#Lady Hangaku

[exactlyfuturisticbeliever]

Lady Hangaku (Hangaku Gozen), by Yoshitoshi.

She took a prominent role in the Kennin Rebellion, an uprising against the Kamakura shogunate in 1201.

[ultra-rockart]

Another Thing Blue Eye Samurai Got Wrong

There were women who fought as fighters and samurai (or more often called as onna-bugeisha or onna-musha) for their clan. They didn't have to hide their femininity. There is a long history of female warriors in Japan that date back to an Empress named Jingū (she ruled from 201 to 269 AD). I bring you two of the greats:

Tomoe Gozen

She was skilled at archery, the sword and the use of the naginata. Tomoe is one of the most feared women because of her cleverness and offensive tactical skills. Her men trusted and respected her. During the Battle of Awazu, she killed the Musashi clan leader. Sadly, there is no more records of her after that. Tomoe is the most known and celebrated of the onna-bugeisha.

Nakano Takeko

Like many samurai of her time, she wore the typical samurai armor but instead chose to wear a red hakama. This red hakama became a symbol of not just her femininity but empowerment. She fought in the Boshin War against Imperialists who wanted the Emperor to rise to power (they eventually won during the Battle of Toba–Fushimi).

Similar to the Kiheitai (or the ad hoc army by the Imperialists), she led the Jōshitai or women's army fighting on the side of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Nakano was wounded with a rifle shot and rather than allowing her enemies to parade her lifeless body as a trophy, she ordered her sister (also a capable warrior as with her mother. all 3 women fought alongside each other) to cut her head off and burry her head in secret so her enemies would not have a reason to disgrace her. Her head was buried under a pine tree and her beloved naginata was given to a temple.

In Aizu during the Autumn festival, girls parade around the streets wearing a red hakama and a white headband to honor Nakano and the women fighters of the Jōshitai.

Other female fighters include Yamamoto Yae aka "Bakumatsu Joan of Arc" and Hangaku Gozen or Lady Hangaku.

______________________________________________________________

There is a reason the filmakers of Lady Snowblood (a film Blue Eye Samurai heavily borrows from) didn't chose to disguise Yuki as a man when she enacted her revenge.

[ranwing]

Ideas for protest outfits

Now, I know that we're going to need to dust off our protest signs because we're going to have a metric shit ton of things to protest over the next few years. But when we need to march to protect our reproductive freedoms, I think that it's time to retire the Handmaids cosplay.

I mean, it is striking to have silent women parading to remind people of what these laws are doing to women, but I think that it's very clear that it did not have the effect that we wanted. This is what these men really want. They want to see women silent and subjugated and forced to do their bidding. This is a fantasy for them.

So I propose some other ideas. Instead we need to dress in a manner that shows our strength and determination to stand up against this injustice. That we will not bow our heads to men who think that we exist to fulfill their desires. So here are some ideas from history and mythology.

How about dressing like the Amazons. Strong, kickass women from Greek mythology who had no need for men and were ferocious warriors in battle.

Here we have the Viking shield maiden. Women who were as skilled in battle as the men and fought alongside them as equals and were the inspiration for the Valkyries and literary characters like Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings series.

For our Japanese sisters, I present the onna musha. Women of the samurai class who were weapons trained and would go to battle with their clans. Some like Hangaku Gozen remain legends in Japan.

Queen Boudica of the Icini people launched a war on the Romans in Britan after she was whipped at her daughters raped. She burned down the cities of Londinium and Verulamium.

We have the Agojie from Western Africa who remain the only all-female military army in the modern age and fought in the First & Second Franco-Dahomean Wars.

This is just a small sampling. So ladies, it's time to put away the red cloaks and white bonnets and get our your swords and spears. They won't respect us until they fear us.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

"Considering that midlanders are almost everywhere, do you know how easy it is for me to put on makeup and different clothes and become someone else? I don't even have to change my hair color."

Sometimes adventurers need disguises, and Riven has adopted quite a few~ With the help of Yugiri (and a little support from Hien), Riven has a Doman alternate persona named Hangaku Itazaki, the daughter of a very minor noble house that was all but wiped out during the Garlean occupation.

On paper, Lady Itazaki is one of Yugiri's shinobi, and is most often away on deep-cover assignments in Yanxia.

[incandescentia]

tidbits of about tsuru!!

godawful alcohol tolerance and might pass out from merely three cups of sake, the exact reason why she usually never partake in drinking activities unless incredibly necessary.

the hime title in her name apparently signifies her high ranking status as a daughter from noble family, so apart from intense combat training, she is also instilled with a variety of etiquette lessons since birth.

others usually refer to her as himemiko-sama (or simply just 'lady priestess'/'princess' in english) & your character is free to do so as well.

despite of this, she doesn't speak with that typical ojou-sama desu wa speech nor the samurai de gozaru kind of speech... she's just... the normal feminine-leaning kind of formal with composed language. her personal first person pronoun is just the regular 'watashi'.

she doesn't really have many girl friends around her age apart of the shrine maidens in oyamazumi shrine, but then again she comes from a higher social standing as the daughter of the head priest & coming from a samurai family, so there is some distance between her & others around her. due to this, she's a little bit of a socially awkward bean when it comes to... girl stuff.

while she is not a daimyo, she is a renowed warlord with stellar military record on her own & moreso as a woman during that era. it helps that she wields a high ranking position as a chief priestess of the local prominent shrine.

combine her status as a noble & her position as both religious leader & a warlord, many local lords had their eyes on her for marriage to secure an alliance, but she finds it hard to move on from her deceased first love. and probably because not many men can best her in combat.

is quite knowledgeable about ships, due to her personal experience in naval battles...

even not as a servant, she is canonically blessed by the kami & will occasionally show bursts of divine powers--which explains why she is seemingly able to do superhuman feats in the battlefield. (this is cranked up in the nasuverse where she's the avatar of the kami than simply a blessed human)

tsuru only cuts her hair once or twice & she wants to keep it that way (also, the white hair is natural)

contrary to her appearance, she can be a big eater. it's not that she'll be displaying this uncouth behavior publicly - she is a princess & the head priestess after all.

she grew up with stories about various onna bugeisha from the past like tomoe gozen & hangaku gozen, so they're like idols to her.

speaking of fellow people in sengoku era, she might hold some contempt or a degree of wariness towards like... most sengoku period daimyo, especially if they have like a godawful track record within their rule OR directly clashed for territorial dispute against her... looking respectfully of you @ nobunaga & motonari

on the other hand she does respect people like uesugi kenshin, who mostly have a pretty clean track record & respectable personality (& being a bishamonten incarnate too)

[shini--chan]

Allies or axis who are having (feeling and) war against the country (reader) . During the fight they hurt the reader and finding out that she is a Girl! How would they react because they thought that she was a he for years?

Yandere Axis

Germany

Inwardly, Ludwig would scowl the moment he’d discover that morsel of information. Outwardly, he’d only show the slightest sign of shock. It would mean he’d have to redesign all of those thorough plans he had for you, not to mention completely restyle the room he’d want to share for you.

It would be such a shame to him that he would have only found out about your actual identity hours after he had injured you, thank to one of his loyal spies that would have infiltrated your army and be prowling around your encampments. In hindsight, it would have been far more lucrative to double his efforts to capture you. Because now, with you wounded, he wouldn’t have chance to see you again in a long time.

Germany would ingrain in his men not to go around carelessly butchering and raping women and keep a closer eye on them to prevent such barbarities more than before. While the chance would be slim that you’d somehow be abused by his men, Ludwig wouldn’t be taking any risks. You are his, even if you wouldn’t accept the roll as of the present. This war would just be a means of teaching you a few valuable lessons.

Japan

The moment Kiku would make the deciding move to uncover the truth about you would be followed by a few instances of stupor. In order to escape, you’d have to use this very narrow window of time to scamper off. Although, in the long run there wouldn’t be much difference no matter what pathway you’d choose. The sadistic grin on his face that would inevitably follow would be just as chilling from a distance as it would be up close.

Your story would remind him of his own legends of women stepping on the battlefield to fight for their domain. Mentally, he would find himself comparing them to you. History may not repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. Would your courage measure up to Tomoe Gozen? Would you turn out to just as brazen as Hangaku Gozen? Japan would all the keener on testing your limits.

Although he might elect other tactics to capture you. Seeing that you’d disguised yourself as a woman, it would mean that your own forces would most likely be unaware of your identity. Japan would ensure that your secret would reach people outside of your circle of confidents. After a humiliating process of examining you to check on the enemy’s claims, you’d be dishonourably discharged. Whether it would be because you’re a woman or because you’d lied your way into the army, the result would be the same. It would end in you being found be Japan, ready to sweep you away in your moment of weakness.

Prussia

Like his brother, Gilbert would have the truth delivered to him hours later, probably because you had been injured in one of the air-raids he had conducted. It would leave him spluttering, completely confused with him hastily going over memories at light-speed. Prussia prides himself in having fully control over most situations and the fact that you’re not a woman would mean that something vital about you would have completely escaped him. That wouldn’t sit well with him and would lead to a meticulous introspection to ensure that this mistake wouldn’t have been any sign of him growing senile.

He would be very angry with you for shamelessly lying to him and once he’d finally have you all to himself he would go out of his way to carry out a punishment you’d never forget. The nuances of his feelings would change slightly, because loving a man is different than loving a woman. And because he would have learned something entirely new and fundamental about you.

Don’t think that he’d be laxer on you just because you belong to the opposite sex. The enemy is the enemy and the worst thing one could do would be to underestimate them because of some ludicrous, narrow-minded notions. Such things cause people to lose wars. He’d be just as harsh to you as before.

The matter would inflame a whole new sort of curiosity in Prussia. He’d observe you more sharply than ever before. What other secrets would you be hiding. Had he missed something that was also essential? It would become a whole new game for Gilbert, to test your mettle and explore your character.

Romano

He would probably find out after taking a pot-shot at you from where he’d be lurking in the shadows, a sniper rifle at hand. Romano would have been waiting for the moment where he could finally capture you. Having waited until you where all alone, he wouldn’t have to worry about others interfering with what would commence. He would just have to spirit you away before you’d regenerate and wake up from the bullet to your heart. Needless to say, he wouldn’t be all sunshine and joy when he’d find out what you are. Being left out on secrets is painful and his obsession with you would only amplify that pain.

Once you’d wake up at his mercy, he’d have a stern word or two with you. Although, now that he’d know that you’re actually a woman, he’d be more mannered than usual. Even before he would have cussed less around you than by other men. Now he would be the epitome of gentlemanly charm, despite having you in chains.

Very firmly he’d be of the position that his lover doesn’t belong on the battlefield. Your protests would fall on deaf ears in his case and you being a woman would only be a reaffirmation to him that you shouldn’t fight. Additionally, he’d also use the chance to persuade you into remaining at his side. Lovino would point out that while he accepted who you are without any conditions, you had to hide a big part of your identity from your own people. So, why not stay with him, eh?

Veneziano

The news would send Veneziano in a fit of childish rage. You shouldn’t keep secrets from him! You shouldn’t be on the battlefield to begin with! You should be with him, under his control, under his jurisdiction. To him, it would be another heresy committed against him.

After a lot of tears and some tantrums and even feelings of remorse for having injured you, he would begin to plot how he could use this new-found information to his advantage. He would take to deducing other things about your personality and would build his plan on top of them, even if his presumptions would be false.

Feliciano would act upon his ideas that because you had chosen the battlefield rather than electing to pulling strings from the shadows, that you’d be a straight-forward person that could be ruthless but preferred direct confrontation over subversion. To him, you wouldn’t be so skilled at politicking and kingmaking as the ladies of court, unlike him.

Out of that reason, he would take the war to a setting that he is more familiar with: the negotiation table. Italy would use his silver tongue and skills at manipulation to ensnare you. Meanwhile, he go ahead to humiliate you in front of your countrymen, spilling your secrets and crying that war is no place for a woman. Whether or not his antics would be genuine or not is a whole other question entirely.

[reveries-and-revelations]

The Female Warrior Hangaku 1885

Lady Hangaku, a beautiful and skilled commander said to be "fearless as a man and beautiful as a flower". Hangaku, on horseback and armed with her ko-naginata, led a force of 3,000 men to defend the Tosakayama fort during the Kennin uprising.

Unfortunately for them, the enemy Hojo clan greatly outnumbered their forces with an army of 10,000 men – the fort was soon breached. Lady Hangaku was wounded by an arrow, but her ferocity in battle left her enemies so impressed that the some of the warriors she’d been fighting begged for permission to marry her. She was captured and presented to the shogun, which would have customarily resulted in her execution, but was instead allowed to marry a Minamoto clan warrior. She was known to have had at least one daughter.

Available from Majestic Prints

[babylon-crashing]

onibaba [i,i]

ACT I. SCENE I.

A semi-dark room scantily furnished. A sliding door opens and the distant chaos of a battle can be heard as two ghosts enter. The first, the soul of the legendary Hangaku Gozen, is dressed in her full samurai armor. The second, Lady Seishin, wears a kimono that might have been stylish 100 years ago and a kabuki fox mask that she never takes off. At the back of the stage is a small fire pit and a small window. Seishin stirs the embers and then stands by the window, peering anxiously out.

SEISHIN.

It is a wild night outside.

HANGAKU.

Help me off with this helmet. Is the rain still coming down?

SEISHIN.

In torrents. I cannot see the other side of the road.

HANGAKU.

That's good.

SEISHIN.

If not being able to see someone ten feet away is good, then hai. Luck is with us. Should I put the oil wick in the window?

HANGAKU.

[Sitting down next to fire with her helmet in her hands.] Why? No. Only when we hear her order a retreat. That's what she said.

SEISHIN.

But on a night like this she may have pulled the troop all the way back to Kyoto and we'll never know.

HANGAKU.

Do not be so querulous, you cranky fox.

SEISHIN.

This isn't me being cranky. Something is about to happen. Listen to the wind sobbing around the house … a lost soul that we're refusing to let enter.

HANGAKU.

Why would we do that? The wind loves us.

SEISHIN.

The wind puts up with us. Ever since--- What was that?

HANGAKU.

[Listens.] It is our message, I think. [Listens harder.] Something is coming. Douse the fire.

[The room is reduced once more to semi-darkness.]

SEISHIN.

Shouldn't we---?

[This time the sound is heard by both women. Someone or something in groaning in the dark. They stand as the door slides open and Jiutian Xuannu enters.]

XUANNU.

Cousins, why are we wasting time here? I was going to call retreat but those stupid Takahashi samurai are milling about right over there and look so smite-able.

HANGAKU.

But who is going to do the smiting? You?

XUANNU.

You look sad, cousin. We're shadows, azure-

eyed, made from lust and stardust and despise

blood and afterbirth. Fools fear our power

to peel off our pelts. Fools fear change, disguise,

the way floods deform and do not deform

dry earth. But, cousin, what use are nightmares

if you can wake up? Why try to transform

when we can slaughter? We don't need more snares

fools keep slipping free from. Call Onibaba.

She's a friend. She has farseeing vision

and short cruel knives. Fools call her, “Hag with Tusks

and Fangs Chitter-Chatting in her Vulva.”

Fools fear her carnage; her love of carrion;

how she sucks both down to their very husks.

HANGAKU.

Fetch her.  

[Jiutian Xuannu exits.]

HANGAKU [cont.]

But first, let's test her skills. Seishin, you pretend to be me.

SEISHIN.

I'm not a ghost. I think she'll notice.

[Jiutian Xuannu, Onibaba and Kijo all enter.]

SEISHIN.

Ah, Lady Onibaba. Chrysanthemum in the Legion of Flowers. Mire in the Order of Tenacity. Chalice of Malice. Fury of the Divine Crest. It is I, your Lady Hangaku!

ONIBABA.

Xuannu, I find it odd that the, “Terror of Genpei,” would be both Jiuzhou and alive.

XUANNU.

[Aside.] That was the worst Hangaku impersonation I've ever seen.

HANGAKU.

Lady Onibaba, please forgive me for being cautious. Who is this?

ONIBABA.

[Indicating Kijo.] My daughter, Lady Kijo.

HANGAKU.

[Incredulous.] You had sex?

ONIBABA.

Hai.

HANGAKU.

[Skeptical.] With a mortal?

ONIBABA.

Hai.

HANGAKU.

[Scandalized.] O my, you nanty narking chuckabog.

ONIBABA.

I don't think you brought me all this way to make snide comments about my lovers.

[A loud moaning begins from outside and the wind rattles against the hut's walls.]

ONIBABA [cont.]

The dusk wails and you pray for Onibaba

to smite souls. It's fitting that twilight

moans for us, glimpsing our hitodama,

our blue-green flames, as we pass in the night,

searching for the spot where we died; where our

blood touched the earth and our hubris melted

when we found out all our sweet truths were sour,

our faiths false. Who claims to know what's sacred?

How I don't know. But they'll kill for it.

You want me to go out and lay the Eight

Ring Curse on those men? Men who love carnage

and their samurai bushido bullshit?

I'll do it. Saints say hate cannot kill hate.

I say all we are is gristle and rage.

SEISHIN.

[Aside.] These mountain demons can be very tempting with their tongues.

ONIBABA.

Don't frown, Lady Hangaku. That was you once, too: a butcher. Now you're just dead and vague.

[The door opens and a little battlefield spirit acting as a messenger enters.]

SENJO BOZU.

[Bowing.] My sovereign. Ladies of the court. I come from the walls of Osaka. Takahashi's soldiers have stormed our outer defenses. We are now fighting in the streets.

XUANNU.

What sort of necromancers do they have that can breach our spells?

HANGAKU.

I heard that Emagami The Blight was selling herself again, but her skills are pitiful.

XUANNU.

[To Onibaba.] My lady, do you think that we should give up on Osaka, or not?

ONIBABA.

Of course not. Only cowards and monks run away.

HANGAKU.

Yattaaaa! I agree with what she says: we'll fight it out.

ONIBABA.

Glory is like the ripples on the water. You have given me the task of whipping the Takahashi then I will beat those waters until they froth.

HANGAKU.

Lady Onibaba, drive the living daylights out of Osaka. They says the root of suffering is attachment. I say we beat that koan home on the skulls of Takahashi and his men.

[All exit.]

][][

Notes:

Onibaba is, as her name states, is a red-skinned, white-haired Japanese ogre. She carries a kanabo (Iron war stick) slung over her shoulder.

Hangaku Gozen was an actual warrior and fought in the Genpei War (1180-1185 AD).

Jiutian Xuannu (Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens) is a Chinese goddess of war, lust and longevity. With long Mandarin robes and her Dadao (“Big sword”) she justifies showing up in this play by saying that she is on holiday.

Seishin kitsune is one of the names used for a fox spirit.

Senjo bozu. A spirit from the battlefield.

Jiuzhou is an ancient name for China.

Hitodama are a pair of blue flames (similar to will o' the wisps) that accompany a ghost when it manifests.

[harvestheart]

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi月岡 芳年 (1839–1892) Japanese

"The female warrior samurai Hangaku Gozen 坂額御前"  c1885 

Lady Hangaku (坂額御前, Hangaku Gozen) was a onna bugeisha warrior, one of the relatively few Japanese warrior women commonly known in history or classical literature.

(From Art me alma on Facebook)

[geosesarma-dennerle]

ryoko “lady hangaku” paulsen

the most dangerous woman of all is the one who refuses to rely on your sword to save her because she carries her own

twenty-nine // hero // chronically ill // pansexual // sailor’s mouth // super strength // superhero dad complex // girl gang // aggressive affection // trust issues // can be bribed with food // dragon lady // dog lover // will go to prison for you

[mihsignultra]

001 - Zepharma Caconal 2

002 - Zepharma Brecol Capsulle

003 - Nintendo Gamecube Bleach

004 - Chifure

005 - Sato no Osonae

006 - Sonicare

007 - Contac 600 ST

008 - Contac Sekidome ST

009 - Unilever

010 - Lux Super Rich

011 - Yubinkyoku Post Office

012 - Johnson & Johnson Acuvue

013 - Yamayoshi Chips

014 - Takeda Benza Capsulle

015 - Lion Kirei Kirei

016 - Duskin Mop

017 - Bienkaori Hair Color

018 - Meiji Dairy

019 - Meiji

020 - Meiji Cho-pan

021 - Meiji Xylish

022 - Kiri

023 - PS2 Disney Kingdom Hearts

024 - PSP

025 - PSP

026 - PSP Derby Time

027 - Tsukijiri

028 - Nintendo DS Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop

029 - Christmas Sale

030 - Book Off

031 - Yamazaki X-Mas Cake

032 - MUFG Bank

033 - Toshiba

034 - Toshiba Vodafone 803T

035 - Vodafone

036 - UC Card

037 - Sankyo Lulu A

038 - Sankyo Lulu A Capsulle

039 - Mister Donut Pockets

040 - Trite

041 - Asahi Wonda

042 - Asahi Super Dry

043 - Asahi Wonda Shot & Shot

044 - Asahi Super Dry

045 - Asahi Super Dry

046 - Promise

047 - Suntory Vitamin Water

048 - Suntory Boss Black

049 - MUFG Nicos Card

050 - Otsuka Ure Pearl

051 - Kumon

052 - Art Nature

053 - Canon Selphy

054 - Seven & i Holdings

055 - 7 Eleven

056 - Zurich

057 - Zurich

058 - Septon 

059 - Bochuriki

060 - Mondamin

061 - Tamago

062 - Earth No Mat

063 - JT

064 - JT

065 - Bathroman

066 - Aiful

067 - Aiful

068 - Kirin Fire

069 - Kirin Green Tea

070 - Kirin Gogo no Kocha

071 - Kirin Potato Kokochi

072 - Misawa Home

073 - Diga DVD Player

074 - Panasonic Camera

075 - Panasonic D-Snap

076 - Sofina Rise and Vital Rich

077 - Kao Blaune Natural

078 - Kao Wareia Clean

079 - Kao Resesh

080 - Kao Resesh

081 - Kao Humming

082 - New Naive

083 - Naive

084 - Revue Essence In

085 - Kanebo Faircrea White

086 - NTT DoCoMo Saidai Hangaku

087 - DeAgostini Ships Collection

088 - Mannan Life Fruit Jellies

089 - National Washing Machine

090 - National Pro IU

091 - National Living Showroom

092 - National Living Showroom

093 - Biore

094 - Biore

095 - NTT Communications Platinum Line

096 - NTT Communications Platinum Line

097 - NTT Communications

098 - 2nd Street

099 - Sharp Dolce

100 - Shiseido Haku

101 - Shiseido Uno

102 - Shiseido Ag+

103 - Sanikleen

104 - Nissin Cup Noodle

105 - Nissin Cup Noodle Kimchi

106 - Nissin Soup

107 - JA Kyosai

108 - JA Bank

109 - JA Kyosai

110 - Acom

111 - Acom

112 - Acom

113 - Acom

114 - Sapporo The Fruit Sparkling

115 - Sapporo Draft One

116 - Sapporo Beer

117 - KDDI au

118 - KDDI au

119 - Taisho Kanpo Ichoyaku

120 - Taisho RiUP

121 - Taisho Damarin Ace

122 - Taisho Collac II

123 - Oyatsu Company Karakari Chips

124 - House Kantomen

125 - House Natural Brown

126 - House Sawaya Katoiki

127 - House Vermont Curry

128 - House Tongari Corn

129 - Marukome Miso

130 - Dove Moisture Shampoo

131 - Nicorette Gum

132 - Sky PerfecTV!

133 - Calpis Water

134 - Eskimo Pino

135 - Yofuku no Aoyama

136 - Pepsi Twist

137 - Asahi Kasei Bell House

138 - Yebisu Bar

139 - Propia

140 - ENEOS

141 - Tama Home

142 - McDonald’s

143 - Unimat Ladies

144 - Otsuka Nature Made

145 - Sea Breeze

146 - Face Finite Crystal

147 - Glico Puchin Purin

148 - Daihatsu Boon

149 - Orico Card Upty

150 - Choya Umesh

151 - Choya Lemon Wine

152 - Sunstar Ora 2

153 - Sunstar Ora 2

154 - JRA 2005

155 - TBC

156 - Good Year

157 - Autobacs

158 - Aeon

159 - Den Code

160 - Circle K Sunkus

161 - Mazda MPV

162 - Kojima

163 - Subtle Snowboard

164 - Sakai Deliver

165 - Kowa Vantelin

166 - Nissan Kauzo

167 - Nissan Elgrand

168 - Dengeki Soko

169 - Sharp Foma

170 - BPO

[theladyfromplanetx]

I don’t recall a shapeshifting witch in the original legend. My issue with this movie isn’t what they took out, it’s the fact that they’re remaking it when there are so many other wonderful stories about Asian warrior women that need exposure to a wider audience:

Ng Mui 

Yim Wing-chun, 

Fu Hao 

Mother Lü 

Li Xiu 

Lady of Yue 

Qin Liangyu 

Liang Hongyu 

Sun Shangxiang, 

Lady Zhurong 

Mu Guiying 

Princess Pingyang 

Ching Shih 

Khutulun

Empress Jingū 

.Hangaku Gozen 

Tomoe Gozen 

Marishi-Ten 

Kaihime 

Tokoyo

Cut Nyak Meutia

Admiral Keumalahayati

Martha Christina Tiahahu 

Nyi Ageng Serang

Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi

Thread.

[niallswork]

Inktober Day 7. Lady Hangaku, an onna-bugeisha who fought in the Genpei War; during the late Heian period of Japan. Her family fought on the side of the Taira clan against the Minamoto clan. She lead a defense at Torisakayama, commanding 3,000 against an enemy army of 10,000. Wounded by an arrow and then captured, the defense soon fell. Said to be "fearless as a man and beautiful as a flower", and to have carried a naginata spear-sword.

[nimrapoic]

I just found out yesterday there are samurai women:

- Tomoe Gozen ("gozen" is a title meaning "lady") was famous as a swordswoman, a skilled rider, and a superb archer. She was Minamoto's first captain and took at least one enemy head during the Battle of Awazu in 1184.

The late-Heian era Genpei War was a civil conflict between two samurai clans, the Minamoto and the Taira. Both families sought to control the shogunate. In the end, the Minamoto clan prevailed and established the Kamakura shogunate in 1192.

The Minamoto did not just fight the Taira, though. As mentioned above, different Minamoto lords also fought one another. Unfortunately for Tomoe Gozen, Minamoto no Yoshinaka died at the Battle of Awazu. His cousin, Minamoto Yoritomo, became shogun.

Reports vary as to Tomoe Gozen's fate. Some say that she stayed in the fight and died. Others say that she rode away carrying an enemy's head, and disappeared. Still, others claim that she married Wada Yoshimori and became a nun after his death.

- Another famous female fighter of the Genpei War was Hangaku Gozen, also known as Itagaki. However, she was allied with the Taira clan who lost the war.

Later, Hangaku Gozen and her nephew, Jo Sukemori, joined in the Kennin Uprising of 1201 which tried to overthrow the new Kamakura Shogunate. She created an army and led this force of 3,000 soldiers in defense of Fort Torisakayama against an attacking army of Kamakura loyalists numbering 10,000 or more.

Hangaku's army surrendered after she was wounded by an arrow, and she was subsequently captured and taken to the shogun as a prisoner. Although the shogun could have ordered her to commit seppuku, one of Minamoto's soldiers fell in love with the captive and was given permission to marry her instead. Hangaku and her husband Asari Yoshito had at least one daughter together and lived a relatively peaceful later life.

- After heavy fighting on land and at sea, the shogun abdicated and the shogunate military minister surrendered Edo (Tokyo) in May of 1868. Nevertheless, shogunate forces in the north of the country held out for many months more. One of the most important battles against the Meiji Restoration movement, which featured several female warriors, was the Battle of Aizu in October and November 1868.

As the daughter and the wife of shogunate officials in Aizu, Yamakawa Futaba was trained to fight and consequently participated in the defense of Tsuruga Castle against the Emperor's forces. After a month-long siege, the Aizu region surrendered. Its samurai were sent to war camps as prisoners and their domains were divided up and redistributed to imperial loyalists. When the castle's defenses were breached, many of the defenders committed seppuku.

However, Yamakawa Futaba survived and went on to lead the drive for improved education for women and girls in Japan.

- Another of the Aizu region's female ​samurai defenders was Yamamoto Yaeko, who lived from 1845 to 1932. Her father was a gunnery instructor for the daimyo of the Aizu domain, and young Yaeko became a highly skilled shooter under her father's instruction.

After the final defeat of the shogunate forces in 1869, Yamamoto Yaeko moved to Kyoto to look after her brother, Yamamoto Kakuma. He was taken prisoner by the Satsuma clan in the closing days of the Boshin War and presumably received harsh treatment at their hands.

- Vietnamese warrior women:

Though described as the "Vietnamese Joan of Arc," Triệu Thị Trinh predated the French heroine by more than 1200 years. At 20 years old, Triệu (a.k.a. Lady Triệu) raised a following 1,000 strong, and urged her fellow Vietnamese to rebel against the Chinese forces that sought to conquer their homeland in the 3rd century. Her brother tried to dissuade her from revolt, but Triệu's response was as fearsome as she was on the battlefield. She retorted, "I only want to ride the wind and walk the waves, slay the big whales of the Eastern sea, clean up frontiers, and save the people from drowning. Why should I imitate others, bow my head, stoop over and be a slave? Why resign myself to menial housework?" From there, her brother joined her army.

Triệu cut a grand figure on the field, carrying two swords and wearing bright yellow robes while she rode a war-elephant. After liberating her territory and beating the Chinese back in 30 advances, she lost the war, and is believed to have committed suicide by 23. Despite this dark end, her legacy lives on. Stories of her suggest that she had a voice that sounded loud as a temple bell, and that she was 9 feet tall with breasts that were 3 feet long. These tall tales speak to the incredible presence this young woman, who inspired people past and present, possessed.

Her power to inspire is easy to imagine, considering her gift for words. Here's another gem of a Triệu quote: "I'd like to ride storms, kill sharks in the open sea, drive out the aggressors, reconquer the country, undo the ties of serfdom, and never bend my back to be the concubine of whatever man."

- Mayan warriors:

Said to have been the greatest queen of the late classical Maya, she ruled from c. A.D. 672-692, was military governor of the Wak kingdom, and bore the title of Supreme Warrior, with higher reigning authority than the king, her husband, K'inich Bahlam.

- Native American:

This Apache warrior is believed to have been in her 30s when she and her brother Victorio's tribe was forced into the San Carlos Reservation in 1870s Arizona. The place was described as "Hell's Forty Acres" because of its deplorable conditions. Around 1877, Victorio led a band—Lozen among them—out of the reservation, and together they raided the lands, striking awe and fear in the hearts of the settlers of New Mexico's Black Mountain, who had taken over the Apache land.

Lozen took pity on the women and children during one such raid, and, as recounted by James Kaywaykla, who was a child at the time, she led them to safety across the Rio Grande. "I saw a magnificent woman on a beautiful horse—Lozen, sister of Victorio. Lozen the woman warrior!" Kaywaykla recounted, "She could ride, shoot, and fight like a man."

Her brother is quoted as saying, "Lozen is my right hand ... strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people." Unfortunately, she could not be his shield when he most needed it. Victorio died in battle while Lozen was seeing a new mother and baby back to the reservation. Hearing of the battle and her brother's death, she set out to aid the survivors. From there she was a part of a vengeance-fueled rampage that streaked across New Mexico in 1881.

- Arab:

Khalid bin Walid, the leader of the Muslim forces, ordered the soldiers to charge the Byzantine. Many of the Muslim soldiers thought that Khawlah was Khalid until Khalid appeared. The Muslims defeated the Byzantines, who fled the battlefield. When Khalid found Khawlah, she was covered in blood. He asked her to remove her veil. After refusing several times, Khawlah revealed her identity. Khalid ordered his army to chase the fleeing Byzantines, with Khawlah leading the attack. After a search, the Muslim prisoners were found and freed.[2] One of the Rashidun army commanders, Shurahbil ibn Hassana, is reported to have said about her that:

"This warrior fights like Khalid ibn Walid, but I am sure he is not Khalid."

Khawlah was captured after falling from her horse. After being taken to a camp with other women prisoners, Khawlah was to be taken to the leader's tent as he intended to rape her. Instead, Khawlah roused the other prisoners, who used the tent poles as weapons and attacked the byzantine guards. They managed to kill five Byzantine knights with Khawlah taking credit for one, including the Byzantine who insulted her.

- Africa:

Exercises included jumping over walls covered with thorny acacia branches, 10-day expeditions to the jungle without equipment like machetes, and much more.

During battle, the Dahomey Amazons fought to the death and instilled fear in their neighbors for more than two centuries. Opponents who fell into the hands of N’Nonmiton were often decapitated.

According to some historians, the combat capability of the female military units was rated higher than that of the men. By the middle of the 19th century, women comprised about a third of the Dahomey army, from 1,000 to 6,000 people.

The main weapons were Dutch rifles and machetes, which were used by Amazons to dismember and behead opponents. Among the Dahomey warriors, it was customary to return home with severed genitalia and the heads of their opponents.

During the battle, a French soldier wrote about seeing his best friend decapitated with one swing of a machete by one of the women who then dropped her weapon, grabbed another Frenchman and ripped out his throat with her teeth.

Transactivists be like “If a historic woman did typically man things she must have wanted to be a man. If she wanted to be a woman she would have done woman things. This isn’t an enforcement of gender roles.”

[theblindninja]

Lady Hangaku was a female warrior samurai, one of the relatively few Japanese warrior women commonly known in history or classical literature.

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