While cultures around the world were still using bows and arrows and throwing spears at each other, the Japanese were developing some of the most advanced warfare tactics in the world. Japanese swordsmen, called samurai, were some of the most feared warriors the world over. Despite being known as devastating warriors, samurai, in Japanese, means to serve. While some samurai were mercenaries, most were found to be in the service of a lord or even the emperor himself. It was a samurai’s duty to protect his lord at all costs. In some respects, samurai were like the knights from European nations of old. Japanese weapons were well balanced and deadly, representing superior craftsmanship. Japanese armor, which the samurai wore into battle, was just as durable and resilient as the suits of armor worn by crusaders of old.
The samurai were known to wear masks and helms with menacing horns, designed to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies. On the battlefield, the samurai fought like demons, which caused many of the samurai legends that still exist today.