Ikkyu no yume

Tomoe Gozen was a badass female warrior in 12th century Japan. 

She was well known for her leadership and valor on the battlefield during a time of brutal civil war between the Minamoto and Taira clans.

This post is just a snippit of information. I had planned to write something longer, but so much has already been written about Tomoe Gozen that I decided not to reinvent the wheel. Instead, I’ve included a list of resources for further reading. 

Image source: By Toyohara Chikanobu - Walters Art Museum: Home page Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18820892

From the Tale of Heike:

“…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.”

McCullough, Helen C., trans. The Tale of the Heike. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1988

Tomoe Gozen defeats a male opponent in a duel

Further Reading

These resources are listed in order of importance - but of course that judgment is subjective. If you’re interested in Tomoe Gozen, then I highly suggest that you look at the first one or two of these.

Tomoe Gozen Kansai Gadai: Asian Studies Program http://tomoegozenkg.weebly.com/ (the entire site is devoted to Tomoe Gozen)

TOMOE GOZEN: BADASS WOMEN IN JAPANESE HISTORY A WARRIOR WORTH A THOUSAND MEN June 12, 2014 By CHELSEA BERNARD Tofugu.com https://www.tofugu.com/japan/tomoe-gozen/

Tomoe Gozen - A fearsome Japanese Female Warrior of the 12th Century April 29, 2015 By Ḏḥwty Ancient Origins http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/tomoe-gozen-fearsome-japanese-female-warrior-12th-century-002974?nopaging=1

Women warriors of Japan The menfolk of these islands have had their martial ideals since time immemorial, but there have been many women with that fighting spirit, too October 9, 2011 By MICHAEL HOFFMAN  The Japan Times http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/10/09/general/women-warriors-of-japan/#.WKjSfDsrLIU

Samurai War Tales: The Tale of the Heike Asian Art Museum | Education http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/samurai-war-tales-tales-heike

How a samurai dresses up.

This chocolate bar design is brilliant xD Happy valentine friends!

If this is too much, just look at that cute obi:

Mitsuko Mito as Ohama in Ugetsu  (or Ugetsu Monogatari (雨月物語))

“The wife of Watanabe” (1874), Tsukioka Yoshitoshi  (1839-1892)

“The wife of Takeda Katsuyori”(1897), Adachi Ginko (active c.1870-1908)

Print from the series : “Mirror of renowned women from ancient and modern times”

“Tomoe Gozen” (1879), Yamazaki Toshinobu (1857-1886)

“ That circle of men fell like autmun leaves, like a rain of petals torn loose by storm winds. Such was my fight, and all the warriors, sorely wounded

fell far back

till I saw them no more

fell far back

till I saw them no more »

Kurigata with design of snake wound around a tortoise

Japanese, Edo Period, mid-19th century

By Sasayama Atsuoki, Japanese, 1813–1891,

Main material: shibuichi; other metals: gold and copper; decorative technique: takabori, zogan,