and now some famous onna-musha (or female warriors)
- Tomoe Gozen (1157 – 1247 assumedly)
While Tomoe Gozen* was mentioned in the Tale of Heike, she may have only been a character, as she doesn't appear in any primary sources on the Genpei War.
*'Gozen' is not a name, but rather an honorific title, thpically translated to Lady
- Niijima Yae (1 Dec 1845 – 14 June 1932)
Born Yamamoto Yae to Yamamoto Gonpachi, a samurai and official gunnery instructor in Aizu Domain. Her family claimed descent from Takeda clan's retainer Yamamoto Kansuke, also known by his formal name Haruyuki, who was a brilliant strategist.
Yaeko was skilled in gunnery having been taught by her father, which is fucking sick. A legend is told of her dressing in her brothers garb in order to fight, though I couldn't find much on that.
After divorcing her first husband in 1871 due to him becoming a prisoner of war, she moved to Kyoto in search of her brother, and became a sub. teacher at Kyoto Women's School, acquired her tea master qualification in 1894 and became a tea master.
She re-married to Rev. Joseph Hardy Neesima [in 1875], a former samurai who lived in the US to seek higher education and promoted for women's rights. Neesima was in the motions of building a Western School that promoted Christianity (which was not appreciated by Buddhists and Shintoists). After the marriage, Yaeko was dismissed from her teaching position, and she volunteered to assist running the new school.
Yaeko played an integral part in the founding of the Doshisha English School. The couple (alongside help from Alice J. Starkweather) later opened a Joshijuku (small girl's school) named Doshisha Branch School for Girls and then Doshisha Girls' School.
After the death of Neesima (1890) shifted her focus to nursing and became a member of the Japanese Red Cross later that same year. Yaeko joined the army and was stationed as a nurse in Hiroshima during the First Sino-Japanese War. Her efforts in improving the social status of trained nurses was recognised in being awarded her first Order of the Precious Crown in 1896.
After the war, Yaeko became an instructor in nursing schools. Then she rejoined the army for the Russo-Japanese War (1904) and as a volunteer nurse in Osaka. This earned her her second Order of the Precious Crown and was further awarded a silver cup at the inauguration of the Shōwa Emperor in 1928.
This diva girl-bossed her way through history right up until her death. Hell yeah.
- Nakano Takeko (Apr 1847 – Oct 1868)
Nakano was born [in Edo] to Nakano Heinai, an official of Aizu, and Nakano Kōkō, daughter of Oinuma Kinai, a samurai in service of Toda of the Ashikaga domain. She was well educated and from a powerful samurai family.
She recieved training in martial arts, in literary arts on Chinese Confucian classics and calligraphy, and was later adopted by her teacher Akaoka Daisuke. Nakano also taught students younger than her, including her younger sister.
Nanako's certification, or menkyo (teaching license) was in Hasso-Shoken, a branch in the major of Itto-ryu*. She both served as the secretary for and taught naginata to the wife of lord Niwase, whom she was employed under at Itakura estate.
She left her position in 1863 when she was adopted by her master, but later reunited with her Edo family.
In 1868 she was in Aizu for the first time, and spent time teaching women and children naginata in Aizuwakamatsu Castle, as well as capturing voyeurs in the women's bathrooms.
At 21, Nakano participated in the Boshin War where she, alongside other women, took the front line without permission, as the senior Aizu retainers disallowed their participation as an unofficial part of the domain's army. This unit was later called the Jōshitai (Girls' Army). This ad hoc group included her 40 year old mother and 16 year old sister, and was lead by Nakano under Furuya Sakuzaemon.
In October of 1868 Nakano led these women to face enemy forces at Yanagi Bridge equipped only with their naginata while Meiji troops had firearms. When the men realised their targets were women, the commander ordered them not to be killed. This allowed to the Jōshitai to kill many enemies before the attack continued. She was downed by a bullet to the chest.
Instead of allowing imperial forces to mutilate her corpse, Nakano had her sister cut off her head to avoid the humiliation, to which she agreed. She passed with her dignity and her head was buried at the family temple where a monument was eventually erected.
*one-sword school, ancestor school of several japanese koryū kenjutsu styles.
japan's warrior women, Chris Kincaid, Aug 9 2015
a long history of japanese women warriors, Kallie Szczepanski, Jan 22 2020
samurai warrior queens, a drama documentary based on the life of nakano takeko (imdb)
nakano clan, Sumiko Nakano
Sure. I would have loved to continue the narrative of Jin Sakai, as it felt for me as though the end of the game was not the end of the story of the Ghost of Tsushima.
In saying that, Ghost of Yotei shouldn't be blacklisted just because it features a woman. If you don't wanna play the game due to a feminist movement that only might have something to do with the choice of a female lead, then don't play it. Simple. No one is making you buy it. No one is telling you you have to enjoy it. There is no gun to your head.
There is nothing that I have seen so far that makes me think this game should be thrown to the side. The trailer visuals look just as stunning as Ghost of Tsushima and two swords sounds mad. Just because I'm excited about a new story, does not mean that I enjoyed Jin's journey any less.
Also, eat rocks. Onna-musha are fucking awesome.
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