The Jōshitai (女子隊, "Women's Corps"), known at the time as the Fujotai (婦女隊, a name traditionally given to a unit or army composed entirely of women) was a unit of Onna-Musha (female samurai) that fought in the Battle of Aizu during the Boshin War. Founded by Nakano Takeko, the unit was composed of only a few dozen women but performed exceptionally well due to their ferocity and bravery. However, as they were armed with archaic weaponry (mostly naginatas) they were inevitably defeated by modernised Imperial troops, with Takeko herself receiving a bullet to the heart.
After being wounded, Takeko ordered her sister, Yūko, to behead her rather than let her become an Imperial prisoner. Yūko did so and buried it beneath a pine tree at the nearby Hōkai Temple. The vice-commander Hirata Kochō, took control of the unit and assisted in the defence of Aizuwakamatsu Castle. After the seizure of the castle, the unit presumably disbanded or committed seppuku as no further references are made to them.
History[]
Following the decisive Battle of Toba-Fushimi and the fall of Osaka Castle, the shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu fled east to Edo in hopes of finding further support. Although he eventually voluntarily surrendered to the Imperial forces of Satsuma and Chōshū, samurai from the region refused to follow suit. Amongst them were a number of Onna-Bugeisha or "Women Warriors" of Aizu Domain. Founded by Nakano Takeko, a well-renowned martial artist, the Jōshitai fought valiantly in service of Aizu. However, the group was forced to act independently as many high-ranking samurai either disapproved of or actively did not allow women to fight. It was only the day before Takeko's death that Furuya Sakuzaemon, a colonel commanding remnants of the 11th and 12th Infantry Regiments, made her the designated commander of the Jōshitai.
In the early morning of October 16, Takeko launched an aggressive assault across the Yanagi Bridge in Nishibata, Fukushima. The opposing Imperial troops of Ōgaki Domain were unwilling to fire upon female soldiers, however, upon the Jōshitai inflicting numerous casualties in close-combat, the commanders finally gave the order to fire. Takeko herself is said to have killed five or six soldiers before she was shot in the chest. As she lay dying she ordered her sister, Yūko, to be her kaishakunin (one who beheads an individual who has committed seppuku) in order to prevent her head from falling into Imperial hands as a war trophy.
Following the death of Takeko, the Jōshitai retreated to Aizuwakamatsu Castle and participated in the defence. However, the combination of artillery and a vast numerical advantage made a Shogunate victory impossible. It is reported that a large number of women and children committed suicide throughout the course of the siege and with the lack of further news of any members of the Jōshitai, it is assumed that many of them performed seppuku.