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 and poet in 16th-century Japan. She is famous for supposedly leading a secret group of female ninjas, called kunoichi, who worked for the powerful Takeda clan. However, many people wonder if she was a real person or just a legend.
Contents
Was Mochizuki Chiyome Real?
Many stories about Mochizuki Chiyome say she was a very important figure. But historians have different ideas about whether she truly existed.
The Story of Chiyome
The idea of Mochizuki Chiyome became popular after a book was written in 1971. This book claimed that Chiyome's husband, Mochizuki Moritoki, died in a big battle. After his death, the leader of the Takeda clan, named Shingen, supposedly gave Chiyome a special job.
The story says Shingen asked Chiyome to create a group of female spies. She gathered women who were often called miko, or shrine maidens. These women would travel around, pretending to be dancers or fortune-tellers. But secretly, they were gathering information for the Takeda clan. The story suggests that Chiyome herself became a ninja leader.
Why Some People Doubt Her Existence
A professor named Katsuya Yoshimaru, who studies Japanese history and ninjas, believes that Mochizuki Chiyome might not have been real. He points out a few reasons:
- There are no old historical papers that describe the details of the battle where her husband supposedly died.
- Records show that her husband, Moritoki, did not die in that specific battle.
- The special permission from Shingen that Chiyome supposedly received has never been found. Many such old documents are actually fakes.
- The idea that miko were spies is just a guess made by the author of the 1971 book. There is no proof.
- The claim that Chiyome became a ninja leader also has no real evidence. Even older books about miko do not mention them being ninjas.
The "Upper Ninja" Idea
Mochizuki Chiyome's name became even more well-known after a magazine article in 1991. This article said she was an "upper ninja." However, Professor Yoshimaru explains that in history, there was no such rank or title as "upper ninja" in any ninja group. This also makes her story seem less likely to be true.
Even though her existence is debated, the legend of Mochizuki Chiyome and her female ninja spies is still a fascinating part of Japanese folklore.
See also
In Spanish: Chiyome Mochizuki para niños
