Traditions of the Amazons of Japan
'':-,-iiy hzE&yyL x -Ja,,,tv"
rSIUWAKA, A KA MOT'S FEMALE WARRIOR. OVERCOMING TURKIC
DOl'IiTABLi:. SAMl'RAI From an Old Colored Trim.
35
(Copyright. 1901, by E. B. Warner.)
I " I spondctits from Toklo are full of
A I 1 1 fit I un nf th Rnrtnn fnnrnjrft
and resolution shown by Japan
ese women at the present crisis
of their country's fortunes. Tliey send
their husbands, sons, brothers and sweet
hearts to the front with a smile upon the'.r
lip; they tell them to be proud of the
chance to die for the Mikado, they tei then
that they must think only of their duly,
and not of the girls they leave behind
them.
This Spartan spirit has been cultivated
In the women of Japan more than 2,000
years, until it has become, second nature to
them. In olden days Japan produced a
fine crop of Amazon warrlois. whose ex
ploits live In history and provided subjects
for those delicately beautiful color prints
of Toyokmi and Hlyodushl which aro now
so popular among American artists and
art collectors. Nowada8 Japanese women
do not go to war except as Kid t'ros.4
nurses, although several of them, dl-gu'se 1
us soldiers, tried to be sent to light against
(V'lna, and, according to the Japanese
newspapers, many In the country part.i
have applied to enlist against Russia. But
although they have to slay quietly at home,
It Is evident that the fighting spirit Inher
ited from generations of warlike ancestors
on both sides is as keen as ever.
Japanese girls, who seem so meek and
tender and loving that the foreigner would
never dream of associating thought of vio
lence and bloodshed with them, are tauvht
from their earliest childhood to reverence
the Empress Jingo, who conquered Corea,
and are told all about the brave deeds of
other Amazons who are distinguished in
Japanese history.
Vshlwaka was ne of the most famous
f these female warriors. She lived In t lie
middle ages of Japan, and no man could
stand against her In single combat. She is
generally represented in the color prints
as vanquishing at the same moment throo
redoubtable samurai, Sai.goku Hum, Yanu
hlta Kuro and Surihnrl Taro. Another
noted amazon was the Lady Kurvo, who
donned the full armor of a samurai and
went out to battle in order to have re
venge on the man who had killed her
husband. After many exciting adventures
jid desperate encounters, she eventually
lew 1dm In a hand-to-hand fight.
8he was captured Uy a party of his sam
Ural, bound hand and foot, and taken to
bis palace. But one of the young men,
who had fallen In love with her for her
beauty and courage secretly cut the bonds
At night when she was awaiting Judgment.
Bhe stayed In the garden of the palace all
night, armed with a sword whi"h she had
picked up when her bonda were ut.
In the morning, as she exicted, her
husband's murderer came out Into the
garden to par hU devotions to the honor
able bamboo which Imprisoned the spirits
of his ancestors. Like a good ShintoDt,
she allowed him to perform them in peaco
and then walked from behind a concealing
clump of bushes and offered him the al
ternative of committing hari-kari or engag
ing her In mortal combat, lie chose the
hitter, and was slain. According to one
Japanese chronicler, the Woman cut his
head clean off by the iirst strong, sweeping
blow of her iwonl.
Ishl, the wife of Oboxhl Yurano-suUe,
leader of the forty-seven ronins who
avenged the death uf their lord and then
committed harl-kuri at his tomb In a b idy,
was another strong minded woman, win
is held up to thy admiration ci' all Jai.aiie o
girls. When her husband departed on his
fateful enterprise, she to'd her son, Klk
lya, a lad of ,1s, that he must go with his
father and .-how piety to the memory of
their lord.
After they had gone she suit all the
male servants away and trained her maids
In the art of nwordmanship, so that they
could help her to defend the house while
the men were away. They slew a band of
robbers who attacked thcui and kept faith
ful watch and ward, hoping for the mas
ter's return. When the news came that
father and son hud performed the "happy
dispatch," Ishl did riot weep. She promptly
drew the short sword of the samurai front
her sash and Joined them. She is regarded
in Japan as a perfect type of the brava
and faithful wife.
A story which Japanese artists have loved
to tell for cent uiies past in their color
prints is that of the brave peasant girl,
Kowan. About 1500 A. D. she lived at Olsal,
and her lord was secretly a traitor to the
Sliogun Toritoioo, who ruled Japan at that
time in the name of the .Mikado. Serving
in the lord's house, Kowan became ac
quainted with n plot to assassinate thii
Hhogun and got possession of a. letter which
coiitain- d the details of it.
The Sliogun was uboaid bis Junk on Iike
Biwa. some distance uway. Thither tho
fciii lied, hotly pursued by the treacherous
lord and his vassals. They came up with
lier Just as she reached the shore of tha
lak", but she plunged into the stormy wat
ers and swam to tho Hhoguu's ship, with
t he all-impoi buit letter (irmly gripin d in
b r teeth. Dozens of arrows cut the water
all around her, but she escaped them and
was pli li d lip by a boat lowered from the
Junk. When the Sliogun heard the story
he promptly treated the tie u hi rous lord
and ills fellow conspirators to "something
lingering with boiling oil in It."
1'nforlunately, he did not fall In love
with the girl and marry Iter, which
rather spoils the story from an Occidental
standpoint. Kowan is always represented
in tho color prints swimming out to tho
junk, while Ut traitors m shore fuiiuualy
rage together.
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I J
AMAZON IM'TTINO TO ROl'T A SMALT, ARMY OK I'OLK'KM I'.N, SI' NT
TO SKIZK 1 1 1 : It l-'olt TI1K SIIOtJl'N. From an Old Colored Flint.
Tho Empress Jingo, gteatest of all the
Amazons of Japan, belongs to the legend
ary era of that country before the Intro
duction of Buddhism in the liftli century,
and many stories are told of In r which
certainly cannot be regarded as authentic
history. For example, she Is said to have
been cniiiiite before she lift Japan to
Invade t'o:ea and to have given birth to
her ron, ojin, afterwards deified as the
Japanese !;i'i of war, upon her return.
Inasmuch as three years elapsed, that
could I irdly have been possible; but when
this fa;t is pointed out to the Japanese
Jiiirikisha man who tells the ioielgmr the
legend, he smiles pleasantly and says that
It it on" j another proof of the miraculous
powers of Jlnuo Kogo. Did she not mnlui
the tW'cs and the waves do her bidding?
W oulil she be likely to be troubled by a
little thing like that?
After this story, the traveler In Japan
hears without a gasp that Jingo overcame
a hundred Coreaus sii'Kle-haudiil, and
Slew the great Corean champion whom
none of her warriors could tackle. He hail
killed a dozen of them, one after the
other, In single combat; but Jingo cut
off his head at the tlrst onslaught with her
mighty two-handed sword.
In the feudal days of Japan, up to the
restoration era, the wives and daughters
of the samurai were regularly trained in
the aristocratic science of arms, and fought
as readily and bravely as the men. But
they were not, as u rule, allowed to light
unless it was absolutely necessary for
the protection of life and honor. The
samurai were not chivalrous according to
the Ideas of Occidental knighthood; they
did not deem It disgraceful tu their man
hood to allow women to light; but, to their
minds, lighting -vas such an honorable
luxury, such an august privilege, that they
wanted all of It for themselves, and
thought It altogether too good for an Infe
rior creature like woman. Thus It was
that tht Amazons of Japan generally per
formed l heir achievements when their lord
was away from home at the wars, and bis
enemies v a band of robbers attacked the
house in his abHc.uo.
They did not fight with 'he famous Pword
of the samurai, except on the rare occasions
when they m iscpii railed as one In ord- r
to fight by the bid,. (,f a lover or a hus
band. The long, doiiblc-hllted sword and
the short sw ad for the "happy dispatch"
wa re tho scried property of the male war
rior, and It was a crime for anyone ex
cept a samurai to carry them. Women,
vhen luting as tho "home guard." were
surpo.md to be content with a medium
length sword, betwixt . the two, and a
f i tf-lilful looking h ilU rt. much like a short
Bcjthr; lashed to the end of a long pobi.
The Japanese artists of past generations
wero fond of depicting them doing won
derful feats with this awkward Weapon.
(inly tho uamurul clasa were allowed to
carry arms In old Jaran, and this rule ap
plied to the women u well as to the men.
Nevertheless, many stories i:re told of the
heroism of women of the peasant and
"helwin" (trading) classes, who resisted at
tho swoid's point the dishonorable ad
vances of their "d.ilmlo" (feudal hud) or
even of the Sliogun himself.
An i hi Toyokuni color print shows a
woman named I lenli nkozo Ka neiiosiiko
putting to rout a small aimy of policemen
sent I y the Sliogun lo si l.e her for one of
his concubines. She was doubly famous
lis being the prettiest girl in Japan III her
day ami the most virtuous.
She lived In Kioto anil was the idol of the
town. The greatest of the dalmlos wooel
her in vain, and when one of tin in thieit
cned her Willi v iolence she eiialletieei d Mill
to light and easily overcame him, although
he was one of the most noted swordsmen
of the day In Japan.
At last the Sliogun saw her one day when
riding through the streets of Klo'o. lie
straightway fell In love, but she repi lied
his advances in spite of his ile-potle power
and great prestige. Knowing little of her
prjwcss in arms, the Sliogun did not trouble
to send soldiers to seize her. lie Hi nl In
stead a Hquad of policemen or the func
tionaries who answered to policemen In
that day. They were armed with short
Iron clubs, which were of little use i gilnst
the heroine's! sword. The chroniclers re
cord with horrible glee the manner in which
She carved those poor policemen, putting
at least a dozen of them on the strength
of the force. The Sliogun admired her
bravery, and ild not trouble her further
Bassett Stalin s.
Pointed Paragraphs
Other people's troubles bore a. man more
than Ills own.
Women would rather look at dresses than
listen to addresses.
If a man has a stiff Income he ran afford
to have a stiff backbone.
Every man gets a lot of tree advice
which isn't worth much.
It makes a man feel cheap to be caught
looking at a picture of himself.
Some girls would rather (lilt than tat,
and some do both simultaneously.
The Judge charges the Jury, but not as
much as the lawyer charges his client.
Many a man who knows there Is rcom
at the top sits down and waits for tho
elevator.
With the exception of tho girl's father
and the dog nil the world tolerates it
lover.
If a trurrhd man has degrading ties It
Is tin to one his wife bought tin m at a
bargain sale.
Many a man who meanders around tho
free lunch route dally likes to be seen
entering a liist-class hoti 1
When a young man begins lo Inquire
about a girl's abilities as a cook It Is up
to her to ascertain If he can provide the
Leccsbary material. Chicago New.