After the appearance of guns
(Tetupo) in the mid-sixteenth century bows and arrows were used
still as main weapons, but since Japan closed the country in
the early seventeenth century shooting the bow became one of
the martial arts that Samurai should learn to extend their spiritual
existence. Records show that some middle class.
Samurai (2000 Koku-Samurai membership in "Middle Class.") held
ten guns, five bows and five spears, which means this Samurai
could hire thirty men, including backups. It is difficult to
know the actual power of the bows and arrows in warfare, but
there are quite a few artifacts which have been well preserved
and from which one may speculate.
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