I'm deeply impressed that you are the person with sincere warmth to others. You have thought of me so deeply, haven’t you? I would like to appreciate it, too. As you drew, I was looked such a way? Frankly, I had completely forgotten how I showed myself to him at our last moment. This was my largest regret during this never ending solitude. Let me please look back my old days…

After he had been to eternal release, I stayed there and was consoling his spirit as he once told to me. Years later, I met a Buddhist monk who had been traveling along the countries to dedicate a prayer to the spirits of warriors dead in that war. I asked him to pray for my lord, and instead I talked him the story of me and my lord, of course, didn't disclose who I was. He kindly and warm-heartedly prayed for my lord and listened to my story with full of sympathy. Some years later, I had a chance to listen to a bard playing, and in the middle the bard started to sing the story what I talked before. I was very very surprised and felt embarrassed very very very much! I noticed later that monk was compiling the stories as "the tale of the Heike" and that IDIOT largely deleted my story! But I was a bit pleased hearing I was a beautiful female warrior

...

By the way, there were another idiots who said "she was born between demons" or "she was so powerful that she could choke off two enemies at once". No kidding! Actually, my father was so rigorous and sometimes looked like a demon, but I was really born between humans! And the reason why I could successfully fight with two enemies at once was that I had a well-trained body core (I did exercise every night to keep my figure smart

). I had become someone's wife? Guys, stop dreaming please…

The day when I left from my lord’s cavalry, I was very depressed being told from him all the way long that he wouldn't let me accompany to his honorable death. I was so sad that I finally decided to die in front of him during a fight. I found a renowned opponent warrior and addressed him to fight with me. He accepted and then dashed out against me. I made my horse run straight toward him at an insane speed. Just the moment before we'd exchage the first blow, my horse suddenly raged and threw me off at him! What the hell! You never did it so far!! I shouted but the next moment I noticed more unbelievable behavior of the opponent: he immediately opened his arms to catch me safely! You idiot?! I wanna die here!! As I worried, he was dropped off his horse, kept me safe. Of course he was not safe: his back bone was mortally broken. I was asked to give him ease. God no mercy! Why does only the good have to die?! My final fight ended and it was an accident. After coming back to the cavalry and reported all the details, I put my armor off and had gone away from the battlefield with realizing even God refused my wish...

Actually, I didn't know well how my lord passed away, but I couldn't believe he was shot by a nameless archer, as told in the bard playing, because he could dodge even from my arrow (I had been regarded as one of the best archers at the time!). Since that night I couldn't sleep and came to think of my lord's last. Finally I noticed that monk was an ex-warrior of our opponent and dedicated the story to the souls of the Heike clan, and thus he inevitably avoided to write beautifully about their biggest opponent of my lord, who chased them off the capital. Oh my God, what an idiot I was! So I decided to stay here to tell the trustworthy story of my lord's last even after my death.

When I came to be a bit tired of talking same story, one night I was visited by a playwright who came from the capital. As usual I was talking the story in front of him and halfway through I instinctively glimpsed him. He seemed sunk deep as much as I felt pity! So after finishing my talk I provided him a warm rest and next morning I sent him off. Soon, I heard a reputation of a new play which performed in the capital and went to view it. The play entitled "Tomoe", which is my given name

, was really beautiful and written exactly as I talked to the playwright with a little adjustment. Thank God! I met the most suitable person who could eternize the beautiful story of my lord!!

After coming back to my hut and going to bed with full of joy, I suddenly remembered that peculiar style of the play "noh" and started to wonder if people could know our emotion correctly. In a noh play, actors wear a hard and full covered mask and the emotions of those appeared in the play are expressed with the actors' motion or posture. Therefore, understanding of emotions by audience largely depends on actors' sense and skill. I became anxious and so moved to the noh theater in order to help the actor who was not good at playing me. I spent busy days there and one day I noticed I couldn't remember how I showed myself to my lord when I finally left from his cavalry. Ever since, my last appearance in front of him became my largest concern, and because of this I became dismissed leaving for eternal release despite I succeeded in achieving my purpose…

That's why I am very pleased seeing the picture you drew for me. Your drawing recalled me the last words of my lord “I will die to keep living those worth to live. But you..., will kill them all, lol. You really follow my mind, so live or dead doesn't matter for our own sake. Now, go and make your own days in the present world.” If I had really shown him such an incorrpt & beautiful appearance at the last, I can firmly believe my lord has not forgotten of me even now. Now my concern disappeared, I really thank you, H

allowie! My most pleasant thing in this long solitude is that I make friends with you. I dearly wish your happiness and success. May God bless you!



Shika no Masami

(a.k.a Kiso no Tomoe)

Tomoe Gozen (巴御前): Tomoe Gozen is a famous onna-bugeisha (female warrior) in late Heian-era (12th Century). She married Minamoto no Yoshinaka and joined the Genpei War (1180–1185) which ended Heian-era and began of the period of the Shogun, Kamakura period. According to the Tale of the Heike, she was a beautiful woman with skill of archer and swordsman masters. In her and her husband's last war against Minamoto no Yoritomo's forces, she was told by Yoshinaka to flee from the war because they were outnumbered and it was his wish to die along with other warriors alone.*This is the artwork which I did especially forwho had won my mini decoding game in last Halloween Event (2017).*The scene I drew, was when Tomoe Gozen left her husband and fled from Yoritomo's forces. She stopped on the way and was in grief, trying to hide her sorrow by looking into the sky, so that her tear wouldn't fall and be seen by the remained soldiers.*Behind the drawing...The song, called "Ue o Muite Arukou" (Sukiyaki) by Sakamoto Kyu inspired me XD The name of the song might tell you something...It means "I look up while I walk".(From SC006-巴御前)Character: Tomoe GozenColor: Copic markers, white watercolorDate: 23.06.2018By Hallowie29*A little story from my friend...Written by...