Siege of Mount Hiei


The Siege of Mount Hiei took place in 1571 and was a battle between the warlord Oda Nobunaga and the sōhei of the monasteries of Mount Hiei, north of the capital city Kyoto, western Japan.
Oda Nobunaga led 30,000 men in destroying towns and temples on the mountain and near its base. About 300 buildings were burnt to the ground. This event would mark the end of the great power of Mt. Hiei's warrior monks.

History

The Tendai monks of Mt. Hiei were long great enemies of Oda Nobunaga, due to their strength and independence, and due to their alliance with the Azai and Asakura clans.
Beginning on September 29, Nobunaga's men attacked the town of Sakamoto at the base of the mountain before moving up towards the Tendai temples. He then destroyed the Hiyoshi shrine honoring the kami of the mountain, Sannō. Nobunaga's massive force encircled the mountain and gradually moved upwards, killing and destroying anyone or anything in their way. Eventually, they made their way to Enryaku-ji, the powerful and famous temple at the summit, which was razed to the ground. His arquebusiers then formed search parties and eliminated anyone who had previously escaped their attack.
George Sansom states, "The whole mountainside was a great slaughterhouse, and the sight was one of unbearable horror." According to Stephen Turnbull, so one-sided was the siege that it should more rightfully be called a massacre than a siege or battle.
Only one minor building survived, the Ruri-dō, which is located down a long, unmarked path from the Sai-tō complex. The structure dates originally to the 13th century and was repaired twice in the 20th century. Reconstruction of Enryaku-ji commenced not long after the death of Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but never regained its former size.