Nakano Takeko – The Beautiful Samurai Skilled in Martial Arts
Nakano Takeko was born in 1847 to parents from Aizu but grew up in Edo, where she began training in martial arts at just six years old.
As a young woman, she was adopted by a master swordsman named Akaoka Daisuke. Although she also received an education in literature and culture, Takeko became renowned for her martial arts prowess and exceptional combat skills.
Takeko excelled in using the naginata, a traditional Japanese weapon resembling a polearm. Her mastery was so impressive that she became an instructor, teaching other students for several years.
Martial arts training for women was not uncommon in feudal Japan. From ancient times until the 17th century, several Japanese women gained fame for their extraordinary bravery, despite the constraints of the feudal social system.
For centuries, Japan maintained a tradition of training women to defend themselves in case of attack when no male samurai relatives were present for protection. Women of the samurai class, in particular, received formal martial arts training to prepare for emergencies.
Born into a samurai family, it was natural for Nakano Takeko to spend hours each day practicing martial arts.
The Samurai Who Chose Death to Uphold Her Ideals
When Takeko’s martial arts instructor, Akaoka Daisuke, proposed marrying her off to one of his relatives, she refused and returned to her birth parents.
Takeko had no desire to spend her life solely as a wife and mother. She was a strong-willed young woman with ideals of her own.
She lived during a time of civil war in Japan, a conflict between the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate and those seeking to restore political power to the imperial court.
Takeko Nakano led a group of women who joined the civil war to support the restoration of the Emperor’s power. This samurai woman fought in the 1868 battle to defend Aizu, battling valiantly alongside male samurai forces.
Nakano Takeko led a charge of female samurai known as the Joshigun unit. They rushed against the modern rifle fire of the Shogunate’s army armed only with their swords and naginata.
When the Shogunate forces realized they were fighting women, they attempted to capture the female samurai alive.
However, bullets fly faster than words. Nakano Takeko and her comrades were shot down. Before falling, Takeko managed to strike down 5-6 enemies with her naginata.
Her elder sister, Masako, subsequently beheaded Takeko to prevent her body from being captured and desecrated by the enemy. The severed head of the samurai maiden was safely returned to a local temple.
Legacy of Courage
The female samurai defended Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle with unparalleled courage. They were prepared to kill family members rather than let them fall into enemy hands.
For instance, the female samurai Kawahara Asako cut her hair and beheaded her mother-in-law and daughter before seeking her own death in battle, her naginata stained with blood.
An unwritten code, centuries old, dictated that samurai warriors—male or female—must die rather than be captured. Many samurai wives also performed the ritual suicide known as Jigai after their husbands’ deaths.
Though she died in 1868 at just 21 years old, Takeko became an immortal historical figure. Her bravery is still celebrated today. During the Aizu Autumn Festival, young girls often wear hakama and white headbands to participate in a procession honoring the sacrifice of the Joshigun warriors, including the samurai maiden Takeko.