The Ikko-ikki (一向一揆), literally "single-minded leagues", were mobs of Japanese warrior monks and farmers, who rose up against samurai rule in the 15th and 16th centuries. They followed the beliefs of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, also known as True Pure Land Buddhism. Organized to only a small degree, if any single person could be said to have founded them it was Rennyo, an eccentric but important leader of the Jodo Shinshu sect, and, for a time, abbot of Kyoto's Honganji.

History

The Ikko-ikki were, at first, disparate and disorganized followers of Rennyo's teachings. His missionary work, and his appointment to the position of abbot of Honganji, was in 1457, so perhaps it can be said that the Ikko-ikki began then. In 1471, Rennyo was forced to flee Kyoto, and established a new Honganji branch temple in Yoshizaki , in Echizen Province; it was at this temple that he began to attract a significant following among peasants and farmers. 1488 brought the first violent uprising, the first major organized action on the part of the Ikko-ikki. They overthrew the samurai rulers of Kaga Province, and took control of it for themselves; this represented the first time in Japanese history that a group of commoners ruled a province. These sorts of uprisings continued, past Rennyo's death in 1499, and the Ikko sub-sect of Jodo Shinshu that he had founded spread as well. They established themselves in fortresses at Ishiyama Honganji, just outside Osaka, and in Nagashima, on the borders of Owari and Ise Provinces, and in a series of temples of Mikawa Province as well. Towards the end of the 16th century, however, their growing numbers and strength caught the attention and concern of the great samurai leaders of the time. Tokugawa Ieyasu worried that the monks of Mikawa would rise up and seize the province. In 1564, his forces, with the help of Jodo sect warrior monks, defeated the Ikko-ikki of Mikawa in the Battle of Azukizaka . The Ishiyama Honganji and Nagashima fortresses were similarly attacked by the forces of Oda Nobunaga. After several failed attempts at seizing each emplacement, he eventually succeeded. In the 1580s, the last of the Ikko-ikki courted Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and fought alongside his forces against warrior monks of other sects.

Weapons, Training, and Lifestyle

The Ikko-ikki monks of the 16th century, due largely to their origins as countryside mobs, were quite varied in their armor & armament. Many wore the more traditional monk robes, with varying degrees and types of armor. Many wore various sorts of helmets, while many others opted for the straw hat & cloak of a peasant. Naginata remained very common, along with a variety of swords and daggers, and a limited number of arquebuses. Finally, while not truly armor nor armament, a very common item wielded by the mobs of Ikko-ikki monk warriors was a banner with a Buddhist slogan written upon it. One of the more common 'slogans' was the chant 'Hail to the Amida Buddha!' (Namu Amida Butsu 南無阿弥陀仏)

References

• Sansom, George (1961). 'A History of Japan 1334-1615.' Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
• Turnbull, Stephen (2003). 'Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949-1603'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

See Also

• Sieges of Nagashima
• Siege of Ishiyama Honganji