Mochizuki Chiyome facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mochizuki Chiyome
望月 千代女 |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 16th century |
| Died | Unknown date |
| Allegiance |  Takeda clan |
| Commands held | Allegedly the leader of female ninjas (Kunoichi) of the Takeda clan |
| Spouse(s) | Mochizuki Moritoki |
Mochizuki Chiyome (望月 千代女) was a noblewoman from Japan in the 1500s. She is also known as Mochizuki Chiyojo or Mochizuki Chiyo. People say she created a special group of female ninjas, called kunoichi, who worked for the powerful Takeda clan. However, whether she truly existed is a question many historians discuss.
Was Mochizuki Chiyome Real?
Many stories about Mochizuki Chiyome come from a book published in 1971. This book, called Investigation of Japanese History, was written by Shisei Inagaki. He wrote about many interesting details regarding Chiyome.
What the Book Said
Inagaki's book made several claims about Mochizuki Chiyome:
- It described a big battle called the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima.
- It said that Chiyome's husband, Moritoki Mochizuki, died in this battle.
- The book mentioned a special written permission given to Chiyome by a leader named Shingen.
- Because of this permission, a "miko village" supposedly started. Miko were shrine maidens.
- The book claimed these miko from the village became spies.
- Finally, it said that Chiyome then became a ninja leader.
Doubts About the Story
However, some experts, like Katsuya Yoshimaru, who studies Japanese history and ninjas, believe that Mochizuki Chiyome might not have been a real person. Yoshimaru points out some reasons why Inagaki's book might not be accurate:
- There are no other old documents that describe the battle details as Inagaki did.
- Records show that Moritoki Mochizuki did not die in that specific battle.
- The special written permission mentioned in the book has never been found. Many such old permissions are often fake.
- The idea that miko became spies is just a guess by Inagaki. There is no proof.
- The claim that Chiyome became a ninja leader is also not supported by facts. Inagaki referred to another book about Japanese miko, but that book does not mention ninjas at all.
Mochizuki Chiyome's name became very popular after an article about her appeared in a magazine in 1991. This article called her an "upper ninja." However, experts like Yoshimaru say that historically, there was no such rank in ninja groups.
See also
In Spanish: Chiyome Mochizuki para niños
