devildyke:theoddcollection:An onna-bugeisha (女武芸者) was a type of female warrior belonging to the
devildyke: theoddcollection: An onna-bugeisha (女武芸者) was a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese upper class. Many wives, widows, daughters, and rebels answered the call of duty by engaging in battle, commonly alongside samurai men. They were members of the bushi (samurai) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war. They also represented a divergence from the traditional ‘housewife’ role of the Japanese woman. They are sometimes referred to as female samurai. Significant icons such as Empress Jingu, Tomoe Gozen, Nakano Takeko, and Hōjō Masako are famous examples of onna bugeisha. SOURCE PHOTO SOURCE Onna-Bugeisha just means “a woman who does martial arts by trade.” It’s a term my dojo uses for students like me training to be instructors is bugeisha because we see our martial arts as more than just that, it’s our career, job/skill trade, and way of life, so we treat it as one. They were the women of the bushi (warrior) class. Anyone in the bushi class was a warrior. Samurai were more honored and elite bushi. All samurai were bushi, but not all bushi were samurai. More samurai/bugeisha women protected the homestead because one’s house property and family/descendants were considered of highest value. The martial arts and weapons they used for that, particularly naginata, were restricted to women’s use only, and are still seen as such today in Japan for a majority of those preserving it. They were often far more efficient and brutal and lethal, as they needed to kill invaders faster than working strategically on a battlefield. It was seen as more immediate and vital to protect ones’ kids and kill to save them than it was someone outside of that in war. Women samurai did exist. Not terribly many, but it was never really a gender restricted job. They were just called samurai, though. This is not a separate class issue or gender issue. I am allowed to be one and pursue it this day and in this age because of what women like the ones listed and others like Akiko Yamamoto did. I appreciate people trying to bring this history to light, as guess what, women being restricted from military application, especially front line combat, is a recent invention historically, but it pays to also get it right. I am aware it’s not a very well known subject, but hopefully this clarifies some of it. -- source link
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