Editing Mii-dera (section)

===Sengoku period and beyond===
In the late 16th century, Mii-dera, along with many of the other nearby temples, sought alliances, for military (defensive) strength, as well as military power. The territories of the Asai and Asakura families were closest to [[Mount Hiei]], but these families, as well as others the temples had allied with, were rivals of [[Oda Nobunaga]]. These two families suffered heavy defeats at the hands of [[Oda Nobunaga|Nobunaga]] and his chief general [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], so in 1571 they sought a stronger alliance with the temples. That same year, [[Oda Nobunaga|Nobunaga]] set to destroying everything on [[Mount Hiei]], starting with the town of Sakamoto at the foot of the mountain, and setting his sights on Enryaku-ji at the summit. Much of Mii-dera was destroyed, as the warrior monks failed against [[Oda Nobunaga|Nobunaga's]] large and highly trained samurai army.

Following these attacks, the monks of [[Mount Hiei]] were finally granted a reprieve, and rebuilt their temples once more. Mii-dera has never been attacked or destroyed since then.