Oni Gozen (鬼御前) (fl. 16th century) was a Japanese noble lady and ''

onna-musha ''Onna-musha'' (女武者) is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Japan. These women fought in battle alongside samurai men. They were members of the ''bushi'' (warrior) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons ...

'' from the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. She was the wife of Hoashi Akinao (帆足鑑直) the retainer of

Ōtomo clan was a Japanese samurai family whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū. Origins The first family head, Ōtomo Yoshinao (1172–1223), took ...

. She was a military commander who actively participated in the

Kyushu campaign is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

of 1586–1587, helping to repel the Shimazu army from the Ōtomo clan. She was nicknamed ''

Oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess i ...

'' (Ogre or Demon) because she proved to be a fierce and brave warrior. She received the

honorific suffix A name suffix, in the Western English-language naming tradition, follows a person's full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditat ...

''''Gozen'''', a Japanese term; that means "young lady" or ''honorable''.

Biography

Oni Gozen, her real name is Aiko No kyōki was the daughter of Kogo Settu no Kami (古後摂津守).. There are no details about her early life. She entered a political marriage with Hoashi Akinao, a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

warlord. After getting married she became a retainer of

Otomo Sorin Otomo or Ōtomo may refer to: People * Ōtomo Chikaie (1561–1641), daimyō * Ōtomo Chikasada (died 1570), samurai * Ōtomo no Kuronushi (9th century), poet * Ōtomo no Otomaro (731–809), samurai * Ōtomo no Sakanoue no Iratsume (c. 700–750 ...

, the leader of the Otomo clan. Following the wedding, she gave birth to a daughter, who later married Mori Gorōzaemon (森五郎左衛門). According to "Yama no Shiro Kassen no Ki"(山の城合戦之記), written in 1782 by the descendant of the Hoashi clan, Oni Gozen was a beautiful and dignified woman. Her height was about 175 cm, very tall for someone at that time. She was not only a skillful martial artist, but also a military commander.垣本,761

She attacked enemy's camp like the lion hunting a flock of sheep. She defended the castle like the
mizuchi The is a type of Japanese dragon or legendary serpent-like creature, either found in an aquatic habitat or otherwise connected to water. Some commentators perceived it to have been a water deity. It is described in the ancient pseudo-chronicle '' ...
burrowing in an abyss.

The people of the neighboring province called her Oni Gozen, e.g. "Lady Demon", because of her bravery. When the army of the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contrast ...

approached Ōtomo land in 1586 during the

, Oni Gozen pledged herself with a seal of blood on a written oath at the

Kumano shrine A is a type of Shinto shrine which enshrines the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi [].Encyclopedia of ShintoKumano Shinkō accessed on October 6, 2008 There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan, and each has received its k ...

to die in battle rather than commit

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

. Many men and women, including the wives and daughters of retainers, also took this oath.垣本,761-762 Her daughter was the wife of Mori Gorōzaemon (森五郎左衛門), who was besieged in Tsunomure Castle (角埋城). Oni Gozen sent a letter to her daughter and ordered her not to commit suicide but fight her enemies.垣本,762 Akinao was in command of Hijū Castle (日出生城), with about 500 men, which was attacked by the Shimazu general Ijūin Tadamune (伊集院忠棟) with over 6,000 men. Akinao let Oni Gozen and the small garrison defend the castle and led almost all his remaining men to attack the Ijūin base in a pincer attack. This surprise attack put the enemy to rout and left Tadamune heavily injured. This battle was one of the last battles between Ōtomo and Shimazu before the main army of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

came to Kyūshū to relieve Ōtomo and subdue Shimazu.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oni Gozen People of Sengoku-period Japan Women of medieval Japan Japanese women in warfare 16th-century Japanese nobility Women in 16th-century warfare 16th-century Japanese women

Biography

See also

References

Sources