Answers (filled blanks): 25. generally 26. remarkable 27. leader 28. unsuccessful 29. historians
Filled text: Onna-bugeisha The samurai are generally depicted as warrior men, but there were examples of onna-bugeisha — Japanese warrior women. Many girls from samurai families were trained in the use of weapons to help protect their families and homes in times of war, but some were also used on the battlefield. In a 13th-century account of the Genpei War, we are told of Tomoe Gozen, a female companion of Minamoto no Yoshinaka: "She was a remarkable archer who was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot." Most onna-bugeisha were armed with a naginata, a pole topped with a curved blade, but Tomoe Gozen was fitted out with the full kit of the samurai. One enemy leader tried to drag her from her horse. However, his attempt was unsuccessful: Gozen decapitated him with her sword and delivered his head to Yoshinaka. Some historians have questioned whether Gozen was a real person, but her story has lived on and inspired generations of samurai.