▁Japan ▁at ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁the ▁kom us ō ▁came ▁under ▁official ▁government ▁criticism ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁time . ▁Because ▁many ▁new ▁kom us ō ▁had ▁formerly ▁been ▁sam ur ai ▁dis enf ranch ised ▁during ▁the ▁S eng oku ▁( W arring ▁States ) ▁period ▁( 1 6 th ▁century ) ▁who ▁were ▁now ▁lay ▁cler gy , ▁the ▁potential ▁for ▁trouble ▁was ▁obvious . ▁Because ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁mon ks ▁were ▁former ▁sam ur ai , ▁and ▁had ▁become ▁r ō n in ▁when ▁their ▁master s ▁were ▁defeated — most ▁likely ▁by ▁the ▁Sh og un ate ▁and ▁their ▁al lies — the ▁kom us ō ▁( now ▁greater ▁in ▁numbers ▁than ▁ever ) ▁were ▁seen ▁as ▁un tr ust worth y ▁and ▁dest abil izing ▁to ▁the ▁new ▁sh og un ate . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁▁ ▁( kom us ō ) ▁means ▁" p ri est ▁of ▁nothing ness " ▁or ▁" mon k ▁of ▁em pt iness " ▁▁ ▁( ky om u ▁or ▁kom u ) ▁means ▁" nothing ness , ▁em pt iness " ▁▁ ▁( ky o ▁or ▁ko ) ▁means ▁" nothing , ▁empty , ▁false " ▁▁ ▁( mu ) ▁means ▁" nothing , ▁without " ▁▁▁ ▁( s ō ) ▁means ▁" p ri est , ▁mon k " ▁ ▁The ▁priest ▁were ▁known ▁first ▁as ▁kom os ō , ▁which ▁means ▁" st raw - mat ▁mon k ". ▁Later ▁they ▁became