Without the right tactics, bows were not very useful. The Japanese used their environment to help their fighting. The mountains of Japan provided a good hiding place and a lookout for invading ships. Archery head on was mostly useless because the enemy would see you firing and raise their shield before the arrow was even launched. At heights the rangers fired multiple arrows while the enemy soldiers slowly, blindly moved up the mountain. The enemy would lose most morale support and energy by the time they got near enough to strike. Arrows were often dipped in oil and lit on fire to burn the enemy even with their armor. Often the archers could kill hundreds before receiving a casualty. These are a few of the many ways archers used range as an advantage.While firing from range had advantages, archers were very vulnerable in combat. While the bow and arrow could kill quickly and efficiently, they had to recharge and aim while the enemy could swing a blade multiple times quickly. The formation was created that archers went in the back of an army firing out at other enemy solders. This way they were rarely attacked. Often times during a siege they would put trenches to fire behind or spears lying at a 40 degree angle at the enemy to allow rangers more time to reload and hit. Also they would have a main general commanding there fire, which helped when they fired at once and broke through an enemy line gaining moral and tactical advantages. During a siege castles had arrow slits called yasama, which allowed ranged counterattacks while still having good cover. Tepposama were the gun zones where they fired, hid, and reloaded. Later the rare Taihosama was created and was used to protect cannons and the people manning them. The castle also pots of hot sand they dropped on warriors as well as burning logs. The Japan castle walls had timber sticking inwards providing a place to fire for cannons and archers. It was called the ishi unchi tana or “ stone throwing shelf”. Other tactics used to slow enemy advances were caltrops, which was made of spines or nails connected with one facing upward. They slowed horses and some horses fell injuring their rider. Bamboo trees were planted diagonally to falter foot solders and battering rams. Felled trees branches’ posed as an obstacle to an enemy army, making them go around.