Female Samurai Tomoe Gozen and Heroic Figures in Eiyū Hyakunin Isshu or One Hundred Heroes One Hundred Poems

Eiyū Hyakunin Isshu Female Samurai Tomoe Gozen

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Heroic biography woodblock print archive from the late Edo to early Meiji period, primarily featuring famed female samurai, Tomoe Gozen. Drawn from Eiyū Hyakunin Isshu ("One Hundred Heroic Figures with Poems"), the series combines portraits, concise biographies, and moralizing verse celebrating warriors, imperial loyalists, and legendary figures whose deeds formed the historical canon of the Tokugawa and early Meiji eras. The present group is distinguished by the inclusion of Tomoe Gozen, one of the few female warriors represented in the Japanese heroic tradition. Her appearance alongside figures including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Kusunoki Masashige, Nitta Yoshisada, and Tokugawa Ieyasu demonstrates how publishers presented female martial valor not as an exception detached from samurai history, but as part of the same continuum of loyalty, military skill, and sacrifice that defined Japan's most celebrated heroes.

Eiyū Hyakunin Isshu (英雄百人一首). Japan, late Edo to early Meiji period, nineteenth century. Twelve original woodblock printed leaves on thin washi paper, each approximately 4" x 7". Each sheet presents a full length portrait accompanied by a biographical text and poetic verse identifying a celebrated historical figure. Subjects represented include Tomoe Gozen, the armored woman warrior of the Genpei War; Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the brilliant and tragic Taira clan conqueror; Tokugawa Ieyasu, the patient unifier and founder of the Tokugawa shogunate; Kusunoki Masashige, the fourteenth century imperial loyalist later elevated as a model of self sacrificing service; Nitta Yoshisada, the anti Kamakura commander associated with the 1333 assault on Kamakura; Tokiwagozen, the courtly mother of Yoshitsune whose story became a model of maternal endurance; and a further female court or courtesan figure shown in elegant dress rather than armor, indicating the series’ inclusion of women remembered for beauty, loyalty, literary refinement, or moral example as well as martial action. The Tomoe Gozen sheet depicts the heroine in complete samurai armor with bow, quiver, and paired swords, reflecting the traditional iconography established by the Heike Monogatari, in which she is praised as an accomplished horsewoman, archer, and swordswoman who fought beside Minamoto no Yoshinaka during the Genpei War. The accompanying biographical text recounts her martial accomplishments and enduring reputation among Japan's legendary heroes, placing her within the same educational sequence as the nation's most celebrated military commanders.

The Eiyū Hyakunin Isshu series emerged during a period where townspeople, students, and aspiring samurai could access historical legend. The concise biographies and poems distilled episodes from works including the Heike Monogatari, Taiheiki, and other medieval chronicles into a format that reinforced ideals of courage, loyalty, and service. Tomoe Gozen occupies an exceptional place within this tradition. Although medieval Japanese literature preserves relatively few women on the battlefield, Tomoe's inclusion here alongside Yoshitsune, Masashige, and Ieyasu demonstrates that nineteenth century readers encountered her not as a literary curiosity but as one of the established heroic figures of Japanese history. Light edge wear, moderate toning, scattered corner losses and creasing consistent with removal from a bound volume; impressions and printed text remain clear. Overall good condition. A nineteenth century Japanese historical publishing, preserving one of the enduring printed representations of Tomoe Gozen within the broader canon of Japan's heroic warriors.

Item #23618

Price: $4,500.00