Mastodawn

Elchrich Elch Sep 9, 2023

Jamez Barrett 🜃 ॐ Ⓐ

"Female 'Samurai'

While 'samurai' is a strictly masculine term, the Japanese bushi class (the social class samurai came from) did feature women who received similar training in martial arts and strategy. These women were called “Onna-Bugeisha,” and they were known to participate in combat along with their male counterparts. Their weapon of choice was usually the naginata, a spear with a curved, sword-like blade that was versatile, yet relatively light.

Since historical texts offer relatively few accounts of these female warriors (the traditional role of a Japanese noblewoman was more of a homemaker), we used to assume they were just a tiny minority. However, recent research indicates that Japanese women participated in battles quite a lot more often than history books admit. When remains from the site of the Battle of Senbon Matsubaru in 1580 were DNA-tested, 35 out of 105 bodies were female. Research on other sites has yielded similar results."

@didgebaba part of me finds it really cool but then another part of me remembers that samurai used to just randomly kill passer-bys for perceived slights, regularly got drunk and killed lots of people, raided and extorted villages and were just generally noble pieces of shit and their women counterparts were likely not that different 💀

Jamez Barrett 🜃 ॐ Ⓐ Sep 9, 2023

@hazelnot History is very cruel.

@didgebaba the most fucked up thing about that is that the present will also be history one day

Jamez Barrett 🜃 ॐ Ⓐ Sep 9, 2023

@hazelnot that is true. Who gets to write that history is the question.

GHaiku Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba @hazelnot not at all. It’s about what their values are. Artifacts fo most of the work. But- If they don’t value truth- then no will know - until brushed with science. Science is study of nature- I wouldn’t bet against it.

The Bible Museum in DC and the Ken Ham park are delusional and depraved anti-science psychotic cult scams.

GHaiku Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba @hazelnot which is why we have to use energy like crazy to avoid it repeating in the most easily avoidable ways. Religion is cruel. Humanity sans it/ is not. Imagine how many things would work if religion wasn’t clogging up the works. Mind boggling anyone misses it from my pov.

Evelyn Sep 9, 2023

@hazelnot @didgebaba The right of women to commit as much dumbshit assholery as men can, and get away with it as easily as some men can, is a very important one.

Weasel Sep 10, 2023

@gorfram @hazelnot @didgebaba

Is that a Margaret Thatcher quotation?

@gorfram @didgebaba Sorry but that's such a "more 👏 female 👏 drone 👏 pilots 👏 " take

Evelyn Sep 10, 2023

@hazelnot @didgebaba ???

Do you mean that women should be equally able to participate in high-status military roles that can be perceived as amoral or even immoral?
If so, you’re quite right.

*whether anybody-regardless of gender- should participate in these questionable roles, or whether such roles should even exist, is a separate question

Jamez Barrett 🜃 ॐ Ⓐ Sep 11, 2023

@gorfram @hazelnot I understand that the Samurai were more than just soldiers in the military sense. It was an elevated group within the complex society that was Classical Japan.

@gorfram @didgebaba they should be equally able to be murderous pieces of shit but I'm gonna equally spit on them if they are

Evelyn Sep 11, 2023

@hazelnot @didgebaba Excellent take. 💯

Terfs Have No Friends Sep 9, 2023

@didgebaba For those who want to hear more unique Japanese history, @riversidewings has a fascinating podcast called Friday Night History. Ninjas, coffee, Civil Wars, and even a historically accurate speculation on if a Predator invaded Edo period Japan.

Aviva Gary Sep 9, 2023

@didgebaba cool

Rexanne Perry Sep 9, 2023

Those women finally got the credit and recognition they richly deserve.

Beatsmith Sep 9, 2023

@didgebaba Badass

Draken BlackKnight Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba
There's a reason Kimiko's comic book counterpart in "The Boys" was simply referred to as The Female: "The female of the species is deadlier than the male."

Tess Arnold Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba
It is said that a Samurai always takes his sword to bed with him...
Because he knows his wife will have hers.

(I'm paraphrasing)

Noah Cook Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba I believe that Kameron Hurley, who has an account on Mastodon @Kameronhurley , has done some research on the historical role of women in combat.

"Women fought in every revolutionary army, I found, and those armies were often composed of fighting forces that were 20-30% women. But when we say “revolutionary army” what do we think of? What image does it conjure? Does the force in your mind include three women and seven men? Six women and fourteen men?"

https://aidanmoher.com/blog/featured-article/2013/05/we-have-always-fought-challenging-the-women-cattle-and-slaves-narrative-by-kameron-hurley/

"'We Have Always Fought': Challenging the 'Women, Cattle and Slaves' Narrative" by Kameron Hurley - A Dribble of Ink

I’m going to tell you a story about llamas. It will be like every other story you’ve ever heard about llamas: how they are covered in fine scales; how they eat their young if not raised properly; and how, at the end of their lives, they hurl themselves – lemming-like- over cliffs to drown in... Read more »

A Dribble of Ink

Yingtai Sep 10, 2023

Black and white photo of a woman in traditional Japanese armour. She has carefully shaped narrow eyebrows and she's not smiling. She's holding a helmet in one hand and a tassel (maybe attached to something out of sight) in the other.

#alt4you @didgebaba

not a martian, honest Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba I guess that's where the coding of naginatas as feminine weapons in Japanese culture comes from.

GinevraCat Sep 10, 2023

Previous boost shows an image of a woman dressed in samurai armour. Sepia toned. @didgebaba

Mx. Dudula the Dud Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba What's that old saying about the female of the species being deadlier than the male?

Fish Orb Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba oooo! Do you have a paper or a news article link I could follow to read more?

Jamez Barrett 🜃 ॐ Ⓐ Sep 10, 2023

@oseike it comes from this site
https://listverse.com/2013/08/06/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-samurai/

10 Fascinating Facts About The Samurai - Listverse

Samurai are legendary warriors and perhaps the most well-known class of people in ancient Japan. They were noble fighters that fought evil (and each

Listverse

Enzo Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba they were my inspiration for one of my tattoos.

Patrick Johanneson 🚀 🇨🇦Sep 10, 2023

@didgebaba As @catrambo is fond of saying, #StorySeed.

Will and the Fox Sep 10, 2023

Saw this in my timeline and instantly knew that it was a retoot by @ShaulaEvans

Thank you Shaula for sharing awesome stuff. My timeline would be less exciting without you!

Evil Bunny Pottymouth Sep 11, 2023

Interesting.