Tomoe Gozen

A woodblock print of Tomoe Gozen in battle.

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

(1161?â€"1184?) was one of the few examples of a true female samurai in all of Japanese history. She was a samurai during the time of the Genpei War (1180â€"1185). Her name is pronounced "toh-moh-eh", and is translated as "perfect circle".

Most of our knowledge about Tomoe Gozen comes from tales and legends. Depending on the source, Tomoe Gozen was either the wife, concubine (mistress), or female attendant of prominent daimyo Minamoto no Yoshinaka. Many women of the time knew how to use the naginata to defend their home, and there are tales of female ashigaru, but Tomoe Gozen was a high-level samurai, skilled in riding, archery and kenjutsu. She was said to have been fearless and possessing great skill in combat. Fiercely brave and tirelessly loyal to Yoshinaka, she was one of his senior captains during the war, leading his troops, and accompanying him to every battle. She was well respected by men and fought bravely alongside them. In the Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike), Tomoe is described:

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.

â€"Tale of the Heike, McCullough, page 291.

After defeating the Heike and driving them into the western provinces, Yoshinaka took Kyoto and desired to be the leader of the Minamoto clan. His cousin Minamoto no Yoritomo was prompted to crush Yoshinaka, and sent his brothers Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori to kill him. Yoshinaka fought Yoritomo's forces at the Battle of Awazu on February 21, 1184, where it has been said that Tomoe Gozen 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 instead of facing death by Yoritomo.

There are varied accounts of what followed. One is that she stayed by his side, fought and died. Another says that she was seen fleeing the field with either the head of Yoshinaka or of an enemy samurai. Afterwards there is even more uncertainty. Some say that she cast herself into the ocean with the head, while others say that after surviving the battle she gave up the sword and became a nun. These different stories are what give the story of Tomoe Gozen its intrigue.

Since her time, Tomoe Gozen has cast a spell of mystery over the Japanese people. Because she was so unusual, some believed she was the reincarnation of a river goddess.

Tomoe in the media

Tomoe as portrayed by Eiko Koike in NHK's 2005 drama, Yoshitsune.

Her first appearance in literature is of course in the Heike Monogatari. She has been written about by factual and fictional authors alike, and has been incarnated as characters in various anime. In the 2005 NHK taiga drama Yoshitsune, Tomoe Gozen was one of the main characters. The version of the legend they chose was that she was Yoshinaka's concubine and that she fled the battlefield. In the series, she also had two foster brothers, was the aunt of Yoshinaka's wife, and was the surrogate mother of his son Yoshitaka. She was portrayed by actress and model Eiko Koike.

Jessica Amanda Salmonson wrote "The Tomoe Gozen Saga", a trilogy of fantasy novels respectively titled Tomoe Gozen, The Golden Naginata, and Thousand Shrine Warrior. The first was reissued in a corrected and revised edition as The Disfavored Hero. [1]

Saisei, one of the Mibu Five Stars 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.

In the comic book, Usagi Yojimbo, a major supporting character and a fan favourite is Tomoe Ame, a female samurai loosely based on Tomoe Gozen.

"Gozen"

The title "gozen" is not a surname. Instead it is an honorific applied mostly to women, but sometimes also men. Many translators render it as "Lady". Unfortunately, Tomoe's surname is unknown.

References

* Bella Online
* Famous Women of Japanese History
* Samurai Warriors: Miyamoto Musashi and Tomoe Gozen
* (Japanese) Modes of Address
* Woodblock print of Tomoe Gozen in battle

McCullough, Helen Craig (translator). The Tale of the Heike. Palo Alto, California: Stanford University Press, 1988. ISBN 0804714185, ISBN 0804718032.

External links

* Tomoe Gozen fanlisting