Gates of Power: Monks, Courtiers, and Warriors in Pre-Modern Japan : University of Hawai'i Press : 9780824822637 : 0824822633 : 30 Aug 2000 : The political influence of temples in premodern Japan, most clearly manifested in divine demonstrations?where rowdy monks and shrine servants brought holy symbols to the capital to exert pressure on courtiers?has traditionally been condemned and is poorly understood. In an impressive examination of this intriguing aspect of medieval Japan, the author employs a wide range of previously neglected sources to argue that religious protest was a symptom of political factionalism in the capital rather than its cause. It is his contention that religious violence can be traced primarily to attempts by secular leaders to rearrange religious and political hierarchies to their own advantage, thereby leaving disfavored religious institutions to fend for their accustomed rights and status. In this context, divine demonstrations became the preferred negotiating