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Tomoe Ame is an anthropomorphic cat from the Usagi Yojimbo comics.
Personality[]
Tomoe is a strong-willed young woman who devotes herself to protecting her loved ones, including Lord Noriyuki, whom she serves. When fighting evildoers, she can be ruthless in battle, but toward allies, she is quite supportive, protective, and encouraging.
She is also very brave and doesn't cower in the face of adversity. When Lord Tamakuro captured and attempted to interrogate her, she bit his finger and when Noriko demanded that she pick up a basket to work in the mine with the slaves, Tomoe refused, even daring Noriko to kill her. She also isn't afraid to die, as when Usagi tried to rescue Tomoe from Tamakuro, she insisted to Usagi that he leave her to be executed so that she could become a martyr. When Usagi rescues her anyway, she created a diversion so that he could escape with his information to Lord Noriyuki, even if it meant staying behind. She also stated directly to Noriko, even after being enslaved by her, that she would rather die than do her, and by extension, Lord Sanada's bidding.
She also has a hatred for those that would hurt the innocent, as she was seething at Noriko for killing a peasant while she was spying on her. Though when Noriko threatened to kill more innocent people if she didn't pick up a basket to work in the mines, Tomoe immediately obeyed her orders just to keep more peasants safe.
Tomoe also has a short temper as both Horikawa and Noriko have pointed out to her, much to her chagrin. This often makes her reckless, leading Usagi to hold her back just to keep her from blindly rushing into danger.
History[]
Tomoe was the daughter of Tatsutaro, founder of the Falling Rain Sword School. From a young age, Tomoe showed an aptitude for sword-fighting, and was trained by her father, despite rigid societal mores that forbade a woman to become a samurai. Tatsutaro would also take her to tournaments that he was competing in. At one of these tournaments, she demonstrated her nascent prowess by defeating a young shugyosha in an informal duel. She practiced her sparring against her brother Tajima and her cousin Noriko. Tomoe was a better swordsman that Tajima, but Tatsutaro nominated Tajima to serve as his successor as master of the Falling Rain School, because of his gender.
Tomoe continued to practice her sword-fighting, alone or with her cousin Noriko, who came to live with the family after the death of her mother. She could no longer spar with Tajima, as Tatsutaro felt it would not be suitable for the future head of the Falling Rain School to be constantly beaten by his sister.
When Tomoe became an adult, she was taken by her father to White Heron Castle to become a retainer to Lady Etsuko, wife of Lord Mataichi, in the Ladies' Wing. However, Tomoe was not used to traditional women's roles and was frequently rebuked by Mistress Kazuko, the head of the Ladies' Wing, for her ineptitude and her continued practice of her swordsmanship skills. On Lady Etsuko's suggestion, Tomoe was reassigned as a guard of the Ladies' Wing.
One night, while Tomoe was on patrol, Councilor Odo, an advisor of Lord Mataichi's who was secretly in league with Lord Hikiji, allowed a force of Neko Ninja into the castle to assassinate Lord Mataichi, Lady Etsuko, and their son, Noriyuki. Tomoe's superior prowess let her defeat many of the ninja and personally save the life of Lady Etsuko and Noriyuki, despite fearsome odds. As a reward for her heroism, Lady Etsuko proclaimed Tomoe to be the Protector of the Heir. Tomoe continued to serve as chief bodyguard to Noriyuki for the rest of her life.
Two years after the accession of the Shogun, Lord Mataichi died and Noriyuki became Lord of the Geishu Clan. He traveled to Edo to be formally recognized as Daimyo by the Shogun, accompanied by Tomoe and a force of Geishu samurai. Their group was attacked incessantly on the orders of Lord Hikiji, to kill the Geishu lord. Tomoe was the only member of Lord Noriyuki's escort to survive. During an attempt to find shelter from the assassins, Tomoe met the rōnin Miyamoto Usagi. Neither of the two remembered each other from their previous meeting years ago: Usagi had been the shugyosha whom Tomoe had defeated at a tournament in their youth. Despite her initial suspicions, the two soon became firm friends as Usagi joined with her in an effort to protect Lord Noriyuki. During the fighting, Tomoe was wounded and separated from the others when she fell into a river. Her unconscious body was found by Lord Noriyuki and Usagi, who then risked their lives to take her to Narai, a nearby town, to recover. The two remained with Tomoe until she regained consciousness, and then left her behind to recover. Usagi successfully delivered Lord Noriyuki to his retainers in Edo, before departing.
Tomoe rejoined Lord Noriyuki in Edo a week later, and soon departed to find Usagi, so she could personally thank him. She discovered him beset by Neko ninja, and her timely arrival saved his life as she helped to defeat them. She soon discovered the reason why: Usagi was carrying a confession from Lord Nerai that implicated Lord Hikiji as being responsible for the attempts on Lord Noriyuki's life. Tomoe and Usagi took the letter to Lord Noriyuki, who in turn attempted to take it to the Shogun. However, it was intercepted by Lord Okii Ashiyubi, who substituted the confession with a clumsy forgery.
Tomoe Ame returned to White Heron Castle with Lord Noriyuki following this incident. The Geishu Clan acquired a sword made by the master weaponsmith Muramasa. Tomoe was in charge of the guards protecting the sword. Despite her precautions, the ninja Shingen penetrated the castle and absconded with the sword, although he was wounded by Tomoe in the process. Tomoe rode out of the castle to search for the sword. She met again briefly with Miyamoto Usagi on the road, and informed him of the situation before continuing her search. Upon her return to White Heron Castle, she met two woodcutters who had discovered the Muramasa blade hidden in a bundle of wood. Tomoe realized from their story that Usagi had discovered the sword and arranged for its return.
External links[]
- Tomoe Ame at Usagi Yojimbo Wiki