Way of the Spear
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Contents
Description
"The pointy end! Use the POINTY end!"
A warrior must know himself before he can be ready for battle. Intense training helps a warrior achieve a deeper understanding of his capabilities. Even the simplest of weapons, a spear, needs study if the warrior is to use it to best effect. A man with the proper training acts without thought on the battlefield, fighting without thought of self. What is true for one is true for many, and the way of the spear increases the effectiveness and experience of all spear-armed troops, making them a truly formidable defensive force.
During the Sengoku Jidai, Japanese warfare changed. Battles grew ever larger as more men were fielded: the humble spear-armed ashigaru became a vital part of large armies, outnumbering the skilled samurai many times over. While all the clans used spearmen, they all had differing tactical ideas about their uses, and even about the official length of spears: they were always used as melee weapons and never thrown like javelins. The Oda used a pike-like spear over five metres in length, while other clans favoured handier, shorter spears.
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