Samurai Women 1184–1877

Osprey Warrior #151

by Stephen Turnbull

Ever since the Empress Jingo-kogo led an invasion of Korea while pregnant with the future Emperor Ojin, tales of female Japanese warriors have emerged from Japan's rich history. Using material that has never been translated into English before, this book presents the story of Japan's female warriors for the first time, revealing the role of the women of the samurai class in all their many manifestations, investigating their weapons, equipment, roles, training and belief systems. Crucially, as well as describing the women who were warriors in their own right, like Hauri Tsuruhime and the women of Aizu, this book also looks at occasions when women became the power behind the throne, ruling and warring through the men around them.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Japan, Martial Arts, Japanese History, Medieval, Military History

64 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2006

About the author

Stephen Richard Turnbull is British a historian specializing in eastern military history, especially the samurai of Japan. His books are mainly on Japanese and Mongolian subjects. He attended Cambridge University where he gained his first degree. He currently holds an MA in Theology, MA in Military History and a PhD from the University of Leeds where he is currently a lecturer in Far Eastern Religions. He has also written a number of books on other medieval topics. He is semi-retired but still holds the post of Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University in Japan.

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about tough as nails women, SAMURAI WOMEN 1184-1877 gives a pretty good indication of what one could expect of female samurai. The Japanese are proud of their distant past but men got most of the glory in their ancient manuscripts. This book goes a long way to giving some credit long past due.

A samurai female could be a favorite of her father, or worshiped by her husband, but they were still confined to the roles forced upon them. In the distant past an empress might rule in Japan but gradually the power shifted to the warlords who coveted the right to rule 'for the emperor.' Women thus became political pawns to be married off to seal alliances.

Women seemed to accept their fate, but then again so did men in those days. Unless you were the most powerful in the land you did what was expected of you, both by society as well as your lord. Failure to do so resulted in death, by one's own hand or by that of another.

A wife was faithful to her husband, even if he had concubines. Unlike some backward societies today, samurai women were well educated. If the husband was summoned away she oversaw the management of their lands and upkeep of the castle. Should an enemy come while he was away it was up to her to defend that castle.

From early childhood a samurai female was taught martial arts. Besides the small dagger she carried concealed in her clothing, she was trained in the use of the sword, bow, and the naginata, which she excelled in. The naginata was a type of polearm unique to Japan. Mounted on the end of a wooden shaft was a long slightly curved sword-like blade. It gave one an extended reach and made for a deep cut with a slashing attack. Women were proficient in its use, both while on foot or horseback. When in combat women shunned the use of a helmet and simply tied their black hair back with a white headband. I don't know if this was for a psychological reason or not.

Women didn't always fight to the end, but that didn't mean they were afraid of death. Women had their own version of seppuku. Instead of spilling their guts out they were taught to stab themselves in the throat with their dagger. Surrender wasn't really much of an option in those days. Rape, murder, enslavement or worse could result. When the Mongols were invading Japan they ran cords through the palms of Japanese women and used them as human shields.

Samurai women did fight though. DNA tests on bodies from a battle in 1580 showed that 35 out of 105 tested were women. In one battle a woman faced her ex. Hate to be that guy! Hangaku Gozen bravely defended a castle. When she was wounded by an arrow the castle surrendered. Being captured she was taken to shogun to commit seppuku. Several of the shogun's warriors were so impressed by her bravery that she was spared. One actually asked for permission to marry her 'in spite of her ugliness' and 'on account of her great courage.' Tomoe Gozen was known as the 'beautiful samurai.' She was the most famous of the female samurai. Ueno Tsuruhime was Japan's 'Joan of Arc.' The 16 year old daughter of another continued the fight when her father died. She was referred to as the 'Sea Princess.' I heard it said somewhere that elephants and women never forget. One woman waited 53 years to extract vengeance. She was spared because of her loyalty to her former lord. In 1868 the Imperial Army was fighting the last of the family clans that would not submit to the government. There were at least two more instances of heroic female samurai in combat. Nakano Takeko led a charge against government troops armed with Spenser repeaters. She cut down a half dozen soldiers with her naginata before being shot down. Her sister recovered her head lest it be taken as a trophy. Yamamoto Yaeko, armed with her Spenser instead of her naginata, led her troops in combat. She survived and lived to a ripe old age.

After those last battles nationalized conscription put an end to the samurai class. From then men did the fighting right on into World War II.

This was a great book. Lots of illustrations are included.

If you are driving in Japan and get in a fender bender, control your road rage. Beware of Japanese women with white headbands.

[HD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samurai Women: A Brief Glimpse into Uncharted Territories.

The book provides a unique perspective in a genre saturated with samurai history books. The exploration of the often-overlooked role of women in this historical context sets it apart. The author's decision to delve into the narratives of female samurai is commendable, given the scarcity of comprehensive works on this subject.

One notable aspect of the book is its concise nature; one can easily digest the entire content in less than two hours. The brevity might be appreciated by those seeking a quick overview, but it also poses a challenge. Readers are left with lingering questions about the intricate aspects of the female samurai's role, society's perception, and the challenges they faced during various historical periods.

The writing style, while informative, leans towards the dry side, lacking the narrative flair that could make the subject more engaging. The absence of a more cohesive narrative structure also hinders the flow of the book, making it less compelling to read thoroughly.

Conclusion: Despite these criticisms, the book remains an enjoyable read for those interested in uncovering the hidden stories of samurai women. In the end, the three-star rating reflects both the book's merits and its missed opportunities to provide a more comprehensive and captivating account of the role of female samurai.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing wrong with this book, but it's kind of slim for what it is. (I realize that, on the other hand, all we really have on Tomoe Gozen is a couple of paragraphs in other people's stories, so I'm glad he didn't try to pad it more than he did. I just wanted more book.)

[Anibal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turnbull is still the western authority on Medieval Japanese military history subjects, so you shouldn’t miss this title. Especially because the accompanying art by Giuseppe Rava is also excellent!

The author faced an unusual challenge in this book. Would he write a book about Samurai Women? Or about Japanese women which were warriors? Or just Samurai warrior women? Or Women and their place in warfare throughout the history of Japan?

Although the title is Samurai Women we can see in this book situations where the women involved were not from the samurai class (like the Ikki Omori women); and the largest part of the provided examples doesn’t involve fighting at all (which was seen with suspicion, including situations where male samurai refused to fight against women, leading to the suicide of the latter), although the political and physical risks were truly as high or even higher as fighting with yari or naginata in the frontline. Let’s face it, what needs more bravery? Fighting against an equally armed and trained opponent or running to a bomb to try to put out a burning fuse?

The high class women also suffered almost the same political risks as their male counterparts, and suicide was the frequent fate of the losers (although on occasion women were allowed to live as nuns).

In this inspiring book you will see cunning women castellans defending castles; amazing Samurai Women fighters; brave women defending their lands and leagues Ikki; doomed charges against Imperial troops among many other situations where women were involved in the turbulent history of Japan, both in warfare and peace time (such as revenges).

Dynamic and accurate art complement perfectly the elegant text; it will allow you to charge alongside Hangaku Gozen at the siege of Torisaka castle in 1201; to experience the horror that Yodo Dono (mother of Toyotomo Hideyori) suffered during the bombardment of Osaka castle; to be the spectator of the final drama and suicide (using an huge bell) of Sakasai Tomohime at Sakasai castle in 1536; Tsuruhime (who believed to be the avatar of a kami) taking part in a naval fight in 1541; to watch the women of Omori throwing stones and using war engines defending their Ikki (league) against the local daimyo; to feel the gratefulness of Tachibana Muneshige to his ex-wife Ginchiyo the warrior nun of Yanagawa; to experience the blood pumping in the veins watching the brave but doomed charge of the young Nakano Takeko against imperial troops; and also to see the inspiring Yamamoto Yaeko with her Spencer rifle.

[Alex Bertoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Infelizmente mais um livro bem basicão e ruinzinho do meu mano Stephen Turnbull: o homem que, ou vendeu a alma para o diabo (Osprey) ou é um autor muito medíocre.

Pesquisar sobre mulheres samurais é muito difícil, e infelizmente esse é o material mais acessível, por isso, eu me senti na obrigação de ler nem que fosse para falar mal. Bem, uma coisa que não dá para negar é que esse é um livro do Stephen Turnbull, que não só gosta de simplificar as coisas ao máximo a ponto de começar distorcer informações, como também não sabe discernir anedotas de fatos históricos. Esse é um livro que precisa ser lido com cuidado caso você seja uma pessoa séria que realmente quer aprender sobre o tema.

O foco do autor aqui é mais nos conflitos militares, por isso, se você quer complexidade e fugir do senso comum, esse livro não vai acrescentar muita coisa no seu aprendizado. Além disso, é um livro muito mal organizado, pois ao invés das coisas serem contadas seguindo alguma ordem cronológica, o Turnbull vai fazendo uma salada que mais confunde do que esclarece.

A gente precisa urgentemente de algum trabalho SÉRIO sobre o tema disponível de maneira acessível, porque esse aqui é uma putaria.

[Jbussen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could have sworn many women were taught the sword and the pen as a Japanese cultural thing. Ooops. From this brief book I figure the female warriors are much the same as their European counterparts. In terms of a wife taking on her husband the Lord's duties when he is away or dies, very similar. These women did apparently fight quite a bit more due to their culture. I enjoyed this book. I'm taking a star away because like all of these books, who the eff is who? I mean in Europe I can't follow Alexander the 29th, married Elizabeth the 22nd, whose grandmother Elizabeth the 19th gave birth to . . . who eventually married. . . Henry the whatever fought Philip the Louie at the battle of in some year...
Now replace a white name with Zakatoi-ishi-osi Tao Stzu Ming, and add that Family name first where ours is.. . .

Hard to follow sometimes. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

[Guadalupe Villarreal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contiene información valiosa de mujeres que han luchado en Japón, es entendible la falta de información en algunos de los casos, pero incluso en los casos más recientes, es un poco acotado.
Incluye una bibliografia de ampliación en donde pienso ampliar más de estas historias.
En caso de que alguien visite Japón, contiene un apartado el cual recomiendo leer ya que dice donde podemos ver museos y exposiciones de algunas de las mujeres mencionadas en el libro.

[Brandi Snell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. It has brief overview of Japanese History, that surrounds the Samurai Women. Trying to properly pronounce the Japanese names slowed my reading speed down. Reading this book has sparked an interest in Japanese History. So, I'm on to more adventures in reading.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slim but worthwhile -- I only wish there were more of it! It's difficult for the author when historical sources are scant, but I appreciated his pointers to local sources and museums where one can go see relevant artifacts. (I have added a suit of armor to my eventual travel list....)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lack of authoritative sources naturally inhibits the book, but what there is has been skillfully highlighted in an interesting fashion to give a better understanding the role of women in Samurai warfare.

[Garrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very dry and a bit disappointing history of female samurai who, as it turns out, are mostly the WIVES of samurai. Reads like a textbook, but not a great textbook.

[Alba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buena historia. Mucho nombre confuso y horribles ilustraciones.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

good English language resource for accounts of fighting women in Japan from around 1100 to 1800s

[Medusa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, slim but dense, and well illustrated overview type book on a topic about which I’d like to learn more.

[Dj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is something of an eye opener. It talks about Women of the samurai class, although not all of them. This accounts of Women fighting in the role of Samurai takes a number of first person accounts to show examples of this events and does it across a time frame that extends all the way to the Meiji Restoration.
In general it also shows that there were periods where such events weren't all that unusual. Women in Feudal Japan trained with the Naginata, but it seems that they almost never used the sword. It has some accounts of Women managing sieges, both successful and unsuccessful.
While it is short and a quick read it is informative and gives a number of references that you can use to find out more information if you like.
A good read for anyone interested in the topic and looking for a starter.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing Osprey volume. . . . The focus this time is women samarai in Japan, from 1184-1877. The historical evidence for women fighting in war is not so well documented. But there is enough information to suggest that women would take up arms from time to time and fight.

The narrative begins with a focus on Tomoe Gozen, companion of a warrior hero. She fought alongside him in 1184. The final great adventure is the siege of Aizu in 1868. In a siege of that city, women joined in the figting alongside the men, in a futile effort to hold off the Emperor's forces.

This is, at least to me, a little known aspect of warfare in Japan.

A pretty good introduction to the subject. . . .

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little episodic, as is rather to be expected in one of the Osprey books. If you're looking for some sort of unified narrative, you won't find it. However, as a research guide and starting point, considered together with the period and well-researched modern illustrations, it's extremely useful.

[Chip Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of now I'm kind of jumping around the various chapters as I can't wait to discover fun facts! It's interesting reading material for those who love Japanese history.

Actually this book too is helping me create a character for one of my stories currently being written.

[Bian446 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read, interesting insight into the lives of women in feudal Japan