Tomiko sought political and military support to rule as regent until the birth of her son, securing the support of Yamana Sōzen and other leaders of powerful samurai clans. In 1460, when shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa abdicated his position to his younger brother Ashikaga Yoshimi, Hino Tomiko (Yoshimasa's wife) was strongly against this decision. Sengoku period ĭuring the Ashikaga Shogunate, due to tensions between the shogunate retainers, Japan went to war again. Women forming cavalry forces were also reported during the Sengoku period ( c. With limited details, he concludes: 'there is a lot of female cavalries.' As he noted that they were from western Japan, it is possible that women from the western regions far from the big capital cities were more likely to fight in battles. Throughout Japanese history, women, while not generally becoming de jure chiefs of a samurai clan, de facto ruled their clans in several instances.Ĭhancellor Tōin Kinkata (1291–1360) makes mention in his journal Entairyaku (園太暦) of a 'predominately female cavalry ', but without further explanation. In ages past, it was more common to see women become empresses, but this would change in the future during the Meiji restoration. The existence of these two prominent female generals confirms that the status of women during this time was still less unequal than in future periods. While Tomoe Gozen was an ally of the Minamoto clan, Hangaku allied with the Taira clan. Īnother famous female general of the Genpei War was Hangaku Gozen. Her actions in battle received much attention in the arts, such as the Noh play Tomoe and various ukiyo-e. However, she has impacted much of the warrior class, including many traditional Naginata schools. Tomoe Gozen was not always accredited as a historical figure. 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. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill she rode unscathed down perilous descents. 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. especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. In The Tale of the Heike, she was described as: She assisted Yoshinaka in defending himself against the forces of his cousin, Minamoto no Yoritomo, especially during the Battle of Awazu in 1184. Among those was Tomoe Gozen, servant of Minamoto no Yoshinaka of the Minamoto clan. The epic The Tale of the Heike was composed in the early 13th century in order to commemorate the stories of courageous and devoted samurai. The Genpei War (1180–1185) marked the war between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genji) clans, two very prominent Japanese clans of the late- Heian period.

Oni samurai