TL;DR Sasaki Rui, a skilled swordmaster from feudal Japan, dressed as a man to attract a worthy husband and restore her family’s legacy. She opened a dojo in Edo, where she trained students and clashed with criminal gangs, including the kabukimono, known for their gaudy attire and un-samurai-like behavior. Rui’s legend ends with her finding a husband, though her exploits against the kabukimono continue to captivate.
by SkyInJapan
4 comments
Sasaki, a woman dressed as a man, would reportedly fight criminal cross-dressing men in kimono, and also won the respect of other street gangs like the Shiratsuka-gumi, who dressed entirely in white, from their clothes to their scabbards.
Definitely needs to be made into a movie!
Check out blue eye samurai on netflix
I love this story and did a deep dive on it years ago. As far as I found, there are no verified firsthand documents or official records confirming her dojo’s exact location, her identity, or any documented battles. I’m not trying to diminish the legend, but I came to the conclusion that she’s more of a constructed persona than a confirmed historical figure. That said, there are some great short stories in Japanese. She appears as the protagonist “留伊” in 妙音記, a short story from Shōtarō Ikenami’s 剣客群像 (1969). Also, the manga 別式. This article is the most credible overviews of her life I’ve read.
Families don’t have legacies.