photo #2973986

Tomoe Gozen pictured holding a naginata weapon in her left hand while riding a white horse, painted by Miki Suizan in early 20th century.This painting is not of a geiko per se but we felt it was fitting to write about one of the more popular historical figures in the Jidai matsuri (held tomorrow).As is the case with many historical figures, not much is truly known about Tomoe Gozen, her life as a onna musha (female warrior) is shrouded in legend and creative storytelling, influencing many works of literature, poetry, music and even pop culture. What we do understand about her is that she served under the Heian warlord Minamoto no Yoshinaka during the Genpai War (late 12th century). Yoshinaka would often send Tomoe Gozen into battle as his right hand, she took many heads and won many battles for him. In the Tale of Heike, it is said that Tomoe Gozen was a remarkable archer, and she was a warrior worth a thousand men when wielding the sword (her preferred weapon of choice.) Tomoe Gozen came from a family who had close connections with Yoshinaka, her elder brothers also served Yoshinaka as generals. She was said to be as beautiful as she was skilled as a fighter. It is unknown exactly what happened to Tomoe Gozen after her master master Yoshinaka is killed in battle, there are many colourful poetic stories. However, history hasn’t always been so kind to the onna musha, many plays portray Tomoe Gozen in a more socially acceptable female-role with feminine attributes of wielding the naginata, or exaggeratingly helpless or confused rather than being a fearsome warrior. What-ever the truth of Tomoe Gozen’s life her legend continues to be remembered each year through the Jidai matsuri “festival of the ages”.