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ōoku
The was historically the women's quarters of Edo Castle, the section where the women connected to the reigning resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful , such as the Satsuma Domain, were also referred to by this term. During the reign of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, ''Ōoku'' was established in Edo Castle as a women's room where his , Oeyo, resided. During the reign of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the ''Ōoku'' was expanded at the suggestion of his nanny, Lady Kasuga, to ensure the birth of a male heir to the shogun's lineage, and became a vast shogun's harem with nearly 1,000 women working as maidservants. The ''Ōoku'' was inhabited by the official wife and concubines of the shogun. The women of ''Ōoku'' were highly hierarchical, with the official wife of the shogun, who was of aristocratic lineage, ruling at the top, and the older women who had served her for a long time actually controlling ''Ōoku''. The women who worked as maidservants in ''Ō ...
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Shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamakura period and Sengoku period when the shoguns themselves were figureheads, with real power in the hands of the of the Hōjō clan and of the Hosokawa clan. In addition, Taira no Kiyomori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were leaders of the warrior class who did not hold the position of shogun, the highest office of the warrior class, yet gained the positions of and , the highest offices of the aristocratic class. As such, they ran their governments as its de facto rulers. The office of shogun was in practice hereditary, although over the course of the history of Japan several different clans held the position. The title was originally held by military commanders during the Heian period in the eighth and ninth centuries. When Minamoto no Y ...
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Suzu (bell)
are round, hollow Japanese Shinto bells that contains pellets that sound when agitated. They are somewhat like a jingle bell in form, though the materials produce a coarse, rolling sound. come in many sizes, ranging from tiny ones on good luck charms (called ) to large ones at shrine entrances. are, however, classified as small bells, since big bells are referred to as . The former is associated with Shinto and shrines while the latter is related to Buddhist temples and ceremonies. At Shinto shrines, large drape over entrances, as it is said that ringing them calls , allowing one to acquire positive power and authority, while repelling evil. Handheld clustered , similar to jingle bells, are used musically at Shinto ceremonies. There are ceremonies, for instance, where female performers dance with bells such as those with some sort of short blade at their center. The bell's cool tinkles are also considered psychological air-conditioning for the summer since their clear rin ...
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Tokugawa Ienari
Tokugawa Ienari (, 18 November 1773 – 22 March 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan'', p. 21./ref> He was a great-grandson of the eighth shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune through his son Munetada (1721–1764), head of the Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda, Hitotsubashi branch of the family, and his grandson Harusada (1751–1827). Ienari died in 1841 and was given the Buddhist name Bunkyouin and buried at Kan'ei-ji. Events of Ienari's ''bakufu'' * 1787 (''Tenmei 7''): Ienari becomes the 11th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, bakufu government. * 1788 (''Tenmei 7''): Riots in rice shops in Edo and Osaka. * 6 – 11 March 1788 (''Tenmei 8, 29th day of the 1st month – 4th day of the second month''): Great Fire of Kyoto. A fire in the city, which begins at 3 o'clock in the morning of March 6 burns uncontrolled until the 1st day of the second month ...
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Tokugawa Ieharu
Tokugawa Ieharu 徳川 家治 (20 June 1737 – 17 September 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given the Buddhist name Shunmyoin and buried at Kan'ei-ji. Family * Father: Tokugawa Ieshige * Mother: Oko no Kata (d. 1728) later Shinshin'in * Wife: Iso no Miya Tomoko (1738–1771) * Concubines: ** Omiyo no Kata ** Ochiho no Kata (1737–1791) later Renkoin ** Oshina no Kata (d. 1778) later Yoren-in * Child: ** Chiyohime (1756–1757) by Tomoko ** Manjuhime (1761–1773) (born by Tomoko but after she died adopted by Ieharu's concubine, Omaki no Kata) ** Tokugawa Takechiyo later Tokugawa Iemoto (1762–1779) born by Ochiho no Kata ** Tokugawa Teijiro (1762–1763) born by Oshina no Kata * Adopted: ** Tokugawa Ienari ** Tanehime (1765–1794), daughter of Tokugawa Munetake and married Tokugawa Harutomi of Kishū Domain Events of the Ieharu's '' ...
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Ejima-Ikushima Affair
The {{nihongo, Ejima-Ikushima affair, 江島生島事件, Ejima Ikushima jiken was the most significant scandal in the Ōoku, the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa shōgun's harem during the Edo period of the history of Japan, that occurred in February 1714. After inviting a Kabuki actor and others to a Chashitsu, tea house, Lady Ejima missed her curfew into the Ōoku and became the focus of a power struggle between the mother of the ruling shogun and the wife of the late shogun. An investigation into the curfew saw 1,300 people being punished and led to the death of Ejima's brother. Background The Ōoku was a complex of Edo Castle, the seat of the ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, that served as a residence for women connected to the reigning ''shōgun''. It functioned as a harem with different sections that housed the ''shōguns seishitsu, official wife (''Midaidokoro'') and her children, his concubines and their children, widows of previous ''shōgun'' (''Ōmidaidokoro''), his ...
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Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tokugawa, Tsunayoshi''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File. Tsunayoshi is known for instituting animal welfare laws, particularly for dogs. This earned him the nickname of "the dog ''Shogun''" (''Inu-Kubō'' 犬公方: ''Inu=''Dog, ''Kubō''=formal title of Shogun). Early years (1646–1680) Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was born on 23 February 1646, in Edo. He was the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu by one of his concubines, named Otama, later known as Keishōin 桂昌院 (1627–1705). Tsunayoshi had an elder brother already five years old, who would become the next shogun after Iemitsu's death, Tokugawa Ietsuna. Tsunayoshi was born in Edo and af ...
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Chiyohime
was Tokugawa Iemitsu's daughter with his concubine, Ofuri no Kata (died 1640), daughter of Oka Shigemasa, also known as Jishō'in. After Ofuri died, Chiyohime was adopted by Iemitsu's concubine, Oman no Kata (1624-1711), later Keishoin. She was married to Tokugawa Mitsutomo, daimyō of Owari Domain, in 1640, when she was 2 years and 6 months old and Mitsutomo was fourteen. In 1652, she constructed a mausoleum for her mother named Jishō'in Mausoleum, which is now located in Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. She died in 1699 and was given the name . Chiyohime was Iemitsu's eldest daughter and was considered his favourite daughter as well. As a toddler, she became gravely ill. Her father, who had long been personally involved with in Kōzuke Province as a patron, appointed the Mantoku-ji rector, Shunchō, to perform the rituals to heal his daughter. After Chiyohime survived, Shunchō and the other nuns gained great popularity among the women in the shogun's household. ...
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Kasuga No Tsubone
was a Japanese noble lady and politician from a prominent Japanese samurai family of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. Born Saitō Fuku (斉藤福), she was a daughter of Saitō Toshimitsu (who was a retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide). She was the wet nurse of the third Tokugawa shōgun Iemitsu. Lady Kasuga was one of the best politicians in the Edo period. She stood in front of negotiations with the Imperial Court and contributed to the stabilization of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kasuga was one of the most powerful figures in the Ōoku (the quarters in Edo Castle where the women related to the Shogun family resided) . She is counted alongside Matsudaira Nobutsuna and Yagyu Muneyori as one of the Three Tripod Legs, who supported and propped up Iemitsu. Early career Saitō Fuku was from the Saitō clan, a prominent samurai house that had served for generations as deputy military governors of Mino province. She was born in Kuroi Castle of Tanba province (comprising modern-day ...
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Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars of the Sengoku period following the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate. Ieyasu became the ''shōgun,'' and the Tokugawa clan governed Japan from Edo Castle in the eastern city of Edo (Tokyo), Edo (Tokyo) along with the ''daimyō'' lords of the ''samurai'' class. The Tokugawa shogunate organized Japanese society under the strict Edo society, Tokugawa class system and banned most foreigners under the isolationist policies of ''Sakoku'' to promote political stability. The Tokugawa shoguns governed Japan in a feudal system, with each ''daimyō'' administering a ''Han system, han'' (feudal domain), although the country was still nominally organized as provinces of Japan, imperial provinces. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced rapid ...
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Seishitsu
{{Italic title, reason= :Japanese words and phrases ''Seishitsu'' (正室) is the Japanese term of the Edo period for the official wife of high-ranking persons. The tennō, kugyō (court officials), ''shōgun'' and ''daimyōs'' often had several wives to ensure the birth of an heir. The ''seishitsu'' had a status above other wives, called ''sokushitsu'' (側室, concubine). The system dates back to the ritsuryō system in the Nara and Heian periods. At the time, the main wife was called ''chakusai'' (嫡妻). The last Japanese emperor to have official concubines was Emperor Meiji. Succession disputes between sons of the official wife and concubines were a constant source of internal, often armed conflict within houses (O-Ie Sōdō). See also * ''midaidokoro'' * Dishu system ''Dishu'' () was an important legal and moral system involving marriage and inheritance in the Chinese cultural sphere. In pre-modern eras, upper-class men in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam often had ...
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Chiyoda Ooku Hanami
is Japanese for "field of a thousand generations", and may refer to: Japanese places *Chiyoda, Gunma * Chiyoda, Hiroshima * Chiyoda, Ibaraki * Chiyoda, Saga *Chiyoda, Tokyo, a ward * Chiyoda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, a district in Chiyoda ward covering the Imperial Palace and the Higashi Gyoen, the publicly accessible East Garden Japanese naval ships * (1866), Japan's first domestically built, engine-powered warship * (1891), a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the First Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War and World War I * (1936), an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II *, a submarine rescue ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Characters *Chiyoda, a character in the game and media franchise ''Kantai Collection'' Others * Chiyoda armored car *Edo Castle or Chiyoda Castle, a flatland castle in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan * Chiyoda Corporation, Japan - an engineering contractor in the oil and gas industry. *, a Japanese shoe manufac ...
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