photo #2322013

She was definitely the last female samurai to be alive in Japan.Nakazawa Koto was pinning down her own father/sword master by the time she was 24. So in 1863, her brother applied himself and Koto for a position as a bodyguard to protect the shogun from terrorists. If there was a skill test, she must have aced it because she got the job 😂!After her first mission was over, she became one of the police samurai of Edo City (the old name of Tokyo), always dressed as a man when she was on duty. She was 170cm (5’6”) tall at a time when the average height of men was 155cm (5’1”).Townswomen approached her often while she was patrolling; she was a skilled and handsome samurai to their eyes. Off duty, when she changed into kimono, men approached her often 😂.1868 was a major turning point for Japan. A new government was pulling the curtain down on the 700-year age of samurai rule. When war broke out between the new and old governments, Koto fought on the side of the old.While close to 5,000 samurai were killed in the war, Koto survived and lived on to see a revamped and modernizing Japan… for another 58 years 😂!!She said “I will not marry a man who’s weaker than me.” She died single at 88. Apparently no man could pin her down 😫😂!!!