Yama Kaminari - Tomoe Gozen

Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.

	Tomoe Gozen	Tomoe Gozen was a samurai serving Minamoto Yoshinaka at the end of the 12th century. The Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike, or Taira) describes her thusly:
A female samurai in 12th C. Japan.
			Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.

		From Legend and Myth in Japanese Art:
			Tomoe Gozen was the daughter of Gon no Kami Nakahara Kaneto and she had the reputation of being a very beautiful as well as undaunted woman. She bcame the concubine of Kiso Yoshinaka, whom she followed in the wars of the Gempei right up to his defeat and death at Uijigawa. She killed Uchida Saburou Ieyochi at Awazu no Hara (1184) and after the death of Yoshinaka she escaped from Hatakeyama Shigetada, leaving her sleeve in his hands. During that famous fight she beheaded Morishige of Musashi, and Wada Yoshinori attaked her with a pine trunk by way of war club. The Tomoe twisted the trunk in his hands and broke it to splinters, but she was caught by Wada Yoshinori, whose concubine she became. He died, however, before the birth of his son, the celebrated Asahina Saburou Yoshihide of marvelous strength. The the Tomoe Gozen retired as a nun to the monastery of Tomomatsu in Echizen.