(died October 17, 1624), formerly known as , , , was an aristocrat and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

nun, founder of the temple Kōdai-ji in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

, Japan. She was formerly the principal

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of History of Japan#Medieval Japan (1185–1573/1600), medieval and Edo period, early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retai ...

wife of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and '' daimyō'' ( feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the C ...

under the name of . Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)
"Matsudaira Ietada"
in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 702. When she rose in higher political status, she took the title of "''

Kita no mandokoro was the chief governing body of an important family or monastic complex in ancient Japan. This name was borrowed for the administrative department of the Shogunate in feudal times. History The earliest usage of the term was found in the Heia ...

''". As the matriarch figure of the Toyotomi clan, she led all diplomatic affairs that had to do with the imperial court, and monitored the daimyos' families who were being held hostage at Osaka Castle.

Early life

Kōdai-in was born Sugihara Yasuko in Owari Province between 1541 and 1549. She was the second daughter of , a descendant of Taira no Sadamori, and the

Emperor Kammu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...

(735-806). She was adopted by her maternal uncle Asano Nagakatsu, a descendant of the Toki clan, of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (944-1021), and the Emperor Seiwa (850-881). According to the "Hankanpu" (Genealogy of the Protectors of the Shogunate), she was first supposed to marry Maeda Toshiie, but she became the wife of Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi's wife

Around 1561, she married Hashiba Hideyoshi, a man who would later become one of the three great unifiers of Japan, although at the time of their marriage he had yet to gain much fame, and despite her mother Asahi-dono's opposition to this marriage, because of the difference in social status with her husband. Nene was his principal wife and also one of his favorite wives. In 1585, after Hideyoshi was appointed to the post of Imperial Regent (''Kampaku''), Nene took on the title of "''Kita no mandokoro."'' As the wife of Hideyoshi, Nene is most famous for being one of his closest aides and confidantes. The daughter of a samurai, she had many familial connections that netted Hideyoshi several retainers. Among these retainers were Sugihara Ietsugu (Nene's uncle), Kinoshita Iesada (Nene's brother),

Kobayakawa Hideaki (1577 – December 1, 1602) was the fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was gained the rank of ''Saemon no Kami'' (左衛門督) or in China ''Shikkingo'' (執金吾) at genpuku and held the court title ...

(Nene's nephew) and Asano Nagamasa (Nene's brother-in-law). The last of these characters would serve as an important official in Hideyoshi's later administration. Nene was known to have been an intelligent woman who, at times, advised Hideyoshi on matters of governance by sending him letters. When Hideyoshi repealed the tax exemptions he had granted to the residents living in his headquarters at Nagahama, Nene appealed to him to reinstate the exemptions, and he did. It is also recorded that Hideyoshi frequently wrote letters to Nene to tell her about how his campaigns were going. Hideyoshi did this after his invasion of Sassa Narimasa's territory in Japan's Hokuriku region and after his campaign against the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in cont ...

. When Hideyoshi unified Japan, Nene often went with him to attend parties. She was courteous and respectful to her guests on every occasion. When Emperor Go-Yozei visited Hideyoshi's mansion with his entourage in 1588, Nene freely distributed a plethora of gifts to Hideyoshi's visitors. She also received the rank of Juichii from the Emperor himself. During Japanese invasions of Korea, Nene assisted the Toyotomi army by giving advise on how to transfer supplies from Japan to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

. Though adored, Nene often found herself competing with other women for Hideyoshi's attention. In a letter to Nene,

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...

also noted that Hideyoshi was somewhat dissatisfied with Nene. Hideyoshi took up several concubines. Nene did not bear any children.

Letter from Oda Nobunaga

''...It has been quite sometime since I last saw you, but your beauty grows day by day. Tokichiro'' ideyoshi''complains about you constantly and it is outrageous. While that "bald rat"'' ideyoshi''flusters to find another good woman, you remain lofty and elegant. Do not be envious. Show Hideyoshi this letter...''

Hideyoshi's widow

Nene worried about Hideyoshi often when he was on his deathbed. Eventually, as Hideyoshi was on his last throes, she petitioned the Imperial Court to sponsor a sacred dance ritual to pray for and expedite Hideyoshi's recovery. After Hideyoshi died in 1598, Nene became a nun and assumed the dharma name of Kōdai-in Kogetsuni. She was respected as a maternal figure for many retainers of the Toyotomi clan who proved to be loyal to her even after Hideyoshi's death. She gave up the eastern ward of Osaka Castle to

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...

and relocated herself to the imperial palace. Nene had a captivating and gentle personality, so she gained the respect of many, she helped and housed many women related to the Western Army (commanded by

Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the ...

) after the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara ( Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 ( Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

. In 1602, after the

, she had an audience with the mother of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Odai no Kata and Emperor Goyozei. In 1603, Nene attended Toyotomi Hideyori and Senhime's wedding. In 1606 with the help of Tokugawa Ieyasu, she established a

temple Kōdai-ji in

, to which she moved. It became the burial area for her husband, his mother, and later Toyotomi Hideyori. During the contest between Toyotomi Hideyori and Tokugawa Ieyasu for supremacy (

Siege of Osaka The was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages (winter campaign and summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege ...

), Kōdai-in took the side of Ieyasu.

Death

After her death in 1624 and burial within the temple compound, she was posthumously given the name of Hikari no Tenshi or "Angel of Light". Her remains would later be unearthed to make way for the sanctuary known as Otama-ya. Upon its completion, her remains was interred in there, placed under the wooden statue of herself, alongside the statue of Hideyoshi.

Legacy

The life of this prominent resident of Kyoto is still commemorated in a short street which bears her name. remains lined with structures built in traditional Kyoto style. Nene-no-Michi is located in

Higashiyama Ward Higashiyama may refer to multiple things associated with Japan, including: * Higashiyama (surname), a Japanese surname * Higashiyama, Iwate, a former town in Iwata Prefecture * Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, a ward of the city of Kyoto * Higashiyama cultur ...

in eastern Kyoto near Kōdai-ji, Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine.Rowthorn, Chris. (2005)
''Kyoto: City Guide,'' p. 95
JapanVisitors

/ref>

Mikazuki Munechika (sword)

Sword made by Sanjō Munechika (三条宗近), One of the

Five Swords under Heaven The are a group of five Japanese swords. Three are National Treasures of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultu ...

(天下五剣); the name "Mikazuki (三日月)", meaning "crescent moon" refers to the shape of the tempering pattern; owned by Kōdai-in, wife of

who bequeathed it to

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

, then handed down in the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful '' daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this cl ...

Honours

Junior First Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese language, Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the Nation, state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryō, R ...

(April 19, 1588)