Women in Japan

Traditionally and religiously, the “position of Izanagi, the female…and Izanami, the male” was equated “on the fighting level.”

“From the provinces, a new breed of women, the female members of the buke, joined their menfolk in the struggle for political and military predominance. These women did not lead troops as in archaic times, but, steeped in the same martial tradition and clinging to those warlike customs which characterized their men as a class, they were a stern reflection of their male counterparts.”

“…women of the buke were trained in the use of traditional weapons, which they were expected to use against a foe…” (Secrets of the Samurai by Oscar Ratty and Adele Westbrook, 1973)

Although Japan, at this time, was a patriarchal society for all intents and purposes, the role of the women seems underestimated. Sure enough, the higher classes placed more emphasis on the women’s subordination and she was given virtually no rights, but the commoners mostly considered the women to be the equal of a man in life, as well as the battlefield. Most women possessed some training in the martial arts, which they could utilize to protect their families and themselves, as well as go out into battle if need be.

Glossary of Terms:

buke – military families

Bushi – warrior

Bushido – way of the warrior

Kuge – public noble families

sekisho-fuda - a pass issues to people by the territorial superiors containing physical and personal descriptions that acts as a form of identification. (known as sekisho-tegata for men and onna-tegata for women)

shogun – the ruling military leader

shogunate – the collective of military leader and generals

Chapter One

How would the inspectors react to a lone woman, granddaughter of the Emperor, traipsing through the night on horseback? Her pass would identify her for what she was. The least Ayame suspected was extreme suspicion and wonder, but there was little they could do to impede her progress. She was of noble birth nevertheless.

The garrison at Hakone on the Eastern Sea Route seemed peaceful beneath the clear night sky, and as she approached it, Ayame slowed her horse’s gait until the thud of hooves against the packed earth road was a mere whisper. A couple of fires burned around the encampment, and as expected, several men rushed to greet her, weapons at a peaceful state, but for all intents and purposes ready to be used if occasion arose.

Ayame reined her horse in, head bowed. The reins were grabbed from her hands by a soldier and she was instructed curtly to dismount. She did so as gracefully as possible, keeping the long, wide skirt of her coat from getting caught in the straps of the saddle.

“Please, present us with your sekisha-fuda.”

Ayame bowed her head again and reached for her drawstring purse from which she pulled out the pass. The document was issued to her by the Imperial court, containing the details of her identity and in-depth physical description, right down to the mole-like birth-mark on the soul of her right foot. The guard immersed himself in the reading of the pass, as if attempting to decipher it. Finally he looked up from the pass and scowled into her face. Ayame’s eyes dropped to the ground.

The second guard snatched the pass to see for himself what the tension was about. “If indeed you are the rightful holder of this sekisha-fuda then it shall soon be proven. My daughter shall search you…” With a grunt, both guards stepped slightly away and waited while a young woman came forward, bowed, and instructed Ayame to remove her coat and kimono, as well the straw sandals. Ayame’s facial features, hair, height, and birth-mark were all closely inspected and matched against the information contained in the pass. Her only weapon was a wakazashi and a fan. Nothing of concern arose, and she was glad to don her kimono, coat and sandals.

“Your…majesty,” one of the two guards said, bowing as he approached her once again, “may I inquire as to why you wish to travel the roads at this time of night, and what exactly your destination is? Are they aware of your absence from the Court at Kyoto?”

“I’m on my way to Edo.” Ayame explained. “I wish to have an audience with the shogunate.”

The guard stared at her. “You realise that it may potentially bring danger to you and your family, your majesty?”

“I am aware of the risks. But I insist. I must arrive at Edo before the gates close.” The urgency in her voice was not lost on the guard, yet he was hesitant to let her go.

“You may be attacked by ronin or outcasts. You are traveling alone.”

“I am grateful for your concern, but I am ready to meet any obstacles. Please, may I continue on my journey?”

The guard bowed deeply and stepped out of the way. Nodding, Ayame mounted her horse and slowly set out again, without looking back at the garrison. After her image was swallowed up by the darkness, the guard jumped into action.

“I want three messenger dispatched to Edo – now!”

It was too late. The gate-watchmen had shut off the massive fortified city and a multitude of guards were set up around every accessible point. Ayame could get no closer than the moat, obscured by darkness. Any closer and her presence would be revealed by the dim light of several torches. Now nothing remained but to wait until morning, and that did not seem a pleasant thought.

She turned the horse around and aimed for the thickest part of vegetation she could find: several tall trees and thick shrubs and grasses. It was several hundred meters away from the fortress, but she had a clear view of the main gate and the road leading up to it. The moon gave off a weak, silvery light by which she dismounted and removed the saddle to use as a cushion for her head. Twigs and leaves crackled beneath her feet, scratching them through her sandals. She hoped that no animals lurked nearby to give her a fright. Her horse snorted and made little grunting noises which comforted her in the strange surroundings. She preferred not to think about what her family would do once they realised she was gone, true to her word. No one had ever thought she would be true to her word – in fact, her words of any kind were rarely heeded. The Court lay peacefully beneath the boredom of its own idleness. Her mother did nothing but clean, serve her husband and follow the fading religion of Shinto in those spare moments. Her father did nothing but seek suitable marriage partners for his only daughter and pay irrelevant visits to Edo, simply to be kept up to date and feel important.

Ayame’s days had been spent taking tea with her mother and training three hours daily, as if the time would ever come to utilize her sword skills in a real battle. But it was her only love, and it was wasted at Court. Now she wanted something better, for herself and her parents. She was taking an outrageous risk, but whatever resulted from it, in the meantime she would not be bored.

Through the haze of her own pondering, Ayame heard the first of the thudding sounds. Horse hooves. She sat up and looked around, at the road. Three horseman were approaching the gates, the shadowy figures silhouetted against the indigo sky. They grew smaller again as they crossed the moat.

Ayame narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the shapes, dark against dark. Every now and then she caught sight of colour from the torches, but still they remained obscured. Whoever they may be, she told herself, they were entering the city without objection. Ayame watched in anticipation, debating whether she had any chance of sneaking in unnoticed. But no. she would be granted permission to enter in the morning. Illegally entering now could be dangerous and irrational. Instead, she watched the horsemen proceed, welcomed, into the city through a small gate in the wall to the left of the enormous main gates. After they were gone, the stillness continued, broken only by the rustle and buzz of insects in the foliage.

Settling back down, Ayame snuggled under the hood of her coat and closed her eyes. If it was going to be a long night, she would do good to sleep through it. Pondering about her fate would lead her nowhere at the moment. She slept fitfully, the sound of animals foraging jolting her into a state of half-wakefulness for brief moment through the night. The cold of the damp ground seeped through her clothing and chilled her bones, bringing on a strange dream of lying naked in a field of snow. The saddle beneath her neck grew more uncomfortable by the hour. At dawn, the first rays of sun stung her eyes and she woke to a stiff neck and numb feet. Through foggy eyes, she caught sight of her horse, grazing in a small clearing further away than she would have liked. The shadowy places lay silent in the blue morning light, while the pale orange sunlight touched the outline of the treetops.

Ayame lifted her head and sat up, wincing. She had not removed her short sword, and now her hip throbbed in pain from where she had leaned onto it. She gathered the saddle into her arms and approached the grazing horse. Once in the clearing, she felt exposed and vulnerable. Here, the sunlight was brighter, and the vantage point from the fortress relatively clear. She saddled the animal and tightened the straps with shaking fingers.

She heard the pounding of hooves first. Her head whipped around, throwing the hood back. She saw nothing but the solid chest of a brown horse before she was lifted out of her sandals and placed into the saddle of a warrior. It took her a moment to orient herself. There were more than ten mounted bushi, their faces stern and hard. Her own horse had tried to flee, but his reins were now in the hands of a particularly large horseman. Ayame felt the man sitting behind her grab her arms, pull them back and tie something thick around them. Her bare feet hung limply at the horse’s sides, and the hair that reached almost to her knees was flung across her shoulders and head.

She did nothing, however, but hang her head low and grit her teeth. She had expected a more welcoming city. Whatever could they want with her? Was she such a threat? She had expected to be welcomed as a member of the royal family. Being set upon by a dozen warriors was not how she wished to start her relationship with the bushi.