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They were called "Sohei," the greatest warriors of feudal Japan. Originally they were monks of the great
temple Enryaku, built in the year 788 among the cypress groves of Mt. Hiei to protect the emperor's new capital
of Kyoto from evil spirits... But the pressure of constant attacks by marauding samurai intent upon the treasures
of their temple forced them to take up arms, and eventually the Sohei abandoned the teachings of the Buddha to
follow the path of war.
And it was a bloody path. Masters of war, the Sohei priests were mercenaries who fought constantly, leading the
armies of conflicting samurai lords in furious combat. But the greatest rivals of the Sohei were the warrior monks
of Nara, and their terrible feud lasted centuries. |
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