Until then, the body was the only part of the dō-maru that was protected, but for higher-ranking samurai, the dō-maru also came with a kabuto (helmet) and shoulder guards. Other weapons used were the naginata (pole weapon with a curved blade) and the yari (spear); Samurai were also accomplished archers fighting on horseback with a long bow (yumi).

Sources include a government chronicle, epic narratives written in the Chinese-style, and contemporary accounts. You might also enjoy Castles of the Samurai, Code of the Samurai, and Samurai: An Illustrated History.

The Mongols attempted to settle matters in a diplomatic way from 1275 to 1279, but every envoy sent to Japan was executed. Between 1553 and 1564, the two samurai would battle five times at Kawanakajima, located in the southern part of what's now Nagano City.

Though the two fought inconclusively from 1553 to 1564, Shingen ultimately managed to keep Kenshin's forces out of Shinano, allowing Shingen to focus on campaigns to the south.Until the Mongol invasion in the late Kamakura period, the main battle was fought by small groups of warriors using yumi (bows) from horseback, and close combat was a secondary battle. After ousting his own father from power to take control of the Takeda Clan in 1540, Shingen moved to conquer Shinano Province (now Nagano Prefecture). Early in his career he defeated several members of the Yoshioka school, thus ending the reign of Kyoto's preeminent school of swordsmanship. In the nine years since the restoration of the Meiji Emperor, the Japanese government actively promoted Japanese craftsmen and industrial designers at the First Domestic Industrial Fair held in Tokyo in 1877, and later participated at the International Exhibitions in Europe and United States with great success, gaining recognition by many collectors and scholars in the West for the excellent Japanese craftsmanship.