Quotation

Samurai Rising

the Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
The aristocratic Heian age ended in 1185, the year of Yoshitsune’s victory at Dan-no-Ura and the expansion of Yoritomo’s power and influence. Samurai rule of Japan lasted until 1868— almost seven hundred years. === Samurai archers used many different kinds of arrowheads: forked shapes for cutting ropes, half-moon shapes for cutting throats, and turnip-shaped bulbs that whistled or hummed to distract enemy troops or signal allies. === “as useless as altar-flowers picked too late for the rite.” === The battle of Dan-no-Ura would be fought at sea with hundreds of boats and thousands of men. There would be no horses. No element of surprise. No familiar ground— in fact, no ground at all. Taira confidence grew. “The eastern warriors may talk big on horseback, but when did they learn to fight on water?” scoffed a Taira lord. “They will be like fish that have tried to climb trees.”