Customer Reviews

Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949-1603

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Well illustrated, overview, but "not much meat on the bones", I would only recommend you buy it since it is one of the only two books I know of in English on the topic.

If you wish a Very Scholarly treatment read "The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha: Monastic Warriors and Sohei in Japanese History" by Mikael S. Adolphson. Very dense, extensively footnoted. Apparently the very word 'sohei' wasn't coined until the 1600s, and most modern writing is based on that 17th & 18th century perspective (bias) rather than looking back carefully at the actual periods of greatest activity (AD ~900- ~1600). Adolphson talks extensively about the biases of these Japanese historians (and contemporary Japanese historians)

I had known, in a vague way, about the warrior-monks of Japan, but this is the first book I'd ever seen that concentrated on them. Had things gone just a little differently in a few battles, it could have been them, rather than the samurai, who effectively ruled Japan, with unknowable consequences. Many of these "monks" were as fierce, brave and stark warriors as any samurai; in fact, many samurai joined the warrior-monks' monasteries.

As the previous reviewer stated, this book is the only even remotely thorough treatment the sohei have recieved in English. Like most books by Stephen Turnbull, it is well-written and researched, but also tells a captivating and heroic story (read the stories of Gochin no Tajima and Tsutsui Jomyo Meishu on pages 52-53).

A Buddhist monk can't even eat meat; much less kill another human being. But just like in the Middle East, where monastic militant orders arose, necessity and overwhelming conviction led to the emergence of those holy warriors (or evil monks as their enemies called them).

There are very few resources on this subject (except in Japanese) so this title closes this gap with competence. Turnbull, the incomparable master of Japanese lore and History in the Occidental world, doesn't only describe the Warrior Monk - Sohei, he also clarifies lots of details and doubts that arise to the layman. Just as an example: what differentiate a Yamabushi from other Sohei; what's the most adequate terminology? why did the different sects fought, was it ideological differences or internal and external politics? They're favorite weapon was the Naginata, but what kind of Naginata?

Professor Turnbull also describes the history of almost 700 years of intermittent conflict, the main temples, sects and wars in which they were involved.

The art of Wayne Reynolds is full of energy and movement, but some will probably find it quite cartoonish compared to other Osprey Titles. Although I like it, I would rather prefer that the artist had personalized more the facial features of the depicted warriors.

Clearly this subject needs a thorough analyses and a much larger book. Most of us don't associate immediately a sect to a temple and to a faction...sometimes this can be quite confusing. The Ennin faction a.k.a. Sammonha and associated with Enryakuji; see what I mean. A table with the personalities, names of factions, sects and their main temples would help the reader a lot. Also there are many great Japanese images of paintings that the source isn't mentioned, only the explanation of the event (but the reader doesn't know if that is a contemporary image or one made 200 years later for example). Maybe in a next edition those issues will be corrected.

Even with those little stains this is a great book and highly recommended.

good overview of the subject. goes well with other books in their series on Japan.