The Taira forces made the opening attack, in which they fired so many arrows they stopped the Kamakura forces in their tracks, and were more than holding their own in the battle, but once they ran out of arrows, they were attacked in turn by Yoshitsune's archers on sea, and Noriyori's archers on land, and the Taira were mowed down, starting with their boatmen and rowers, who lacked adequate defensive equipment.
平家方は序盤は鎌倉方が静まり返るほど矢を射かけて互角以上に戦っていたが、射尽すと逆に水上からは義経軍に、陸上からは範頼軍に射かけられるままとなり、防御装備の貧弱な水手・梶取たちから犠牲となっていった。