Horseback archery

...Even after the mid-Muromachi period, when the foot soldiers' efforts brought about changes in the way battles were fought, it was said that losing one's life to an arrow from a foot soldier "would not only be a disgrace for the time being, but would also leave a stain on one's life for the rest of eternity" (Ichijo Kaneyoshi, Shodanjiyo). After that, foot battles became common along with mounted archery battles, and especially in urban battles, both samurai and foot soldiers found themselves in a state of melee combat. In this environment, it was the Mongol invasion (Mongol invasions) that brought about a major change in the way battles were fought. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "mounted archery" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…後世，足軽の活躍によって戦闘法に変化をきたした室町中期以後でさえ，足軽の一矢に命をおとすことは〈当座の恥辱のみならず，末代の瑕瑾（かきん）を残せる〉(一条兼良《樵談治要》)といわれた。　その後，騎射戦とともに徒歩戦も盛んとなり，ことに市街戦などの場合は武士も雑兵も乱戦状態を呈した。こうした中にあって合戦形態に大きな変革をもたらしたのはモンゴル襲来(元寇)であった。…

※「騎射戦」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報