Between the 10th and 16th centuries, Buddhist warrior monks were a significant armed force in Medieval Japan, and few could afford to ignore them if they chose to promote their interests in some cause. Various factions would often fight each other for supremacy, particularly when a key decision or appointment was not to the liking of one side or the other, and they could also intimidate emperors and even overthrow daimyos. Their skill at arms was highly respected, and on occasion they were employed by great families to fight alongside their own forces to gain some political objective, although such arrangements were sometimes only short-term. Their power declined during the 16th century unification, and after terrible defeats by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at Negoroji and Ota Castle in 1585, the surviving sects were entirely religious rather than military. By the time Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power a few years later, there were no more warrior monks.

Warrior monks dressed much like any other monk, but with the addition of varying amounts of armour. The figures in this set are all correctly dressed in robes (kimono) with trousers, gaiters, and in most cases sandals (waraji) with socks (tabi). However a couple of them wear instead rectangular wooden clogs (geta) raised to keep the feet out of the dirt, which might seem like awkward footwear when agility is important in a fight, but there is good evidence that they were worn this way, so this is authentic. Over the robe can be seen some body armour, but this is partly hidden underneath the jacket all but one wear, though from what is visible the armour all looks reasonable. Some have splint protection (kote) on the lower arms, and some also wear shinguards (suneate) of either solid or splint construction. Of the nine figure poses, six wear the traditional headcowl, wrapped round the head to cover much of the face, while the remaining three have their heads shaven and wear the headband (hachimaki) instead. One man has a string of prayer beads round his neck, which completes our roundup of the costume and appearance of these men, all of which is accurate and properly done.

The traditional weapon of warrior monks was the naginata, something like the European glaive, and we see seven of these in this set. The precise characteristics of this weapon varied, but those here look good. Most are 35 mm in length (2.5 metres) with a shaft of 24 mm and a blade of 11. These proportions were common after the 12th century Gempei Wars, with earlier models generally having shaft and blade of roughly equal length, which is modelled here only by the first figure in the final row. The style of naginata is the only thing that more narrowly defines the appropriate date range for these figures, as the costume changed little throughout the period. All the figures also have the sword of course (tachi or katana), although its position here seems a bit too moveable, and it was usually carried with sharp blade uppermost, i.e. curved down, while the reverse is true on these figures. The second man in the second row holds a long sword (odachi) with a blade of 15 mm (108 cm) rather than a naginata, which is fine, but otherwise no one has drawn a sword.

All figures with polearms present problems to sculptors of plastic miniatures unless they are separate, and in this collection only one man has a separate weapon. As a result the poses are a bit two-dimensional, which is especially notable as the naginata was used in a wide swinging motion which would be very hard to reproduce even in ideal circumstances. As it is, we liked many of the poses using this weapon and the sword, but the first man in the top row and the last in the second row caused us some concern. Both are more running with the weapon than using it (you need to be well-balanced to swing a naginata effectively), and we felt both were somewhat clumsy. Also, the first figure in the second row seems to be advancing or thrusting but not looking in the direction of his blade, although as we have said, these were not thrusting weapons anyway. The monk in the third row is more waving his weapon in anger than actually using it (a pose taken from the Osprey book on Warrior Monks – see bibliography below), which is okay, and the last man in that row gives us some options. As can be seen, he has empty hands into which either the naginata or one of the two banners shown can be placed. The banners work better to our eye, but it is nice to have this option, as having a figure with just a banner would be a bit excessive in a set of nine poses. This choice of burden for this man is why we state there are 11 available poses in this set, and it is a worthwhile pose, with wargamers in particular appreciating the opportunity to identify units. In general the poses are nice and energetic, and given the limitations of the production method they are nicely done.

One pose has so far not been given a mention, and to be honest this is the one that tends to catch the eye quickly because it shows a monk carrying a large bell on his back. This bizarre pose is actually a particular individual, Saito Musashibo Benkei (1155 - 1189), who is the most famous of the warrior monks – indeed something of a legend. There are many stories about his exploits, some of which may be exaggerated or entirely apocryphal, but one relates that he was expelled from his temple and found an abandoned shrine which he decided to adopt, but as it lacked a bell he stole one from the monastery at Miidera. Here we see him transporting the bell, and as he was described as immensely strong and very tall, perhaps this remarkable feat was possible and did happen. However we would suggest that no one needs three of this figure in each set, and fun though it might be, it is not the kind of figure many customers will find particularly useful, so a surprising and not great choice in our view.

The sculpting of these figures is pretty good, on a par with other recent issues from Ultima Ratio, with nice clear detail and good modelling of the many fabrics on show. The two banners are of an appropriate design, and have engraved surfaces showing a motto and a nice pattern. The grip of the swordsman in the second row is very vague, but overall these are nice-looking figures. The bell carried by Benkei comes in two parts which need gluing, as does the chosen weapon or banner for the last man, and these are all an adequate but not particularly firm fit. As can be seen, there is almost no flash, although the seam is a little rough in places, and the flat poses mean there is little excess plastic either.

This is a pretty nicely put together set, with good accuracy and a fair attempt at some tricky poses, though not all work well to our eye. Finer detail such as that on the bell and the banners is very nice, and the figures are fairly clean and attractive. The multi-use banner man is a nice idea, but we would have preferred something more useful than the figure of Benkei with his bell, despite his popularity in Japanese folklore and modern literature. Poses carrying short swords and bows would have been handy as these were common weapons, as was the arquebus after it was introduced in the mid-16th century, so this is not a comprehensive study of the subject by any means. Nevertheless the set has charm, and certainly improves on the old RedBox set on the same subject, delivering some interesting figures that cover a wide period in the history of Japan.