Hoshi-musha or armed priests were called Soshu or Akuso in the era when they were active but since the Edo period, they have been called "Sohei."
法師武者あるいは武装した僧侶を僧衆、悪僧と同時代でいうが、それを江戸時代以降の「僧兵」と呼称したことばである。