Historical Figure Tomoe Gozen

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A. Rose Miller Tomoe Gozen Tomoe Gozen was the first female bushi (samurai) in Japan (West, and Seal), at approximately, the time of the Kamakura Shogunate, renowned for a variety of traits. Tomoe may have been affected by a myriad of aspects of Feudal Japan, including: culture, technology/science, geography, and time continuity. However, with Tomoe's skills, she probably affected Japan as much as it did to her. According to the Tale of Heike, "...Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman 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" (McCullough 291). Japan is primarily made up of four major islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, as well as 3,000 minor islands (Briney). These islands affect a variety of activities in Feudal Japan, such as: transportation, trade, and how battles between provinces were planned and carried out. If transportation was changed for the worse, then any vehicle Tomoe rode would have to be modified to the environment and which could slow the journey. Something such as a change in battle strategies would have a huge affect on Tomoe Gozen because of her involvement with the military. There are hundreds of rivers in Japan ("Wikipedeia.org") . This meant that the presence or lacking of freshwater would affect the available water’s pricing, and because water is essential to any person, these changes in the sale would reflect on her available currency. Much of Japan is also
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