GMPM-05
John Jenkins Designs
Tomoe Gozen was an Onna-musha from the late Heian Period of Japanese history. She served Minamoto no Yoshinaka during the Gempei War. Her story in the Tale of The Heike influenced several generations of Samurai, and has been celebrated in many books, music, poems and films.
She commanded, under the leadership of Yoshinaka, 300 samurai. Yoshinaka fought the Taira army under Yoritomo at the Battle of Awazu, on February 21st 1184. Although Yoshinaka’s troops fought bravely, they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. Tomoe Gozen’s 300 samurai, were outnumbered by 2,000 Taira warriors, but still Tomoe Gozen was said to have taken at least one head of the enemy, Honda no Morishige of Musashi.
With only a few of Yoshinaka’s soldiers standing and facing certain defeat and death, he told Tomoe Gozen to flee because he wanted to die with his foster brother Imai no Shiro Kanehira, and he said that he would be ashamed if he died with a woman.