The History of the Early Samurai

In 1181, Minamoto no Yori Tomo declared war on the Tyra. The battles that resulted resembled those of Dark Age Europe. Bushy tended to fight from horseback, relying primarily on the bow and closing to sword or spear range only went out of arrows. One final point that's worth mentioning is the place of women in this fighting. Like most military classes, the early samurai were male dominated but there are records of women taking up arms during this period.