Samurai Power

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The Fight and Power of the Samurai The Samurai rose towards the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate and continued to reign with military leadership. Whilst defending themselves and their home from Mongol invaders, the Samurai received help from “Divine wind” more commonly called Kami-no-Kaze which were thunderstorm winds and typhoons. In the year 1543, the arquebus (matchlock gun) had assimilated from the Portuguese in about a decade. It became one of the first introductions to guns in Japan. (Anthony J. Bryant, Samurai, New World Encyclopedia). Many new weapons and tactics had been introduced to the Samurai, they used these opportunities and unlocked opportunities to create a beautiful empire and era of the Samurai. The Samurai definitely …show more content…

The war lasted for 5 years from the year 1180 to 1185. The Minamoto fought hard with the Taira and in the end won the battle. During the first battle the Minamoto fought against the Taira with Monks on their side. The Minamoto clan lost, and their prince Mochihito and their commander in chief were killed in the battle. Prince Mochihito was most commonly remembered for starting the war. Some of the other battles consisted of sieges and raids. The Taira set buildings such as temples and monasteries aflame as to remove any available sources for their rivals. In the Battle of Ishibashiyama, Minamoto no Yoritomo failed at the attempt of beating the Taira in a sneaky night attack. Each Battle of the Genpei war resulted in major losses and sacrifices. In the end of the Genpei War the Taira clan fell to the ground and Minamoto established the Kamakura …show more content…

During this shogunate the Samurai had a specific type of armour that they used. The armor had many different styles depending on who was wearing it. Horse riders had armor that consisted of a battle skirt, sleeves, shoulder pads, and thigh pads. To go along with the armor, the horse riders used bows and arrows, and swords to fight against their opponents. The battle skirt and torso plate were made up of hundreds of metal sheets that allowed flexibility, and defense to become stronger and better when fighting in combat. The foot soldiers had armor as well, however, their armor was light, and not as sturdy and strong compared to the horse riders armor. It was made up of a long torso plate made up of mostly cloth and a bit of metal, they used spears as their weapons. Because their armor was not as defensive compared to the horse rider, many more foot soldiers died in battle compared to the horse riding soldiers. In 1453, the portuguese introduced firearms to the warfare of Japan. The Japanese soldiers created and perfected a new type of armor that could withstand more impact such as bullets from muskets. The armor that had been developed, not only withstood the impact of bullets but also allowed the warriors to make quick, sharp movements without being stuck in a box-like position. The new armor also had a skirt that protected the legs and thighs. The

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