INTRODUCTION


the chivalry of medieval Europe, they had their origins in the 8th to 10th centuries AD. For several centuries, they formed an exclusive military caste, dominant on the battlefield, where they fought mainly as armoured horse-archers. Then, with the outbreak of the Onin War in 1467, Japan descended into 150 years of civil war, as rival


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CONTENTS Rise of the Samurai


Military Trends during the Sengoku Period Total War: Shogun 2 - Enhanced for Intel® Core™ Mikata ga Hara, 1572 – the battle in the snow Samurai Weapons Warrior Types


WIN a copy of Total War: Shogun 2 12 8


he samurai were the


feudal warrior- knights of medieval Japan. Like


regional magnates (daimyo) waged a relentless struggle for power.


Samurai armies swelled in size and were strengthened with new auxiliary troops, new weapons like hand-guns, and new tactics appropriate to infantry action and combined-arms operations. It was nothing less than a revolution in warfare comparable with that in contemporary 16th century Europe. In association with Intel and Total War: Shogun


2, a new computer game based on this period of samurai warfare, we asked leading expert Professor Stephen Turnbull, who was a key consultant in the development of the game, to provide detailed background information. In this special supplement, he offers a narrative of events for the entire period, an analysis of a classic samurai battle, and key notes on specialist warriors and weapons of the period.


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15 10 2 16 Military Times in association with Intel and Total War: Shogun 2


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