Very fine, antique JAPANESE Onna-Bugeisha, female warrior doll with glass eyes

Here is an unusual antique , female Japanese warrior, Onna-Bugeisha, doll in her elaborate, lined brocade, kimono robe, sash and wide hakama trousers. Directly acquired from a closed museum display, she wears layers of wonderfully detailed and padded, patterned silks, woven protectors and holds several long battle instruments (naginata) in each hand and a knife in her woven waistband. Her head is constructed of gofun (a mixture of crushed oyster, clam shells and glue) covered wood with inset glass eyes, finely painted eyebrows and frowning mouth. And she has an elaborate long black wig with fancy embossed metal headband (that matches those on her chest protector) and inserted hair ornament.

Her head can be slightly turned "to ward off enemies or bad spirits" and will make an impressive addition to a doll collection. She is originally mounted on a fabric covered 8" x 10" wooden base with studded detail and measures over 12 inches tall and is in excellent condition with no damages or repairs.

Doll in last photo is not included and listed separately. Their fine details are absolutely amazing. Footnotes & historical facts follow. While samurai is a strictly masculine term, the Japanese bushi class (the social class samurai came from) did feature women who received similar training in martial arts and strategy. These women were called Onna-Bugeisha. And they were known to participate in combat along with their male counterparts.

Their weapon of choice was usually the naginata, a spear with a curved, sword-like blade that was versatile, yet relatively light. Since historical texts offer relatively few accounts of these female warriors (the traditional role of a Japanese noblewoman was more of a homemaker), we used to assume they were just a tiny minority.

However, recent research indicates that Japanese women participated in battles quite a lot more often. When remains from the site of the Battle of Senbon Matsubaru in 1580 were DNA-tested, 35 out of 105 bodies were female.

Research on other sites has yielded similar results. Please note: nearly all of our items are antique or vintage (usually with some signs of wear due to usage and previous storage). We do our very best to describe and photograph them for you and do not repair, restring, repaint or enhance them in any way as most collectors prefer to find them in their original state.

Please use the zoom feature on our photos as they are an important part of the description. Or more wonderful antique dolls and toys please Visit My Store!

Let us know if we can help you with anything else. We have more antique and vintage dolls, dollhouse furniture, antique dollhouse dolls, vintage teddy bears and toys available, each listed separately. The item "Very fine, antique JAPANESE Onna-Bugeisha, female warrior doll with glass eyes" is in sale since Tuesday, March 26, 2019. This item is in the category "Antiques\Asian Antiques\Japan\Dolls". The seller is "mitsu-dog" and is located in Sparta, New Jersey.

This item can be shipped to United States, all countries in Europe, Canada, Australia.

• fine early example: unbelievable detail
• Type: Dolls
• Region of Origin: Japan
• Age: 1900-1940
• Primary Material: Mixed Materials
• Original/Reproduction: Antique Original
• Color: Multi-Color

---