Warrior Monks of Mount Hiei (1130s)

Name: Warrior Monks of Mount Hiei (1130s)
Start: 1131
End: 1140

Type Event Region Japan Time 1131–1140

In the 1130s, warrior monks of Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei repeatedly descended on Heian-kyō with forceful petitions, pressuring the court and cloistere…

Timeline

1131–1135Mount Hiei · ShigaWhen Enryaku-ji had disputes over lands and corvée with surrounding estate holders and other temples and shrines, the sōjō and bettō summoned warrior monks and retainers under arms. In the 1130s the mountain's sphere of influence expanded, and the use of warrior monks as an instrument of enforcement increased.
1133–1140Heian-kyō · KyotoWarrior monks carried portable shrines and weapons in formation into Heian-kyō, presenting demands before the Cloistered Office or the Grand Council of State and forcing the court to yield. Retired Emperor Toba and the regent houses often calmed matters through appeasement or rulings on estate ownership, making forceful petitions by warrior monks a normalized instrument of pressure in late Heian politics.

Sources

The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 2: Heian Japan — Donald H. Shively and William H. McCullough (eds.) (1999)
日本中世纪史 — 服部勇治 (2014)