FYSM068--Collective Violence and Traumatic Memory in Asia

 

(Left) Shaolin monks are traveling to many places of the world today to perform the famous Shaolin martial arts. They try to serve global communities according to what the Chinese government instructs them to do, functioning as diplomatic representatives for the government who intends to build up friendships with countries and peoples in different parts of the world. China certainly has many reasons for using the "martial art diplomacy" as it did the "ping-pong diplomacy" several decades ago, but, whatever the reasons are, the policy is based on an understanding and recognition of the fact that the Shaolin martial arts can best represent China's longstanding martial art tradition. Despite the fact that Shaolin Temple, on Mt. Song of the Henan Province, has become known as a "money-making machine" nowadays, Shaolin monks are very proud of this tradition and their martial art skills. They, however, may not realize that their historical counterparts had put their skills in different use, which was often violent.
(Right)Unlike Shaolin monks who are still active in Chinese society today, Sôhei, often translated as warrior monks or monk-warriors, no longer exist in Japan today. Historically, Shaolin monks, once armed, also became warrior monks known as Sengbing-- a term adopted by the Japanese who pronounced it as Sôhei. While armed monks in pre-modern China only functioned as warrior monks when situations required them to defend their temples from external threats and attacks, including foreign invasions, armed monks in pre-modern Japan were Sôhei by nature, which means they were ready to fight any time against any armed forces, such as their counterparts from other temples. Sôhei of Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei were most active and well-known for their aggressiveness in the pre-Tokugawa period. They constantly fought against Sôhei of other temples to defend their properties and privileges. They are portrayed as akusô (evil monks) in Japanese historical and literary texts.