Between the 12th and approximately the 15th centuries women defended themselves, their families and their homes. They concealed daggers in their sleeves or sashes and delivered their deadly blades with great accuracy. Women also used the naginata, which is a pole having a long, curved sword at the top. For an ambush, women swung naginata in narrowed places, cutting the legs of horses to disable the enemy soldiers. Sometimes women fought alongside their husbands in battle. And they were expected to commit seppuku (ritual suicide)… Continue reading →
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Real Female Samurai
WERE THERE REAL SAMURAI? * * * The answer is YES! Definitely yes. Was Kozaishō a real samurai? She did really exist. She was the wife of the commander-in-chief Taira no Michimori, and according to Tale of the Heike, she was at the battle of Ichinotani. However, also with reference to the Tale of the Heike, she probably was nota samurai, but she could have been. * * * The first strong evidence of a real warrior woman is Empress Jingu who was married to… Continue reading →
Japanese Superstitions
The Heian Period of Japan is considered the Golden Age. It is also a great age of superstition, magic and mantic practices. Did you know that the number 4 is unlucky In the Japanese culture? At the time of Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai everyone believed that the ghosts of the dead, if not properly buried and prayed for, would haunt and even kill anyone who did not honor them. The Chinese zodiac, adopted by the Japanese, which some of you may have… Continue reading →
What is a pillow book?
Why is Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai a pillow book? What is a pillow book? Has anyone read or seen the movie of “Memoirs of a Geisha?” Remember when Chiyo, or later Sayuri, practiced to sleep on a pillow, basically a neck rest, so she would not disturb her hair? In ancient Japan, people did sleep on these hard pillows. I knew basically what they looked like, and I believe these are a fairly typical pillows: The pillow on the left is an… Continue reading →