photo #2259895

Onna-bugeisha in English being Female Martial Artist, and basically they were a group of female warriors which belonged to the Japanese Nobility. These women would join Samurai in battle and fight alongside them and were fully trained to be proficient in the use of weapons to be used to protect their house, family, as well as honor in times of war. Picture is of Tomoe Gozen, probably the most famous female samurai. It is believed that in 1182 she commanded 300 samurai in a struggle against 2,000 warriors of the rival Taira clan. After defeating the Taira and driving them into the western provinces, Yoshinaka took Kyoto and desired to be the leader of the Minamoto clan. His cousin Yoritomo was prompted to crush Yoshinaka, and sent his brothers Yoshitsune and Noriyori to kill him. Yoshinaka fought Yoritomo's forces at the Battle of Awazu on February 21, 1184, where Tomoe Gozen purportedly took at least one head of the enemy.