Kung Fu monks were once called in to fight off pirates!

In 1553, a group of monks were called from their quiet life of meditation to defend their nation. Despite their peaceful nature, these monks were famed throughout China for their specialized Kung Fu skills and deadly reputation. One monk was said to have taken on 8 men and lived. 

They had also fought in, and possibly won, wars for China. The enemy they were defending their country from were a group of pirates from Japan and eastern China. Most turned to piracy due a political situation in Japan meaning that there was no government and it was extremely hard to earn a living. Some others, however, took to the seas looking for an adventure. 

The monks and pirates first clashed in the spring of 1553. There isn’t much information about the battle but it appears to have been a victory for the holy men. The second clash took place on July 21st of that year. Each side had roughly 120 fighters. While the monks only suffered four casualties, every single pirate was killed. While the monks won the third battle once again, the fourth fight was a victory to the pirates, due partly to the monks losing an interest in being warriors. 

(Source)