This period of history The Edo Period is a span of Japanese history is characterized by a feudal system ruled over by the Tokugawa Shogunate, that lasted from 1603 to 1868 CE.
It was under the Tokugawa that the popularization of the sword as the weapon of the Samurai (the warrior class) became the popular ideal. Previous to this era, archery was considered to be the main method of noble combat between samurai, and feats of strength were often boasted about via descriptions of how large a warrior's bow was or how many men he could kill with a single shot (Obviously exaggerations).
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