Miscreant Monks
History, Heritage and Religion

Miroku's rather odd lifstyle is actually not entirely unheard of for a monk. The monks of Mount Hiei influenced Japanese political and religious life until the 16th Century and the arrival of General Oda Nobunaga. He is quoted as saying: "If I do not take them away now, this great trouble will be everlasting. Moreover, these priests violate their vows: they eat fish, and stinking vegetables, keep concubines, and never unroll the sacred books. How can they be vigilant against evil, or maintain the right? Surround their dens and burn them, and suffer none within them to live." Nobunaga invaded the mountain, burned every temple to the ground, and executed every monk. Lets hope that General Nobunaga and Miroku never cross paths.