1571, Siege of Mt. Hiei.During the Sengoku Jidai, the “Warring States Era” of Ja
1571, Siege of Mt. Hiei.
During the Sengoku Jidai, the “Warring States Era” of Japan, many of the warlords faced resistance from the Ikko-Ikki, a rebellious sect of Buddhist monks opposed to the Shogunate and local Daimyos. As provinces were pacified, the monks would sow discord, throwing peaceful areas back into chaos. They were a constant source of unrest, especially for the warlord Oda Nobunaga. As Nobunaga’s sudden and surprising rise to power increased, so did Ikko-Ikki lead rebellions.
Tired of being undermined, Nobunaga launched a fierce campaign directly targeting the monks. The Ikko-Ikki were pushed back to the temple stronghold on Mt. Hiei, one of two historic founding schools of Buddhism in Japan. Nobunaga surrounded the mountain and sieged the temple for months, only to prolong the suffering of those inside. Any who surrendered to the Oda army were summarily executed.
To end the siege, Nobunaga set the mountain on fire and burned the temple to the ground. All those inside perished in the fire, effectively ending the Ikko-Ikki rebellion.
After this and other instances of brutal punishment, Nobunaga became widely known as “Demon Nobunaga”.
Thu, 13 Sep 2018 21:06:02
