Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949 1603

From the 10th to the mid-17th century, religious organisations played an important part in the social, political and military life in Japan. Known as sohei (''monk warriors'') or yamabushi (''mountain warriors''), the warrior monks were anything but peaceful and meditative, and were a formidable enemy, armed with their distinctive, long-bladed naginata. The fortified cathedrals of the Ikko-ikki ri...