command: +3

Camp: Standard @ 0pts or Sacred (Portable Shrines) @ 2pts

Field Fortifications: 0-6

Terrain: Plain, Mountain

Mounted warrior monks* 0-6
Medium Cavalry bow @ 9pts
Medium Cavalry impact (Naginata & katana) @ 8pts
Upgrade to elite @ 2pts (up to 1/2 fielded)

Foot warrior monks* 6-24
Medium swordsmen, 2HW (Naginata) @ 7pts
Medium swordsmen, impetuous @ 6pts
add Armour @ 2pts (up to 1/4 fielded)

Yumi armed monks: 0-4
Bowmen @ 7pts
add Pavice @ +1pt
reduce to mediocre @ -2pts

Poorly armed and Novice monks 0-12
Medium swordsmen, mediocre @ 4pts
Medium swordsmen, impetuous, mediocre @ 4pts

Tithed Peasantry: 0-6
Levy @ 3pts

Note:
If any Foot Warrior Monks are fielded as impetuous, all Foot Warrior Monks and Poorly armed and Novice monks must be fielded as impetuous
A Sōhei army can field an allied Corps from either the Buddhist Samurai Lord or Ikko-Ikki lists below

Buddhist Samurai Lord allied contingent

Samurai*: 2-4

Mounted Samurai
Heavy Cavalry, Bow (Yumi) @ 11pts
Heavy Cavalry, Impact (Naginata or Katana) @ 10pts

Foot Samurai
Medium swordsmen, Bow (Yumi) @ 9pts
Heavy swordsmen, 2HW (Naginata) @ 9pts
Medium swordsmen, Polearm(Yari) @ 7pts

Upgrade any Samurai to elite @ 2pts

Followers or Ashigaru: 0-6 (see Note)
Bowmen @ 7pts (max 2 only)
add Pavice to bowmen @ 1pt
Medium swordsmen @
add 2HW (Naginata) to swordsmen @ 1pt
add Polearm (Polearm) to swordsmen @ 1pt
downgrade any to Mediocre @ -2pts

Notes:
Only one type of Samurai Heavy Cavalry can be fielded
Yari armed troops cannot be used pre 1465

Ikko-Ikki allied contingent (1351-1515)

Fanatical Peasants*[/b] 0-20
Levy, impetuous @ 4pts

Peasant Mob: 0-10
Levy, impetuous, mediocre @ 3pts

Women, children & elderly: 0-4
Levy, mediocre @ 2pts

Notes:
Fanatical Peasants must outnumber all other troop types