User blog:Ekreture/Gaucho vs. Sōhei









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THE GAUCHO - The symbolic horseman of the South American pampas, known for their skill with a knife.

THE SOHEI - Warrior monks, who fought alongside the Samurai of Japan for almost seven hundred years.

WHO IS DEADLIEST?

Gaucho
Throughout history, when people lived on low lying flatlands and had access to horses, they would build a culture around them. The Pampas of South America are no exception, and like other grasslands, the herding of cattle was a central part.

The Gaucho was to the pampas as the cowboy was to North America, and the vaquero, ranchero, and charro were to Mexico. But many differences arose between the North and South American herdsman. One such difference is the weapons carried. While the American West is famous for its gunfights, the Gaucho preferred to settle his disputes-no matter how small-with a knife. Gauchos were known for their skills with their knives, as well as their bolas, which they used for hunting and herding.

Of course, the Gaucho also played an important role in warfare. During the 19th century, Spain was losing a hold on her colonies, and war broke out, between those looking for independence in the wake of the recent revolutions in France and Thirteen Colonies, and the Iberian Crown. The power of local military and political leaders, or Caudillos, began to grow. Some sided with the rebels, some sided with the crown, and some fought for their own power. And all depended on the Gaucho for cavalry.

The Gaucho has become an important symbol in the pampas, especially Argentina, against corruption, and of national pride. Many of the battles won by the revolutionary generals were directly as a result of these men.

Sohei
Warrior monks had existed in Japan since the end of the Japanese classical age. At first, they simply existed to fight other monks; much of religion was politics, so when two monestaries had a feud, often violence would break out. For over two hundred years, the Sohei merely existed to fight each other in small temple conflicts.

All this changed when the Genpei war, one of the many great civil wars of Japan, began. The two warring clans, the Minamoto and the Taira, wished to bulster their samurai forces, and appealed to the now many warrior monestaries. Both sides obtained help from various groups, and their skill in battle was famous.

After the Genpei war, the monks went back to rebuilding their monestaries, and didn't really participate in the wars of the next couple hundred years, once again only fighting each other. The Onin war started in 1467, localized in Kyoto, where many monestaries were, so much of the Sohei could no longer be passive. This conflict grew into a nation-wide civil war, now known as the Sengoku Jidai.

Meanwhile, in the countryside, a new face of the warrior monks arose; the Ikko Ikki. These religious fanatics believed in the downfall of the Feudal system, and led a peasant rebellion against the Samurai rulers. Many of the daimyo lords, including Tokugawa Ieyasu, future founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, sent armies to fight the rebels. The Ikko Ikki took began to spread, conquering more land, but eventually, in 1580, they were defeated.

While the next twenty years saw more warrior monks siding with various forces, when Japan was unified under Tokugawa, the time of the warrior monk ended.

Gaucho: Miquelet Blunderbuss
While the Gauchos were not famous for their use of firearms, in times of war, it was necessary, and the pampas horseman would prefer the spread and lightness of a blunderbuss. With a range of around 50 meters, these primitive shotguns were ideal for cavalry use, and the Spanish preferred a miquelet lock, as opposed to the flintlocks of other European countries.

Sohei: Daikyu
While the Sohei were most famous for their skill with the polearm, their skill in archery is also quite famous, especially with the Daikyu, the longer of the two yumi bows. A range around 300 meters, these composite bows were powerful and deadly.

Gaucho: Bolas
These archaic weapons were one of the two most famous in the Gaucho arsenal. Existing since the time of the Inca, this simple weapons is just three round rocks tied to a rope. But make no mistake, especially when used from horseback, these weapons can be deadly. Incredibly hard to take off, if thrown around the legs, the opponent may fall over, and then killed with another weapon. If thrown around the neck, the enemy will most likely die.

Sohei: Naginata
The Warrior Monk's skill with the naginata is legendary. With a steel blade of around 45 cm and a wooden shaft of around 180, this blade is fast and deadly, able to both stab and slash. The sohei were trained in this weapon extensively, and tended to only resort to their other weapons in melee only when the naginata was broken.

Gaucho: Facon
With a 15 inch blade, the facon was one of the most major parts of the Gaucho's life. This long knife was used for eating, dueling, warfare, and more. The south american horsemen had a legendary skill with this blade, and would use it to gut a man over some of the most petty matters.

Sohei: Tachi
A predecessor to the more famous katana, the tachi was longer, usually with a blade around 30 inches, and was wielded with two hands. These blades grew out of style in the favor of the katana; they were seen as far too cumbersome in comparison with their lighter cousin, and only the style of wearing them remained, as nobles would wear their swords with the cutting edge down, or tachi style.

Gaucho: Lagarto
A more painful variation of the original rebenque, this leather whip was used for driving coach horses. Gauchos used these for fighting and punishment, and when this long whip was used on a human, it could cause severe damage.

Sohei: Ono
Commonly associated with the Sohei, this Japanese axe was primarily used for carpentry and gardening. The unstable nature of the sohei's life often called for multi-purpose weapons. Examples of this weapon made purely for combat are very rare.

Voting
Voting will end December 21 at 5 pm. A vote is a full paragraph for each weapon explaining why it gets the edge, another paragraph for x factors (you decide what they are), and a final paragraph summarizing your vote.

The battle will take place between 6 Sohei and 6 Gauchos outside of a barn. While the Gauchos will not start of mounted, many will mount horses.