Everything about Ikk -ikki totally explained
The Japanese, literally "single-minded leagues", were mobs of peasant farmers, monks, Shinto priests and
local nobles, who rose up against
samurai rule in the 15th and 16th centuries. They followed the beliefs of the
Jōdo Shinshu (True Pure Land) sect of
Buddhism which taught that all believers are equally saved by
Amida Buddha's grace. They were organized to only a small degree; if any single person could be said to have had any influence over them it was
Rennyo, an eccentric but important leader of the Jōdo Shinshu
Hongan-ji sect. Rennyo's attitude to the Ikkō-ikki was, however, highly ambivalent and pragmatic. Whilst he certainly used the religious fervour of the Ikkō-ikki in the defence of his temple settlements, he was also careful to distance himself from the wider social rebellion of the
Ikkō movement as a whole, and from offensive violence in particular.
History
The Ikkō-ikki were, at first, disparate and disorganized followers of Rennyo's teachings. His missionary work, and his appointment to the position of abbot of Hongan-ji, was in
1457, so perhaps it can be said that the Ikkō-ikki began then. In
1471, Rennyo was forced to flee
Kyoto, and established a new Hongan-ji 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 Ikkō-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.
Rennyo was a pacifist, and taught pacifism as any other Buddhist clergyman would. He advocated self-defense only as a guard against the particularly tumultuous times in which he lived. Daimyo, samurai warlords, fought one another for territory nearly constantly, across the entire country. Rennyo thus saw to it that the temples of his sect were fortified and defended from attackers. Though it was his charismatic leadership and populist teachings that inspired the fervor which powered the Ikkō-ikki uprisings, he never advocated or supported them.
The uprisings continued nevertheless, past Rennyo's death in
1499, and the sub-sect of Jōdo Shinshu that he'd founded spread as well. They established themselves in fortresses at
Ishiyama Hongan-ji, 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
Jōdo sect warrior monks, defeated the Ikkō-ikki of
Mikawa in the
Battle of Azukizaka.
The
ikki attracted the ire of the likes of
Tokugawa Ieyasu and
Oda Nobunaga due to the economic and political threat they posed, more so than as a result of their military might. The Ishiyama Hongan-ji and other strongholds of the
ikki lay across major trade routes and occupied the same areas that Nobunaga saw as his primary territorial objectives. Nearly every road to the capital from this western part of the country was controlled by the
ikki or their allies, and the populist roots of the
ikki movement gave them significant economic power as well. Nobunaga in particular sought the destruction of the Ikkō-ikki for these reasons, and because they allied themselves with nearly every one of his major enemies or rivals.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki was once strongly supported in his claim to become Shogun by Nobunaga, but turned to the
ikki when their relationship soured. The
ikki also had powerful allies in the
Mōri,
Azai, and
Asakura clans.
The Ishiyama Hongan-ji and Nagashima fortresses were therefore besieged and destroyed by the forces of
Oda Nobunaga. After several failed attempts at seizing each emplacement, he eventually succeeded.
In the
1580s, the last of the Ikkō-ikki courted
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and fought alongside his forces against warrior monks of other sects.
Weapons, Training, and Lifestyle
The Ikkō-ikki monks of the 16th century, due largely to their origins as countryside mobs, were quite varied in their armor and 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 and 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 Ikkō-ikki monk warriors was a banner with a Buddhist slogan written upon it. Some of the more common 'slogans' were the
nembutsu chant 'Hail to the
Amida Buddha!' (
Namu Amida Butsu; 南無阿弥陀仏) and 'Renounce this defiled world and attain the
Pure Land.'.
Further Information
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