Ichirai (一来, died 1180) was a Japanese warrior monk who supported the Minamoto clan of

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

against their rivals, the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided ...

. Ichirai-hōshi is best known for his part in the battle of Uji. He was fighting behind

Tsutsui Jōmyō Meishū Tsutsui no Jōmyō Meishū (筒井浄妙明秀) was a warrior monk (''sōhei'') from Mii-dera who fought alongside Minamoto no Yorimasa and his fellow monks at the Battle of Uji in 1180, defending the Byōdō-in and Prince Mochihito from the Taira ...

on the Uji bridge, but as the beams were so narrow he could not come alongside his ally. He is said to have leapt over the other monk, taken over the brunt of the fighting, and continued until he fell.

References

*Turnbull, Stephen. ''Warriors of Medieval Japan.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2005 Japanese warrior monks 1180 deaths People of Heian-period Japan Heian period Buddhist clergy Year of birth unknown {{Japan-mil-bio-stub