The bow (and arrow) was not simply a weapon for lower-grade soldiers, it was also the main weapon of the samurai. For noted military commanders, it was the martial art that needed the most training as well as being symbolic of the samurai. In battle, warriors on horses engaged in horseback shooting. In the sengokujidai (the Warring States period of Japanese history, 1467-1615) the gun became the chief weapon but the samurais' experience and grace in the art of bow-shooting remained, later evolving into kyuudou (Japanese archery).