Sohei were Buddist warrior monks who emerged in the 10th century as temple guards, and over time became powerful mercenaries. Unlike samurai, they often acted as independent, heavily armed forced. They played significant roles in political and military conflicts, commonly wearing traditional white robes wielding bows and deadly polearms called naginata.
They were eventually dismantled in the 16th century by the Japanese samurai and daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi who’s weapons bans disarmed the populous.