Unlike other civilizations’ horse archers, which are used for hit-and-run strategy, Japanese horse archer prefer to use Banzai charge to get closer with their enemy and aim at their weakness of the armor. So it’s accurate for Japanese have a special horse archer which could anti heavy armor, and I consider it’s fun too.
BUT, I have problems with their name, OnnaMusha (Female Warriors). Japanese do have female warriors, but most of them use Glaives called Naginata instead of using bows. Besides, because of Chinese Confucianism’s influence, Japanese have few organized female warriors corps. Most Japanese female warriors fight alone for their clan, like Tomoe Gozen.
I think the name of a kind of units should use the name of their strategy or move like Yabusame (shooting on a horse), or name of their special weapons like Yumi (Japanese Longbow), or the type they belong to like Horse Archer. So I personally consider the name “Yabusame (horse) Archer” is fine, at least, better than the over-extensive OnnaMusha.
Besides, even if the name OnnaMusha is settled, it’s not a name which English can’t refer to, why not just call them Japanese Female Warriors? For example, if Palace Guard called HwangGongWeiBing, many people would be confused by its exotic but unclear name. The actual contents of the dlc are still not revealed, we still have plenty of time to polish it.
Last not the least, please consider about the name Yabusame (horse) Archer! Thanks!
Guaranteed it’s intentional and likely won’t change. Musofadi warriors anyone?
I like that the game forces more female warriors into the game. Slap in the face to the #####################
Bet we’ll eventually get some kind of event with them as well, probably for women’s month or something. Maybe with Joan as well.
It is likely based on a record from around the early 14th century describing women from western Japan organizing cavalry units.
In that era, mounted archery may still be the main method of combat for cavalry. The developers might also design the unit with reference to Tomoe Gozen and Hangaku Gozen, both of whom were later described as outstanding archers.
On the other hand, although women at that time also used naginata in combat, that was because this weapon was already mainstream at the time and many male warriors also used it. It has become a weapon representing women as late as the Edo period.
I agree, it is a design that the developers deliberately amplified and emphasized the role of women in warfare in feudal Japan, although those women actually had little influence. It would be awkward if the civ has Onna Musha as the civ’s main force that could be trained in large numbers and has no regular male mounted archers. Onna Musha, as a noble woman or her maid armed for the purpose of supporting and protecting the family, could be more like a small-number, limited but special unit.
Sorry, just because I never seen a corps or organization of horse archer named OnnaMusha (and I swear real ancient Japan has neither).
I understand that you’re making efforts to support feminist (also thank you), but at least add Yabusame to their name into please. Like Yabusame Warriors, Yabusame Musha or Yabusame OnnaMusha. The name “Musofadi Warriors” didn’t change the fact that they are female warriors right? I just still believe that strategy’s, move’s or organization’s name makes more sense in distinguishment and identification.
Woman have less physical strength then man on average, but physical strength is actually not that important when it comes to using spears, swords or of course Naginata.
The skill in blocking, exploiting opening and such are a lot more important. You are using a weapon with a blade that does the piercing and slicing for you after all.
There is a reason why modern fencers or even martial artists don’t have that many muscles. To many of them will make you less agile.
But bows on the other hand require a lot of strength.
The harder you can pull the string the more power your arrow has and the farther it can fly.
Therefor choosing the bow as a weapon for female warriors is not a good choice, especially if they were already well known for using a different weapon (Naginata).
Where did the information come from? The only source I found about onnamusha comes from the Age of Empires wiki (Japanese (Age of Empires IV) | Age of Empires Series Wiki | Fandom) And unfortunately the other sources are cell phone images without a credible link. The funny thing is that it supposedly came out five days ago.
Regardless of whether it is official or not:
I suppose that like the Rus Warrior Monk, based on the monk “Alexander Peresvet” and the Orthodox rulers who were considered saints and religious warriors, the Onna Musha is based on the character of Tomoe gozen from the Heian era, or well, “at the end” of the It was Heian, when it became the Kamakura Shogunate.
Tome Gozen was a woman warrior who fought in the Gempei Wars, which ended in the formation of the Kamakura Shogunate. There is evidence of her because she was the wife of a main lord who fought in the war, Minamoto no Yoshinaka. The cruel death of Yoshinaka, who was accused of being a traitor due to a political dispute and the fact that she died alongside her husband in battle (although in some versions she escapes from it), is remembered in Japanese history.
It is known that the samurai clans also trained women to fight with bows on horseback and with naginata. This tradition continued even until the Sengoku wars, where female samurai defended their husbands’ castles and even certain clans formed platoons of harquebusiers.
In The Tale of the Heike, she was described as: … especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman, she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
About Hangaku Gozen.
She proved to be an inspirational and capable leader, as she was already highly respected among her followers for her exceptional archery skills. Dressed like a male samurai in full armour, she led the castle’s defense from a tower and killed many attackers with her bow. Later records claimed that she shot one hundred arrows, hitting and killing an opponent each time.
Both quoted from Wikipedia.
In the peaceful Edo period, weapons’ value as battlefield weapons became diminished and their value for martial arts and self-defense rose. The naginata was accepted as a status symbol and self-defense weapon for women of nobility, resulting in the image that “the Naginata is the main weapon used by women”.
Quoted from Wikipedia too.
Since this unit seems has obvious references to the historical figures, and mounted archery was indeed popular among the cavalry of that era, its use of a bow on horseback isn’t a big deal.
On the contrary, I think it is even more unreasonable for women to charge as cavalry with naginata. Not only does it violate the fact that the naginata was more commonly regarded as infantry weapon, it also ignores that the image of the naginata as a weapon that women were good at actually came very late. Even in that image, women use naginata on foot in self-defense, rather than riding and attacking.
Overall, it’s nice to see female units in the game. It could be a mounted archer, or it could be a skilled naginata foot warrior. Perhaps it can also heal friendly units, representing its original intention of being armed as a wife or maid, to support and protect the family. However, I would like to emphasize again that it should be a special unit in small numbers, not a regular unit that can be trained in large numbers.
