Samurai is born to be a powerful swordsman but what If I tell you about a female samurai warrior named Tomoe Gozen!
She was a famous female samurai warrior and got the strength that a normal male samurai supposed to have. She is the true legend in Japan.
I don’t bother calling her as my idol as well. No one can differentiate her samurai skill from a male samurai; the only one thing you can differ is the gender.
She was known for her bravery, strength, rider, archer and skilled swordsmanship. She used to fight with a man Katana (Traditional Samurai Sword).
Even though she was a female samurai she was a beautiful woman with white skin, long hair and charming features. She was a warrior worth a thousand and got great horse riding skills. She beheaded many enemies with his Katana sword. She sounds quite powerful!
I don’t know if you have read any article based on a war called the Genpei War (1180-1185). I read about this Great War when I was a school student.
The tale of the Heike (heike monogatari), an epic chronicle of the Genpei war, reminds us what type of warrior she was.
However, she was the wife and general of his master Minamoto no Yoshinaka. So it is obvious that she was from Minamoto clan.
His master (Husband) Yoshinaka fought against Yoritomo’s forces with Tomoe on February 21, 1184 at the Battle of Awazu. This was the time when Tomoe took at least one head of the enemy she fought against.
Indeed, they were outnumbered as a result Tomoe was advised to flee from the battle field by his master because Yoshinaka wanted to die in the battle field.
No one properly knows how Tomoe had died in the end. Some people say she was killed by the Yoritomo’s forces and other says she gave up the sword then became a Buddhist nun. Many people here in Japan think she is a true Samurai legend.
In Japanese history, she was not the only one female samurai but there were others who fought to defend their masters, territories and clans.
I saw few people who have got Tomoe Gozen tattoos on their shoulders. To be honest with you, I am not a tattoo lover but it does attract a lot. So, if you are a fan of her then why not to have a Tomoe Gozen tattoo? It could be a new tattoo design for you.
Do you have interest in Cosplay? If you have then you will not regret wearing this costume. Also, it could be worn on Halloween night.
Tomoe Gozen has been featured to Japanese novel, anime, manga, wallpapers, paintings. The character “Tomoe” has been embodied in several anime. You can read a fantasy novel of Tomoe Gozen called Tomoe Gozen (Tomoe Gozen Saga).
This is a fantastic novel that could reveal many things you would be interested in knowing. You will find her character in the Sci-Fi movie Riverworld. If you are a manga lover, I recommend you to read Usagi Yojimbo. Here, the character Tomoe Ame depicts Tomoe Gozen.
fascinating!
Thanks for reading.