Warrior Monks

9 years ago #9461910          

Well, Knight Templars we not "monks trained to kill", in first place they were knights, already trained to kill, that chose to become monks. Knight Templars (also Knights Hospitaller, and all the other Warrior Monk Orders of Jerusalem) only enlisted already trained knights as their military.

From the other side, first Sōhei also seem to be warriors who go to the monastery to live the rest of their lives, but were forced back to arms for political reasons; only later training started at the monasteries. But after that Sōhei monks become a military structure that trained its' warriors "from scratch", yet experienced warriors were always welcome.

And - WHOOPS! - why does a Templar wear a Hospitaller's Cross on his robes? Tepmplar cross looks pretty much different.

9 years ago #9461814          

Next assassin's Creed game confirmed for Japan.

9 years ago #9461824          

i don't think the Sohei were actually monks, or at least not in practice. they were just monks in name that protected the monasteries.

9 years ago #9461807          

I knew of Shaolin monks armed with knowledge to at least attack in defense, but Buddhist monks trained to kill kinda goes against a tenet, commandment, or religious law that is in their teaching of no bodily harm may befall any innocent creature.

9 years ago #9461823          

@RainbowGummis Murder is also a violation of Christian law. That didn't stop the Templars much.

9 years ago #9461875          

@RainbowGummis First off, this is japanese buddhism, which is very much its own animal in terms of philosophy. Second, "innocent" is the key word here. The Sohei typically viewed their actions in the context of protecting the innocent. Of course, like the Templars (which had broadly similar ideals), they ended up playing power politics with all the other warlords and factions, and some interpreted it as "protect the innocent from themselves" by acting as quasi-feudal lords. Others ended up leading peasant revolts (some of which came VERY close to toppling samurai rule) or joining themselves to one clan or another.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a great number of Sohei during their "golden age" (between the Genpei War and the end of the Sengoku Jidai) were originally samurai who'd joined up either due to being disillusioned by the politics of the day (which could be summed up with the words "cut-throat" and maybe "machiavellian") or after being forced from their original positions. Both groups were frequently still inclined to think in martial terms.

9 years ago #9461783          

A Templar!
Time to call the Brotherhood!!

9 years ago #9461778          

Both look hella cool.