Tomoe Gozen

1157 – 1247

Two words sum up this amazing woman: concubine, warrior. Tomoe Gozen was an extremely rare thing: a female samurai warrior. Here is what a historical account of her says: “Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.” High praise indeed for a male dominated nation, in the 13th century. This warrior woman was also a concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, a revered Japanese general. When he was defeated on the battle field, the sexist pig told Tomoe to leave as he would be ashamed to die with a woman. She went on to behead many, slaughter many, and retire to a quiet life as a nun. Yes – a nun.

Tomoe Gozen

Tomoe Gozen -- artist's impression byKikuchi Yōsai (1781-1878).

Tomoe Gozen (巴 御前^?) (1157?–1247), pronounced [tomo.e], was a late twelfth-century concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka.^[1]

Tomoe was a rare female samurai warrior (onna bugeisha), known for her bravery and strength.^[2]She is believed to have fought and survived the Genpei War (1180–1185).

[edit]History

According to one historical account,

“

Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors. — The Tale of the Heike[3]

”

After defeating the Heike and driving them into the western provinces, Minamoto no Yoshinaka (Tomoe's master) took Kyoto and desired to be the leader of the Minamoto clan. His cousin Yoritomo was prompted to crush Yoshinaka, and sent his brothers Yoshitsune and Noriyori to kill him. Yoshinaka fought Yoritomo's forces at the Battle of Awazu on February 21, 1184, where Tomoe Gozen purportedly took at least one head of the enemy. Although Yoshinaka's troops fought bravely, they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. When Yoshinaka was defeated there, with only a few of his soldiers standing, he told Tomoe Gozen to flee because he wanted to die with his foster brother Imai no Shiro Kanehira and he said that he would be ashamed if he died with a woman.

Tomoe Gozen with Uchida Ieyoshi and Hatakeyama no Shigetada. Woodblock print by Yōshū Chikanobu, 1899

There are varied accounts of what followed. At Battle of Awazu in 1184, she is known for beheading Honda no Moroshige of Musashi.^[4] She is also known for having killedUchida Ieyoshi and for escaping capture by Hatakeyama Shigetada.^[5]

After the battle, according to Heike Monogatari she gave up the sword. It is also said that she was defeated by Wada Yoshimori and became his wife. After Wada died, she was said to have become a nun in Echizen. These different stories are what give the story of Tomoe Gozen its intrigue. She was never proven to have been a historical figure so she could also be an invention of the author of Heike Monogatari. However, the grave of Yoshinaka's other female attendant Yamabuki Gozen does exist and most of the incidents in The Tale of the Heike are believed by historians to be true.^{[citation needed]}

[edit]In popular culture

As one of the very rare examples of warrior women in Japanese history, Tomoe has been incarnated as characters in several anime.

Memorial to Tomoe at Gichū-ji, Ōtsu,Shiga Prefecture

• In the 2005 NHK taiga drama Yoshitsune, Tomoe Gozen was one of the main characters. She was portrayed by actress and model Koike Eiko.
• Jessica Amanda Salmonson wrote "The Tomoe Gozen Saga", a trilogy of fantasy novelsrespectively titled Tomoe Gozen, The Golden Naginata, and Thousand Shrine Warrior. The first was reissued in a corrected and revised edition as The Disfavored Hero.^[6]
• Saisei, a character in the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo, turned out to be the resurrected Tomoe Gozen. She is accurately portrayed, wearing beautiful armor and being highly skilled with her naginata.
• Tomoe Gozen is also mentioned several times in the book Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford.^[7]
• Tomoe Gozen is a beautiful clan leader in the internet game SamuraiOfLegend, a mighty warrior and a kind protector, her beauty is second only to her heart.
• Tomoe Gozen is one of the characters resurrected on the planet of Riverworld, in both the science fiction novels of Philip José Farmer and the 2010 miniseries adaptation of the same name; in the latter she is depicted as wielding two blades (one definitely a katana and the other, smaller-tsuka blade potentially being an elongated tantō) in the style of Musashi Miyamoto and the Go Rin No Sho, or Book of Five Rings^{[citation needed]}. Miyamoto did not write his revolutionary treatise on swordplay and philosophy until at least four hundred years after the (potentially) historical Tomoe's death.