Marathon Monks

Ashigaru_Inf_Marathon_Monks Image

Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)

Recruitment Cost 1250
Upkeep Cost 175
Melee Attack 15 42%
Charge Bonus 15 30%
Bonus vs Cavalry 10 33%
Melee Defence 9 25%
Armour 2 13%
Morale 15 30%

Strengths & Weaknesses

  • Fast moving and fatigue resistant.
  • Good against infantry and cavalry.
  • Very high melee defence.
  • Vulnerable to katana infantry and missiles.

Abilities

  • Second Wind - This restores a portion of nearby units' stamina, allowing them to fight longer and harder.
  • Warcry - Warcry heavily demoralises up to four nearby enemy units, slowing them down and affecting their defence ability for a short time.
(Click here to learn more about unit abilities)

Requires

  • Religions:

Description

Faith builds the body, and faith makes outstanding warriors.

The marathon monks take the training of the body, and therefore the spirit, to extreme lengths. Faith makes them take on gruelling marches until they have honed their bodies to perfection. This gives them incredible speed and resistance to fatigue on the battlefield. With each man carrying a naginata, they are deadly fighters when they arrive at a melee. They are not invulnerable, though, and can be shot down like other men, and need careful handling when facing other naginata-armed troops. The marathon monks of Mount Hiei followed the Tendai school of Buddhism. Unlike most other branches of Buddhism, Tendai adherents maintained that enlightenment could be achieved in a single lifetime. In order to attain their goal, the monks underwent the "Kaihogyo", a gruelling test of physical endurance that saw them travelling a distance of 30km a day on foot, 100 days in a row, for five consecutive years. The target then increased to 60km for 100 days in the sixth year and 84km every day for the 100 days of travel in the seventh year. Throughout this challenge the monks were expected to keep their bodies upright and their long straw hats completely straight, no matter how rocky the path. To call this epic journey a "marathon" seems something of an understatement!