Akame

Akame [茅美; あかめ] is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Kanton. These women fought in battle alongside sai men, and often involved themselves in the local politics of their provinces, offering strategic advise to their konbūshin. They were considered members of the warrior class (zukata) and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family and honour in times of war. They also have an important presence in Kantonese art and literature, with Uyama no Moe and Daira no Senna being particularly famous figures representing akame.
There were also hakari (糾囜) of the later medieval period, emerging in the early 1500s, who were court ladies trained in martial arts and archery. Hakari were essentially a more palatable version of the akame, who had all but disappeared from Kantonese society by the late 1400s. Unlike the akame, hakari were expected to conform to strict ideals of femininity which had emerged in the restrictive culture of the Teijō period, and were very rarely used in actual battles.
== History ==
Throughout Kanton's history of wars and battles, both localised and on a national level, akame have featured as prominent warriors, advisors and strategists. They were consistently portrayed in popular literature and art as being beautiful, skilled and highly intelligent, with very few (if any) faults or flaws. During the 1300s, woodblocks, tapestries and paintings depicting akame known as ryōribi (亮糾典) became very popular for a decade or so.
Among the most famed akame of the 14th century was Uyama no Moe, a warrior of the Imperial High Guard, the highest-ranking military group in Kanton at the time. In one report from the 1350s, she was described as:...notably beautiful, with fair complexion, dark hair, and large black eyes. She was a remarkable archer, and as a swordswoman, she was worth a thousand men, mounted or on foot. Her talents surpassed even those of the Imperial General himself. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous slopes, and her endurance and strength of will was commendable. In any conflict, she was sure to perform more deeds of valour than any other warrior. Those who did not fear her would desire her greatly, but she was a fiery-hearted maiden, burning the hand of any man who got too close.Another famous female warrior of the 14th century was Daira no Senna. While Uyama no Moe was known for being an Imperial ally, Senna was involved with the conflicts of southern Kanton, away from the Court, where various clans struggled for power. She was particularly notable for becoming one of the only recorded female chiefs in Kantonese history, taking power from her brother Daira no Senji to become the governor of the powerful Daira clan in the late 1300s.