Women of medieval Japan

Tsuruhime (鶴姫) or Ōhōri Tsuruhime (大祝鶴姫, 1526–1543) was a Sengoku period female warrior (Onna-bugeisha). She was the daughter of Ōhōri Yasumochi, a head priest of Ōyamazumi Shrine on the island of Ōmishima in Iyo Province. She went to battle several times whose claim to divine inspiration coupled with fighting skills has led to her being compared with Joan of Arc.

Hōjō Masako (北条 政子, 1156 – August 16, 1225) was a political leader, and the eldest daughter of Hōjō Tokimasa (the first shikken, or regent, of the Kamakura shogunate) by his wife Hōjō no Maki. She was the sister of Hōjō Yoshitoki, and was married to Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shōgun of the Kamakura period. She was also the mother of O-Hime, Minamoto no Yoriie and Minamoto no Sanetomo, the second and third shōguns. She is thought by scholars to have exercised significant power in the early years of the Kamakura period, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun".

Rikei (理慶, 1530 – September 23, 1611) was a Japanese noble lady, calligrapher, poet and scholar. She was the eldest daughter of Katsunuma Nobutomo (勝沼 信友), a samurai of the Sengoku period. She lived as a nun on Daizen-ji temple at Mount Kashiwao and is most notable for her military history, Rikei-ni no Ki, or "Nun Rikei’s Account."

Lady Saigō (西郷局 or 西郷の局 Saigō no Tsubone, 1552 – 1 July 1589), also known as Oai, was one of the concubines of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord who unified Japan at the end of the sixteenth century and then ruled as shōgun. She was also the mother of the second Tokugawa shōgun, Tokugawa Hidetada. Her contributions were considered so significant that she was posthumously inducted to the Senior First Rank of the Imperial Court, the highest honor that could be conferred by the Emperor of Japan.

Lady Aya (綾御前, Aya-Gozen, 1524 – March 10, 1609) was a Japanese noble woman from the Sengoku period. She was the half-sister of Japanese warlord Uesugi Kenshin. She was also the mother of Uesugi Kagekatsu and the first wife of Nagao Masakage. Aya is best known for her role in events before and after the siege of Otate; she lamented the Uesugi civil war for succession after Kenshin's death and refused to support either heir.

Maeda Matsu (前田まつ), also known as Omatsu no Kata (お松の方) (1547–1617), was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat of the 16th century. She was the wife of Maeda Toshiie, who founded the Kaga Domain. Matsu had a reputation for intelligence; she was skilled at both literary and martial arts, she fought alongside her clan. Known for her fierce determination, Matsu was vitally important to the success of the Maeda clan, being at the forefront of many political and diplomatic issues. She was eternalized for saving the Maeda clan from Tokugawa Ieyasu in Battle of Sekigahara and Siege of Osaka.

Dota Gozen (土田 御前, d. 26 February 1594), also known as Tsuchida Gozen, was a Japanese noblewoman and the mother of Oda Nobunaga, a major daimyō and politician of the Sengoku period regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.

Shizuka Gozen (???) (1165–1211), or Lady Shizuka, one of the most famous women in Japanese history and literature, was a shirabyoshi (court dancer) of the 12th century, and a mistress of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Since she, like many others, are featured largely in the Heike Monogatari (Tale of Heike), Gikeiki (Chronicle of Yoshitsune), and a number of plays of various traditions, her story is quite well-known, but it is difficult to separate fact from fiction within it.

Lady Kasuga (春日局, Kasuga no Tsubone, 1579 – October 26, 1643) was a Japanese noble lady and politician from a prominent Japanese samurai family of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. Born Saitō Fuku (斉藤福), she was a daughter of Saitō Toshimitsu (who was a retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide). She was the wet nurse of the third Tokugawa shōgun Iemitsu. Lady Kasuga was one of the best politicians in the Edo period. She stood in front of negotiations with the Imperial Court and contributed to the stabilization of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Izumi Shikibu (Japanese: 和泉式部, born 976?) was a mid-Heian period Japanese poet. She is a member of the Thirty-six Medieval Poetry Immortals (中古三十六歌仙, chūko sanjurokkasen). She was the contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, and Akazome Emon at the court of empress Joto Mon'in.