Learn about the female Samurai of the Japanese feudal period.
In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of onna-bugeisha, the female samurai who defied traditional gender roles in shogunate Japan. Spanning a period from the 1100s to the 1800s, we explore how these formidable women navigated the rigid feudal class system, trained in martial arts, and defended their homes and castles. Learn about legendary figures like Tomoe Gozen, whose prowess in battle was unparalleled, and Takeko Nakano, who led a valiant, albeit tragic, stand against enemy forces. We also uncover the remarkable story of Miyagino and Shinobu, two peasant women who avenged their father's death using the skills they learned from a samurai instructor. Join us as we shine a light on these warrior women who played crucial roles in the rich tapestry of Japanese history, challenging stereotypes and leaving an indelible mark on their time.
Japanese women practicing Naginata
Hi, this is Kelly Chase and you are listening to History Detective, a podcast where I delve into the past to uncover the mysteries of history. Before I get started, I just wanted to celebrate that it has been 4 years since I started the History Detective Podcast, and if you wanted to help celebrate, I would love it if you could give the podcast a 5-star review wherever you listen!
Now when you think of a Samurai, you probably immediately think of a brooding, sword wielding man. But today, I would like to introduce you to some people who defy the samurai stereotype and that is the female samurai or in Japanese onna-bugeisha.
I think it is also important to note that when we are talking about shogunate Japan, the time when samurai predominantly existed, we are looking at a time period from the 1100s to the 1800s. That is more than 700 years across a variety of different cities and towns so what are accepted norms in one time and town, may be completely different 600 years later in a completely different period of rule. Think about it, 40 years ago it was acceptable and encouraged for teachers to physically hit children as punishment and that would be unthinkable now. So there definitely would have been fluctuations and changes in beliefs and values about women during this long period of Shogunate history.
Just to be clear, during shogunate Japan there was a feudal class system. That meant if you were born as a peasant or a merchant, then you were a peasant for life. One of the levels of this class system was samurai, so if you were a woman and you were born into the samurai class, you were most definitely a samurai. This did not mean that all female samurai were warriors, mostly the expectations of women in the samurai class was to take care of the home and the children. The male samurai may often be away, so they also had the very important task of defending the home. Consequently, the women needed to be trained in martial arts and techniques to defend their homes.
Samurai women were trained in the use of two main weapons, one being a longer weapon called a naginata and the other being a shorter weapon called a tanto. The naginata varied in length between 1½ to 2½ meters long. It consisted of a long wooden shaft and a curved blade that was between 30-60cm long. It could be used to block an opponent or to sweep them off their feet. I found a video of women from the 1970s training in this weapon and it is kind of cool, I’ll link it in the show notes.
The other weapon that they trained in, the tanto, was single- or double-edged short sword. It could be used in close combat fighting, but could also be thrown.
In my research on weaponry, I came across the story of two daughters of a farmer who was killed by a samurai sword instructor after a misunderstanding. The daughters, Miyagino and Shinobu, sought out a different master sword instructor and his wife and trained in the art of the naginata weapon in order to seek revenge for the death of their father. They challenged the samurai to a duel and bested him in a fight. One of them used a chain like weapon to bind his hands and then they cut off his arms and his head with the naginata. After this victory, they lived peacefully as Buddhist nuns for the rest of their lives. There is a famous artwork that depicts a meeting between the two sisters hatching the plan to get revenge on the samurai. But of course, these two were not samurai class, they were peasant women who were lucky enough to be trained by a samurai swordsman and his wife.
So, let’s turn out attention to some samurai women. Possibly one of the most famously noted of these women was Tomoe Gozen. Very early on in the shogunate period there was a war called the Genpei War, that basically cemented the position of Minamoto no Yoritomo as the first shogun of Japan. I have a video on the YouTube channel about his wife Hojo Masako who ruled as regent after Yoritomo died, so if you want to check out that story, you will find it over on YouTube. Anyway, in Tomoe’s first battle, she is said to have cut of the heads of seven enemy samurai. Samurai generally cut off their opponent’s heads to prove to the leader that they had killed the enemy. Tomoe was an expert archer and horse rider, but she was also a master in the use of the katana, which is a traditional Japanese sword. Accounts of her prowess are written up in the primary source the Tale of Heike. It describes her as such, “a fearless rider whom neither the… horse nor the roughest ground could dismay, and so dexterously did she handle sword and bow that she was a match for a thousand warriors, and fit to meet either god or devil.”
Although there is limited written evidence of female samurai participating in the battlefield, there is evidence that samurai women were often involved in the defence of the castles. They were of course expected to cook for and nurse the samurai, but the women involved in sieges also threw rocks and boulders at the attackers. In one case, 20 of the advancing men were killed by this onslaught of rocks being catapulted toward them. The other job of the women, which is quite gruesome, was to prepare the severed heads of the enemy for display. There is a bit of a theme of cutting off heads in samurai history.
Toward the end of the Shogunate period, there was another famous female samurai, Takeko Nakano, who was trained in martial arts from a very young age. She was, of course, an expert in the naginata. She tried to join the army, but, being a woman was turned away. She rallied a small army of women, including her mother and her sister and around 25 other women. They cut their hair short, put on male clothing and went out to join the battle. Unfortunately, because it was toward the fall of shogunate Japan, their enemy had guns and they were only armed with traditional weapons, so their gallant stand was not successful. Takeko did manage to kill five enemy soldiers before being shot in the chest. However, before dying, because she did not want her head to be cut off by the enemy as a trophy, she asked her sister to cut off her head and take her remains to a nearby temple to be buried underneath a pine tree.
So as a general rule, samurai women were usually in a role as a samurai wife and daughter, but in several documented accounts and no doubt some undocumented accounts, samurai women, who were often trained in the martial arts, stepped onto the battle field and they also staunchly defended their castles.
This Kelly Chase, on the Case.
If you would like to hear another story about the shogunate Japan, be sure to scroll back in the feed to August 2020 to hear the story of Hojo Masako or visit the YouTube channel to see the video version.
And don’t forget to grab your copy of my book History, Her Story, Our Story: Inspirational Women Who Shaped Our World, there is a link in the show notes. Also, I now have a History Detective YouTube Channel, and there are more than 25 History Detective classroom ready videos now available, so make sure you head over there to subscribe. You’ll also find that Hojo Masako video I was talking about earlier.
You can follow me on Instagram @HistoryDetective9 or email me at historydetective9@gmail.com
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See you next time.
I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast is being recorded today. I pay my respects to the elders and knowledge holders past present and emerging.