Tomita Nobutaka and his wife Yuki no Kata defend Tsu Castle by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 1885

Yuki no Kata (ゆきの方) or Oyuki (おゆき), was a Japanese female warrior ( ''onna-musha'') in 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 married to

Tomita Nobutaka is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aijiro Tomita (1885–1954), Japanese politician * Hiroyuki Tomita (born 1980), Japanese gymnast *Isao Tomita (1932–2016), Japanese electronic music composer * Kazuo Tomita (born 1 ...

, an officer 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 ...

. Her birth and death are not recorded. Portrayed in current records as beautiful and highly skilled warrior, she defended the Anōtsu castle in the Battle of Sekigahara.

Battle of Anōtsu castle

Yuki no Kata and Nobutaka sided with

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

from the Eastern Army when Japan was prepared for the Sekigahara campaign. Nobutaka and his forces were summoned away to aid Ieyasu in punishing

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Nagao ...

as Ishida Mitsunari prepared to attack the western roads towards Edo, Ieyasu's stronghold. The Anōtsu castle was right along the Western Army's path towards Ieyasu, so Yuki no kata took the lead in defending the castle. Since her castle was supposed to be one of the first to be attacked during the campaign, Yuki no kata armed herself, went to the castle walls, and summoned the remaining soldiers to the war. Upon learning of Mitsunari's movements, Nobutaka rushed back to protect the Anōtsu castle but was delayed by

Kuki Yoshitaka (1542 – November 17, 1600) was a naval commander during Japan's Sengoku Period, under Oda Nobunaga, and later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was also the ninth headmaster of the Kuki family's school of martial arts, Kukishin-ryū and thus a very sk ...

. He arrived in time before the western forces led by

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overco ...

, Chōsokabe Morichika, and

Nabeshima Katsushige (December 4, 1580 – May 7, 1657) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Born to Nabeshima Naoshige, he became lord of Saga-''han''. Biography Katsushige was born in Saga, the son of Nabeshima Naoshige. At the time, Naoshige was a ...

reached Anōtsu. Armed with only 1,700 troops, Yuki no Kata and their allies defended themselves against the western alliance force of 30,000; the battle officially began on October 1, 1600. Although the 1300 defenders put up a stiff defense, the 30,000 attackers largely burned the castle down around them. In the heat of combat, Nobutaka was cut off from his allies in pursuit of an injured enemy officer. To save her husband, Yuki no Kata drove some of the opposing soldiers away using a naginata. So great was her attack that the enemy mistook her for a formal samurai warrior, only one with a face far too fair. Having saved Nobutaka, their forces withdrew back into the castle for the night when negotiations began. Terumoto allowed the defenders to flee at night out of respect for their bravery against such overwhelming odds. The Tomita clan were rewarded for their loyalty by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

and were given an increase in revenue and rebuilt parts of the castle by the time they were transferred to

Uwajima Domain 270px, Date Munenari 270px, Uwajima Date Museum was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now western Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Uwajima Castle, and was ruled throu ...

Iyo Province was a province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa to the east, and Tosa to the south. Its abbreviated form name was . In te ...

in 1608. Yuki no Kata is no longer mentioned in historical records after Ieyasu defeated Mitsunari in Sekigahara.

References

People of Sengoku-period Japan Women of medieval Japan Japanese women in warfare 16th-century Japanese people Women in 16th-century warfare 16th-century Japanese women 17th-century Japanese women 16th-century women rulers Women in 17th-century warfare {{Japan-mil-bio-stub