By Stephen Turnbull
Ever because the Empress Jingo-kogo led an invasion of Korea during pregnancy with the long run Emperor Ojin, stories of woman jap warriors have emerged from Japan's wealthy historical past. utilizing fabric that hasn't ever been translated into English sooner than, this booklet offers the tale of Japan's woman warriors for the 1st time, revealing the position of the ladies of the samurai category in all their many manifestations, investigating their guns, gear, roles, education and trust platforms. Crucially, in addition to describing the ladies who have been warriors of their personal correct, like Hauri Tsuruhime and the ladies of Aizu, this booklet additionally appears to be like at events whilst girls grew to become the ability in the back of the throne, ruling and warring during the males round them.
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Extra resources for Samurai Women 1184-1877 (Warrior 151)
Sample text
Other women accompanied their menfolk to the castle, where they assisted in the defence and were fully prepared to go into battle themselves. Some of them fought only after they had already dispatched members of their own families in an orgy of assisted suicide, but this was not for some abstract concept of loyalty or samurai honour. They firmly believed in the rumours that the western domain troops would slaughter them all or sell them as slaves. In one extraordinary instance, Kawahara Asako, the wife of the magistrate Zenzaemon, cut off her hair and decapitated her mother-in-law and daughter before seeking death in battle, naginata in hand, and drenched in blood.
In this she was initially unsuccessful, because she was swept back inside the castle's walls by wave of retreating Aizu warriors. The name ]oshigun was later to be given to the platoon of up to 30 samurai women who fought alongside the men in the defence of AizuWakamatsu Castle when the imperialists broke in. They cut their waist-long hair to shoulder length and tied it back in the young man's hairstyle. They were armed with naginata and swords. One mother and her two daughters joined in a mixed-gender sortie out of the castle, but became caught outside when the defenders barred the gate.
But no sooner had they joined up with their comrades than they came under attack near Yanagi Bridge. Committed to their cause, and determined not to be taken alive, the ]oshigun women a 56 charged into the fire of the imperial army's modern rifles, wielding only their naginata and swords. What followed was a bloody encounter that would have been more in keeping with the story of Tomoe Gozen rather than the year 1868. When the imperial troops realized that they were facing women the cry went up to take them alive, but holding their fire meant that the women were soon upon them.