세조대 보법이 실시되면서 양인 농민은 이전보다 훨씬 가중된 군역의 부담을 지게 되었다. 군역의 부담에 지친 농민들은 피역의 방도를 강구했다. 그중 하나가 僧徒가 되는 것이었다. 성종대 이후 수많은 피역인들이 승도가 되었다. 승도의 수가 증가할수록 군액은 감소했다. 피역승도는 무리를 이루어 사회적으로 일탈했다. 명종대에 이르러 피역인이 불법적으로 승도가 되는 것을 제한하고자 성종대에 폐지된 선교양종과 도첩제가 부활되었다. 대비 문정왕후의 전폭적인 지지 아래 보우를 중심으로 한 승도 조직이 다시 갖추어졌다. 승도의 양적인 팽창 위에서 그들을 체제 내에서 활용해야 했다. 이에 도첩승은 일상적인 부역은 면제 받았지만 戰時에는 軍士가 되어야 했다. 무도첩승은 평상시 국가의 공역에 동원되는 役軍으로 구실하도록 했다. 16세기 조선의 군역을 둘러싼 이런 질적인 변화는 임진왜란 당시 僧軍활약의 바탕이 되었다. 이들은 1592년의 국가적 위기에서 의기에 충만한 高僧들의 통령 아래 승군으로서 적극적으로 활약했다.

The implementation of the Paired Provisioner System (bobeop) during the reign of King Sejo resulted in a marked increase in the burden bore by farmers from the commoner class (yangin) in terms of military service obligations(gunyeok). Exhausted, these farmers searched for ways to avoid this burden. One of the methods they came up with was that of becoming Buddhis tmonks. In fact, from the reign of King Seongjong on wards, many of those who managed to avoid the heavy military service obligations did so by becoming Buddhist monks. As the number of monks increased the military taxation decreased. Those who became monks to avoid military service obligations (piyeokseung) banded together as deviants from society. The Dhyana (seon) and Doctrinal Schools of Buddhism and the monk registration system (docheopje) that had been prohibited during the reign of King Seongjong were revived during the reign of King Myeongjong as a means to limit those who sought to illegally avoid military obligations by becoming Buddhist monks. Furthermore, the monk organization centering on the Monk Bou with the support of Queen Dowager Munjeong was also reestablished. As such, the quantitative expansion of Buddhist monks had rendered it necessary to find ways to use monks within the system. In this regard, while registered monks were exempted from daily compulsory labors, they had to join the military during wartime. Meanwhile, non-registered monks served as labor that could be mobilized for national projects on ordinary days. This qualitative change regarding military service obligations (gunyeok) during the 16thcentury became the basis for the monk army that emerged during the Hideyoshi Invasions. This force under the leadership of venerable monks played a nactive role during the national crisis of 1592.