Nakano Takeko | |
|---|---|
 Nakano Takeko, the woman warrior of Aizu | |
| Native name | 中野 竹子 |
| Born | April 1847 Edo, Japan |
| Died | October 16, 1868 (aged 21) Aizu, Japan |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Aizu Domain |
| Service | Jōshitai |
| Years of service | 1868 |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Aizu |
| Relations | Nakano Heinai (father) Nakano Kōko (mother) Akaoka Daisuke (adoptive father) |
Nakano Takeko (中野 竹子, April 1847 – 16 October 1868) was a Japanese female warrior of the Aizu Domain, who fought and died during the Boshin War. During the Battle of Aizu, she fought with a naginata (a Japanese polearm) and was the leader of an ad hoc corps of female combatants who fought in the battle independently.
Takeko and other women stepped forward on the front line without permission, as the senior Aizu retainers did not allow them to fight as an official part of the domain's army.[1] This unit was later retroactively called the Jōshitai (娘子隊, Girls' Army).
- ^ Hoshi Ryōichi (2006). Onnatachi no Aizusensō. Tokyo: Heibonsha. p. 80.