Role of the warrior: The role of the warrior is to serve their lord with honour under a rigid value system of discipline. They were expected to die without hesitation during their time if they were required during the warring states period. The samurai code is; leave the battle with your enemies head or leave battle with out your own. This code was found to be very strict and brutal because if the samurai were captured or humiliated they would have to kill themselves by cutting open their stomach. The artefact that I have chosen is a piece of art work that depicts women in the role of the samurai. These women were renowned for their skill in battle. This picture shows Nakano Takeko utilising a long spear as her choice of weapon. She is very well known for the sacrifice that she made protecting her shogunate. During a particularly severe battle against the Aizu clan, 20,000 men were attacking the Wakamatsu Castle. Nakano lead a charge of 20 women to the front line of the battle. The only thing that stopped her was the gunshot wound to the chest. As prearranged with her sister, her sister beheaded her and return with her head to be honoured. This painting is a symbol of the role that the samurai played in protecting their shogunate. This is particularly significant as it shows the fierceness and courage that these people lived their life by. As we saw under the rule of Ieyasu’s reign there was peace throughout the country and so the samurai were getting soft because of the peace that was declared by Ieyasu. However Nakano was not only protecting the Wakamatsu Castle she was also a samurai for the Aizu clan. Nakano was so powerful and brave she showed Japan just how powerful she can be, by charging into the enemy lines and killing many men. The source helps us understand Medieval Japan by showing us how important women were to the samurai code. And since the samurai were very high in the social status this means that the women samurai had much more power than other women in Medieval Japan. This source also shows that even though the samurai must live by one lord their loyalty might change. And this was not always easy. Frequently, switching loyalties and shifting alliances could force the samurai to decide between obeying the daimyo or following their more immediate lord. And so in conclusion this source has shown us how high women can be in the social class and what power they had. It has also shown us what the code is for the samurai and how strict it was. I have found this source very helpful because of what information I got from it and what women in medieval Japan could do to get in the higher class. Also that they were very well known for their courage and strength that they brought to battle; Nakano is one of the many women that have shown this through being a women samurai.