Women were also warriors: Reflections on David L. Davis's 'The evolution of bushidō to the year 1500' (1978)

David L. Davis’s 1978 article alerted scholars to the fact that the word ‘ bushidō ’ (‘way of the warrior’) was not of ancient origin but rather was a comparatively recent invention that gained its currency and meaning in the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). Despite Davis’simportant point, the term is still casually applied to describe the value system of the Japanese warrior classes across many eras of Japanese history. This problem is particularly apparent in popularist texts and media. Davis posits that the term bushidō only gained its present currency and meaning in the 17th century and that the Confucian scholar, Yamaga Sokō (1622-1685) contributed to the creation of the ideology and popularisation of the term. Davis explains that while 17th century Confucian scholars were often of warrior class, they held unrealistic views about military values because, unlike the warrior classes in earlier tumultuous periods, they were not personally engaged in warfare. Utilising various Japanese sources, Davis provides and stimulating perspective on the evolution of term between the 10th century to the 16th century to examine the early development of bushidō . This article reflects on Davis's work and discusses the developments in bushidō studies. It problematises the continued marginalisation of martial women in literature, but also makes mention of new, women penned publications that acknowledge women's signiificant contributions to martial culture in Japan.