Tomoe Gozen
Legacy Name: Tomoe Gozen

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In the tales that came from the history of Japan, there is very little mention of the women of the times, and even less note of female warriors. One of the few exceptions of this is Tomoe Gozen, a female samurai known for her strength and bravery¹. She has been said to be the concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, though other sources have claimed her to be a female attendant, wife, or even a prostitute².

One of the most prominent descriptions of her is from the Tale of the Heike, where she is lauded as a warrior who overcame the stereotypes of gender¹.

[quote="Tale of the Heike]Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors³.The tale of Minamoto no Yoshinaka's death is one of the most prominent where Tomoe Gozen is concerned. At the end of the Battle of Awazu, it is said that Yoshinaka urged her to flee the field, but she instead rode down one of the strongest enemies to buy him time to commit seppuku - ritual suicide. Her actions were in vain, though, as Yoshinaka died from an arrow. What happened to her after this point in time is unknown. Many sources claimed she died with Minamoto no Yoshinaka, while others say she escaped to the eastern provinces and became a Buddhist nun⁴.

Although, she is one of the most well-know female samurai in Japanese history, it is not actually known whether Tomoe Gozen truly existed or if her entire life was a fabrication. Not for lack of trying, no solid proof of her existence has ever been found⁴.

As a testament to her popularity as a historical figure, whether she existed or not, Tomoe Gozen has appeared in novels, japanese dramas and animations, manga and video games. She appears as herself in the kabuki play Onna Shibaraku², the taiga drama Yoshitsune, the Sci-Fi novel Riverworld, and the Tomoe Gozen trilogy. She is Chie Satonaka's persona in Persona 4.

Tomoe Gozen also appears as reincarnations in Samurai Deeper Kyo as Saisei, where she is portrayed as being highly efficient with a naginata, and in Nurarihyon no Mago as Hagoromo Gitsune, where she is seen wielding a large iron fan¹.