The Truth About Samurai Women | Tomoe Gozen

She led 1,000 cavalry into battle, survived facing down 6,000 enemy warriors, and 800 years later, historians still can't agree on whether she was real. Meet Tomoe Gozen — the legendary female samurai commander at the center of Japan's most famous war. The British Museum's new Samurai Women exhibition has the internet arguing, some calling it revisionist and others calling it long overdue. So we're pulling this fan-favorite episode out of the archives to set the record straight: women didn't just witness samurai history; they fought it. In this episode: 🗡️ How the samurai class actually formed, starting with a scandal-prone emperor and 40+ kids ⚔️ The real Bushido code, and why the "way of the warrior" myth is mostly a modern invention 🐎 Onna-musha and onna-bugeisha: the real female warriors of feudal Japan 📜 The Genpei War, the Battle of Awazu, and the legend of Tomoe Gozen 🥋 The truth about the naginata — and why it was never "just a woman's weapon" 👑 What actually happened to Tomoe Gozen after her final battle (there are four competing legends — you decide which one you believe) Grab your snack, hop in the time machine, and let's get into it. Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📕 Find resources here!!📕 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch Store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices