Lady Otsuya (おつやの方 ''Otsuya no Kata'') was a Japanese female samurai (

onna-musha is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Japan, who were members of the ''bushi'' (warrior) class. They were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war; many of them fought in battle ...

) from the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

. She was a daughter of the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they reached the peak of their power under Oda Nobunaga and fell soon after, several branches of the ...

and served as ruler of

Iwamura Castle 270px, Edo period layout was located in the southeastern area of Mino Province in Japan. Its ruins can be found in the modern-day municipal subdivision of Iwamura, in Ena, Gifu Prefecture. Along with Takatori Castle in Nara and Bitchu-Matsuyam ...

until the last days of her life. Otsuya is best known as the aunt of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

, and was also the wife of and , and a foster mother to Oda Katsunaga. Her execution under Nobunaga may have been a major factor in the decline in Nobunaga's reputation, who would later be murdered by

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period. Mitsuhide was originally a bodyguard of the last Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later, one of ...

and other traitors in the Incident of Honnoji.

Life

Otsuya no Kata was the daughter of Oda Nobusada, a warlord in the country of Owari. She was the sister of

Oda Nobuhide was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and magistrate of the Sengoku period known as "Tiger of Owari" and also the father of Oda Nobunaga, the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobuhide was a deputy ''shugo'' (Shugodai) of lower Owari Province and head of t ...

(Nobunaga's father). As a daughter of the powerful Oda clan, she was married off to Tōyama Kagetō, the lord of Iwamura Castle and retainer of the clan. When her husband passed away due to illness, an enemy warlord laid siege to the castle. After multiple months, she negotiated surrender and saved the lives of her men in return for agreeing to marry the attacking army's general. Switching sides made her an enemy of Nobunaga, her nephew and head of the Oda clan, who eventually executed her along with her new husband and the castle's

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

Iwamura Castle

was one of Japan’s three major mountain castles, located in Ena City,

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

. At an elevation of 721 meters above sea level (200 meters above its immediate surroundings), it was also one of the highest castles in Japan. It was also known as the "misty castle" as even the surrounding climate worked in favor of the castle's defenses by hiding it from enemies with a blanket of fog.

Siege of Iwamura Castle

Iwamura Castle was a battlefield from 1572 to 1575. At the apex of the anti-Nobunaga coalition, in 1572,

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

ordered Akiyama Nobutomo, one of the " Twenty-Four Generals" of Shingen, to attack the castle, but Otsuya and her husband were prepared to defend. After days of resistance, Tōyama Kagetō, the commander of the castle's garrison, fell ill and died. Lady Otsuya became the female lord of Iwamura castle. Toyama used to be subordinate to Takeda, but at that time Lady Otsuya had a hostile relationship with Takeda. She didn't surrender for months and continued to defend the castle until March 6, 1572, when she made an agreement with the

Takeda is a Japanese name, Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files