巴　Tomoe

『平家物語』の中で人気の女武者、巴。色白く髪長く美人でありながら、薙刀の名手、大男にも素手で立ち向かう勇者。登場するのは一箇所のみですが、その場面の印象深さから、後に多くの物語で取り上げられています。

Tomoe, the popular female warrior in “The Tale of the Heike,” is a memorable character. She is fair-skinned, has long hair, and is beautiful, yet she is also a skilled wielder of the naginata and a brave fighter who fearlessly confronts even large men with her bare hands. Although she only appears in one scene, her memorable character has led to her being featured in many stories later on.

巴は、幼馴染で主君である源義仲の恋人であったとも言われ、源義仲を命懸けで守ろうと思っていました。しかし、源義仲は、源頼朝から追われ死を覚悟した時、せめて巴だけでも助けようと、巴に逃げるように言います。

Tomoe, it is said, was both a childhood friend and the beloved of her lord, Minamoto no Yoshinaka. She had determined to protect Yoshinaka with her life. However, when Yoshinaka was being chased by Minamoto no Yoritomo and faced imminent death, he implored Tomoe to flee and urged her to save herself at the very least.

義仲とともに死にたい巴と、巴の命を助けたい義仲。義仲は巴を逃がすため、あえて言いました。「もしも私が死ぬときに、側に巴がいたら、源義仲は女連れで死んだと後世の人々から言われるだろう。それは私の死に際に相応しくない。」

Tomoe, who desired to die alongside Yoshinaka, and Yoshinaka, who wished to preserve Tomoe’s life. In order to ensure Tomoe’s survival, Yoshinaka intentionally spoke the following words: “If, when I die, Tomoe is by my side, future generations will say that Minamoto no Yoshinaka died accompanied by a woman. Such a narrative would be inappropriate for my death.”

巴はついに義仲と別れることを覚悟し、屈強な敵と最後の戦いをして義仲に見せた後、一人で東へと逃げて行きました。

Finally, Tomoe steeled herself to part ways with Yoshinaka and engaged in a final battle against a powerful enemy, displaying her skills to him. Afterward, she escaped alone, heading east.

巴と別れた義仲は、巴がいなくなった後、「いつもは何とも思わない鎧が、重くなった。」と言いました。将軍義仲の、珍しく弱気の発言だったと考えられます。

After parting ways with Tomoe, Yoshinaka, who was left without her, uttered the words, “The armor that I usually feel nothing about has become heavy.”It is an unusually timid statement from General Minamoto no Yoshinaka.

その後、巴がどこに行ったかは物語では語られませんが、一説に、義仲を弔って過ごしたと言われています。

The tale does not explicitly mention where Tomoe went after that, but according to one account, it is said that she spent her days mourning Yoshinaka’s death.