Warrior Monks-Japanese Religious Power in the Waring States Period

For much of the Samurai Era known as the Waring States Period, Armies of Buddhis/Shinto warrior monks were a force to be reckoned with.

Rather armed with traditional weapons such as spears and sword or more exotic weapons like the tetsubo, an iron twohanded club with metal spikes, warrior monks added large numbers of experienced fanatics to many battles.

From the 10th to 16th centuries, the warrior monks from such groups as the Ikko-Ikki or White Lotus created armies of thousands of warrior monks

After centuries of power the warrior monks finely met there match in the great warlord Nobunaga Oda who destroyed their power in a series of major battle. By 1580, the warrior monks of Ikko-Ikki had been humbled, pacified and forced to sign a peace treaty-in blood. The long age of the warrior monks of Japan had come to a violent end.

                                  These are from Warlord Games for their "Test of Honor" game. I painted them in 2019.