Australian International Academy

Kellyville Campus

Assessment Task Cover Sheet

Unit Name: Japan under the Shoguns

Title: Assessment task 2 – Japan under the Shoguns

Name: Anousha Ibrar

Year Level: 8A Subject: Humanities

Word Count: 623 (without
Date: 4/6/2020
references)

Was it a common practice for women to be samurai in medieval Japan?

Samurai or bushi were the warriors of ancient Japan. They later made up the ruling military class that
eventually became the upper class of the social class of the Edo period. The samurai would implement a
range of weapons such as spears and guns, bows, and arrows but their main weapon and symbol was
the sword or wakizashi. They were to live their lives under the authority of an ethic code, bushido.
Bushido strongly emphasized concepts like loyalty to their master, self-discipline, respectful and ethical
behavior. Many Bushi were also drawn to the teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism.

During the Edo period, becoming samurai was not an option. You were either born into it, or you were
not a samurai. If your parents were samurai, you would have been brought up with that status and
would have had access to certain kinds of education and employment opportunities. But by the early
1800’s when the samurai class started to decline and its economic position weakened, it was possible
for wealthy merchants to buy into the status. This was quasi-legal, but it was an act which indigent lords
were often very happy about.

Onna-bugeisha were women which engaged in battle alongside the samurai men. They would not
always fight, but rather when the men samurai were in need for an extra hand. They were trained to use
a special weapon designed just for them in order to allow them to balance due to their short height. This
weapon was called the naginata. They were expected to fight alongside men samurai and had to hold
the same standards and duties, but they were also trained to protect their house, family, and honor
during wars. Onna-bugeisha were considered strong & independent.

Onna-bugeisha made a large part of the samurai. They would protect villages and open more schools
around the Japanese empire to train young female students in the art of fighting on a battlefield and
how to use the naginata.

One of the first female samurai was also and empress. Her name was empress Jingu. In 200 AD, she
personalized and organized a battle for a conquest of Korea. She was an amazing fighter but as soon as
she cleared the way, another Onna-bugeisha rose through the ranks and she was none other than
Tomoe Gozen.

Tomoe Gozen was described as having incredible talent on the battlefield. While fighting she was
extremely experienced in archery, horseback riding and the mastery of katana which was a long
traditional samurai sword. When she was not fighting, she was just as frightening. Her soldiers listened
to her commands and trusted her instincts. She even engaged in politics. In 1884, she led an army of
only 300 soldiers in battle against 2000 Tiara clan warriors and she was one of the five to survive. In the
Battle of Awazu later that year, she defeated the Muashi clan’s most prominent combatant, Honda no
Moroshige, beheading him and keeping his head a trophy.

Another example of a great female samurai would be Takeko. Her last battle was the Battle of Aizu and
is considered the last battle for any Onna-bugeisha. This was due to the fact that after the shogunate
collapsed it left the Imperial court to take over the leadership.

Even though the Onna-bugeisha’ s reign was finished after Takeko, the women warriors still remained.
Through the 1800’s they still were participating in battles and continued to go against traditional gender
roles but the rest of the word accepted and thought that Samurai warriors were big, strong men and
that women were compliant which lead to the legendary legacy of Onna-bugeisha being buried in the
pages of history.
REFERNCES

“Samurai – Japanese Warriors”, viewed on 3rd June 2020, <https://www.japanguide.com/e/e2127.html>

Miller, B, 2017, “What were the stages of becoming a samurai?”, viewed on 3 rd June 2020,
<https://www.quora.com/What-were-the-stages-of-becoming-a-Samurai#:~:text=One%20might%20be
%20a%20samurai,various%20aspects%20of%20their%20lives.>

Miller, L, 2019, “What were the stages of becoming a samurai?”, viewed on 3 rd June 2020,
<https://www.quora.com/What-were-the-stages-of-becoming-a-Samurai#:~:text=One%20might%20be
%20a%20samurai,various%20aspects%20of%20their%20lives.>

Serena, K, 2017, “The history of the Onna-bugeisha, Japan’s bad ass female samurai ”, viewed on 4 th
June 2020, <https://allthatsinteresting.com/onna-bugeisha-female-samurai>