The authors state that one of the impressions gained from a reading of the Heike Monogatari is the degree of military technology possessed by the peasantry, which they state was `very high`. Within both the Jishō and Jūei conflicts (both of which occurred as part of the Genpei War), the peasants are described as having possessed `Shishiya 鹿矢` and Kariya `狩り矢`, putting them in the same stead as warriors (description within the Eikyōbon version of the Heike Monogatari). Bows and arrows were necessary everyday implements for the peasantry of the medieval period. In addition to opening up fields within the breaches between valleys, they would use them in hunting and, more importantly, use them for the purposes of defending their territory against intruders. (214-216)

A village would have the exclusive rights to hunt within a certain delineated area of forest or field (known as a 山野用益) which they had to defend against outsiders. If they had been attacked and lost the right to the territory, and if they wished to win back their prestige and rights, then the village had to exercise their own form of justice via use of `jiriki kyūsai` or `jikyūkōi` (commonly translated as `self-help`). Villages of the medieval period were the mainstay of the concept of `jiriki kyūsai`. The rights that the village held could only be protected by the use of force, which meant arming the villagers against intruders (including warriors). Most of those called upon to defend the village were the younger generation, known as a 若衆 (わかしゅう). It was their efforts and the organizational and military skills of the village that enabled them to continue to function as producers.(217)

Many historical records demonstrate that villages would often engage in conflict against their neighbours (who possessed a similar if not identical level of military ability), which could then escalate into a `war`, with more and more villages being drawn into battle until the scale was increased expedientially.(217) Hence villagers in the same area would attack one another, burn down dwellings, and make off with crops and prisoners. This situation was serious for the villages concerned, for if a village could not protect itself against incursions it would inevitably disappear.

When defending one`s regional rights and right to information from others, jiriki kyūsai called for the exercise of group effort. As for actions derived from `appropriate sources` (適法行為), a public law regarding sovereignty (統治権) had not yet come into being. Hence within this society, the peasantry assembled in the villages had to decide on what they would protect the village against, and what level and type of violence they would exercise.(218)