The women of the Aizu province broke free of tradition and fought with the army in definance of Imperial troops at the Meiji Restoration.

A meek, respectful and quiet woman clothed in conservative kimono is the Hollywood version of the women of the samurai class; however, a variation of this upper-class woman is ignored: the Aizu warriors. These women broke free of the restrictions prescribed to them by society and took up arms to defend their province in opposition to the Meiji Restoration.

Unusual Circumstances

These outstanding female characters of the samurai period were the benefactors of unusual circumstances. They received in-depth training, specializing in the use of the halberd, a long-handled sword.

Additionally, Aizu women were taught the same values as their male counterparts. They were to protect the honor of themselves, their family and most importantly their daimyo, or feudal lord. The Aizu province in north-eastern Honshu took especial care to train their women in martial arts.

While the Tokugawa shogunate encouraged the basic training of women in combat to protect themselves and the honor of their family, most domains saw this practice as ritualistic and spiritual in nature, rather than practical.

The Offensive

Rather than committing suicide or fleeing when the district of Aizu-Wakamatsu was attacked by imperial forces on October 8, 1868, these women decided to take up arms to engage their enemy in direct combat.

With no expectations of leniency if captured, the Aizu women comprised two warrior groups: the Joshigun, external female combatants, who fought outside of the gates of Crane Castle, the daimyo’s headquarters, and the Johei, internal female combatants who held the castle. There were twenty to thirty women comprising the Joshigun who took up arms, cut their hair and donned men’s clothing in the defense of their domain.

While the field commander, Kayano Gonbei was impressed by the Joshigun’s willingness to fight alongside the men, he insisted that they be put under the protection of Furuya Sakuzaemon, another commander, and escorted back to Crane Castle.

Once under his control, Furuya decided to allow them to fight under the command of Nakano Takeko, a samurai woman. These warriors engaged Tosa, Ogaki and Choshu troops on October 10th in hand-to-hand combat. They proved to be a formidable force, defeating many of the Imperial troops who had become overconfident when they realized that they were fighting women.

Return to Crane Castle

The Johei were joined by the Joshigun within Crane Castle on October 13th, where they were able to hold the castle for thirty days before surrendering to Imperial forces.

While these outstanding women were valiant examples of pre-feminism, their image is largely forgotten. Until they are able transgress the stereotypes that follow them to this day, the samurai woman will remain in the submissive shadows of a militant world.

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