Essay Sample on Samurai: Mounted Archers of Japan's History

Introduction

There are various ways in which the Samurai could be defined. However, the best description for a samurai is that 'samurai is a mounted archer.; The Japanese history can be traced to the time of 'the bow and arrow' which had been used by the Samurai worriers. The skill of Samurai archery required dedication and practice that was done for several years before it was mastered. By the end of the third century, many Japanese Warriors were using longbows which were at least two metres in length known as Maruki yumi. Just like the other parts of the world, this was asymmetrical bow because hand grip was at the centre. At the end of the 8th century, many samurai worriers were submerged with the Japanese Warriors. The Samurai developed what was known as the (kyuba no Michi) which means the way of the bow. This term later on developed into what was known as the way of the Warrior or Bushido (bushido). It is accepted that a bushi who is a member of Warriors class developed ritual warfare that was based on individual battles between mounted Archers. These battles were supposed to happen after a warrior issued a challenge. It involved a Samurai charging onto each other, and shooting their arrows while they are willing their horses before they return to the line. The use of the asymmetrical bow was a unique activity in Japan because it was made of a composite construction of Mulberry wood which was added to layers of bamboo at the back. A typical bow for the mounted Warriors was 7 feet inches tall. The archery skill was not easy to come by because not everyone could do the tricks and express professionalism in it (Yamamoto,2013). Being into an army of archers sometimes implied that the young children were kidnapped and forced into the military (Watson and Shirane 2004). The archers were also different from the government organizations that expressed the desire and loyalty to serve the government.

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The Samurai have mounted Archers. While they were seated at the house back, the Samurai held their bowls over their head so as to clear the horse and then bring it down with their left arm straight. A horse was a trade of all the Samurai; it was a skill that involved shooting the arrows straight from the horseback while in battle. Shooting the arrows from the back required that they could only shoot on the left side along a narrow arc. This legendary skills for mountain samurai archery came as a result of numerous hours of practice and drilling procedures for the Samura recruits. It was an art that also incorporated religious practice that required several hours of medication before one could become a samurai mounted Archer.

Numerous stories have been told about the Great feats of legendary samurai archers. One of them is Minamoto Tametomo who is said to have sunk a ship through hitting it below with an arrow while submerged deep in the sea waters. The other instance was the battle of Kashima that took place in the year 1184. In this battle, a fan was hung on ship as the opposing Samurai were challenged to shoot the fan down. Nasu Yoichi was one of the samurai warriors who were on horseback within the water which hit the fan will the first arrow despite the ship being rocked by waves.

The Samurai mounted archers had arrows that were made from bamboo and duck feathers that were mainly used in fletching. The arrows were also tipped with iron points and kept in a locked box so as to hold them in place. Every battle started with an arrow being shot in the air. The arrows had burning fire as they were fired high into the sky over the lines of the enemy. The samurai archers used the arrows that whistle and gave a sound known as Kami (the Shinto gods) so as to make them aware of the deeds that are about to be performed. Samurai warriors always won their battles. Hence, from the given options, the most suitable alternative that best describes a samurai warrior is a mounted archer because the samurai warrior spent several years of their lives practising archery skills and making a special type of arrows and bows.

References

Mikiso, H. and Lou P. (2004). Premodern Japan: Ahistoric Survey. Second Edition. Westview Press, 2014.

Watson, L. and Shirane S. (2004). The tales of the Heike. Columbia University Press