Onna – Bugeisha – The Mighty Samurai Warrior

In periods like Heian and Kamakura , within the samurai class there were also female members, known as Onna-bugeisha , who excelled and were even present on the battlefield although they were the exception rather than the rule. These women fought alongside male samurai primarily in times of need.

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The onna-bugeisha or warrior women were very unusual, although there were some very famous warriors such as Tomoe Gozen (late Heian period) and Nakano Takeko (1847-1868). There is also a legendary figure, Empress Jingū (c. 169-269 AD), who is said to have also been a female samurai, who used her skills to inspire economic and social change in early Yamato Japan. According to legend, after her husband Emperor Chūai (Japan’s 14th Emperor) was killed in battle, she led an expedition west (in what is now Korea) around AD 200. C. returning victorious. Although the figure of Empress Jingū is surrounded by controversy since many historians believe that the accounts that are told of her are fictitious or misleading, Empress Jingū and the onna bugeisha despite having been a very small group of members in the Japan’s feudal era, represent a very important presence in its history.

Bushi (samurai) women were mainly trained with the naginata (薙刀) for its great versatility against all kinds of enemies and weapons. This training ensured protection in communities and towns that lacked men who could fight. Historically, many women used a version of the tantō , called a kaiken (a type of dagger) for self-defense, however the onna-bugeisha learned the art of tantōjutsu to fight in battle.

Naginata

In general, it was the women’s responsibility to protect their homes rather than go to the battlefield, so it was important that they were skilled in weapons that offered the best range of techniques to defend themselves against anyone attacking on horseback.

During the Sengoku Period (mid 15th century – early 17th century) there are accounts of wives of samurai warriors leading groups of women armed with naginata (a variety of curved-bladed spear) and wearing ornate armor. It was probably at this time that the image of warrior women with naginata arose, the weapon they preferred to compensate for the advantage of strength and body size of the opponents in the middle of combat.

Tōin Kinkata , a member of the Court during the late Kamakura period mentions in his diary a “predominantly female cavalry” without further explanation though noting that they were from western Japan. This may imply that women from western regions further away from large cities were more likely to fight in battles. Even if we cannot know the truth about this particular case, the female cavalry (consisting of these “onna bugeisha” samuirai women ) were fighting on the battlefield. There are also reports of women being part of the cavalry forces during the Sengoku period (1467 – 1600).

When at night someone suspicious entered the village, the women took their naginata , which was hung and ready on one of the walls of the house, to go out to meet their group and find the suspect or the source of danger.

By the mid-17th century, when Japan finally came to a forced peace under the authoritarian rule of the Tokugawa shogunate , the need to use weapons lessened. Even so, many schools were created that focused on the use of the naginata , so this weapon began to be associated more and more with women.

After World War II, the Atarashii Naginata (literally ” new naginata “) arose, which was a modern martial art ( Gendai Budo ) and which was created based on Naginatajutsu , as it happened with the development of Kenjutsu kendo .

Modern combat with the naginata is shown in the following video.