or (1569 – June 4, 1615), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々), was a Japanese historical figure in the late

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 the

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

and the second wife of Japanese ruler

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

. As the mother of his son and successor Hideyori, she acted as Hideyori's guardian in the restoration of the

Toyotomi clan The was a Japanese clan that ruled over the Japanese before the Edo period. Unity and conflict The most influential figure within the Toyotomi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three "unifiers of Japan". Oda Nobunaga was another primary ...

after the fall of the

Council of Five Elders In the history of Japan, the was a group of five powerful formed in 1598 by the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, shortly before his death the same year. While Hideyoshi was on his deathbed, his son, Toyotomi Hideyori, was still only five years old and a ...

, and alongside her son, led the last anti-

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 ...

resistance in the

siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

. She was the daughter of

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

and sister of

Ohatsu or (1570 – September 30, 1633) was a prominently placed figure in the late Sengoku period. She was daughter of Oichi and Nagamasa Azai, and the sister of Yodo-dono and Oeyo. Alongside her sisters, she was active in the political intrigues ...

and

Oeyo , , or : 1573 – September 15, 1626) was a noblewoman in Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period and early Edo period. She was a daughter of Oichi and the sister of Yodo-dono and Ohatsu. When she rose to higher political status during the Tokugawa s ...

. When her two younger sisters became prominent members linked to the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

, she and her sisters became vital to maintaining the diplomatic relations between the two most powerful clans of the time, Toyotomi and Tokugawa. Her sister,

, was the wife of the second

shogun , officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

, Tokugawa Hidetada, and matriarch of the successive shoguns' lineage, thus receiving the political title Omidaidokoro. In the efforts to exalt the

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 ...

, Yodo-dono was frequently portrayed as a "wicked and wanton" woman who planned the Toyotomis' death. After Hideyoshi's death in 1598, she took tonsure as a Buddhist nun, taking the name Daikōin (大広院). She was also the founder of the temple Yogen-in ( 養源院). Her time period being that of large turmoil and overhaul, Yodo-dono was involved in both politics and administration. The great wealth and changing fortunes of her family had also affected Yodo-dono's life. The surviving accounting books from luxury goods merchants provide insight into the patterns of patronage and tastes amongst the privileged class of women like Yodo-dono and her sisters.

Genealogy

Yodo-dono, also called in her youth, was the eldest of three daughters of the

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' Azai Nagamasa. Her mother,

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

, was the younger sister 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 ...

."The silk coloured portrait of wife of Takatsugu Kyogoku"
Digital Cultural Properties of Wakasa Obama

Gifu prefecture website. After Nagamasa's death,

became Chacha's adoptive father and protector. However, her status changed when she became his concubine and again when she became the mother of his heir. Lady Okurakyo no tsubone ( Ono Harunaga's mother), Lady Aeba no tsubone (the second daughter of her grandaunt, Kaitsu-dono), and Otsubone (the wife of Maeda Toshiie's brother, Sawaki Yoshiyuki) were Chacha's wet nurses. Yodo-dono's middle sister,

, was the wife of

Kyōgoku Takatsugu was a ''daimyō'' (military feudal lord) of Ōmi Province and Wakasa Province during the late Sengoku period of History of Japan, Japan's history.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Edmond. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 27–28./ref> Biography His chi ...

and the mother of Kyōgoku Tadataka. Yodo-dono's youngest sister,

, also known as Ogō, was the principal wife of Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada and the mother of his successor

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

Early years

In 1570, Chacha's father, Nagamasa, broke his alliance with

, which was followed by a three-year period of fighting, until 1573, when Nobunaga's army surrounded Nagamasa at Odani Castle. Nobunaga, however, requested the safe return of his sister,

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

. Chacha, along with her mother and her two sisters, left the castle with her. Thereafter, Odani Castle fell, with Chacha's father and her only brother, Manpukumaru, being amongst those who died. Nobunaga's death in 1582 led to open hostilities between Shibata Katsuie and Hashiba Hideyoshi over the issue of succession. Katsuie's forces were eventually defeated at the

Battle of Shizugatake The took place during the Sengoku period of Japan between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then Hashiba Hideyoshi) and Shibata Katsuie in Nagahama, Shiga, Shizugatake, Ōmi Province over a period of two days beginning on the 20th day of the fourth month of ...

, and he was forced to retreat to Kitanosho Castle. With Hideyoshi's army laying siege to his home, Katsuie set the castle ablaze, in which he and Oichi perished. Before her death, Oichi placed Chacha, Oeyo, and Ohatsu in Hideyoshi's care. Skilled in Waka poetry, Chacha was ranked the highest among the princesses of the Azai family. She treated her sisters and other relatives fairly, and she was known for her passionate speeches about the Toyotomi's future.

Concubine of Hideyoshi

In 1588, Yodogimi became pregnant. Hideyoshi, who had no sons, was greatly pleased. His younger brother,

Toyotomi Hidenaga , formerly known as or . He was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful and significant warlords of Japan's Sengoku period and regarded as 'Hideyoshi's brain and right-arm'. Life Hidenaga was also known by his court tit ...

, remodeled Yodo Castle in March 1589, which Hideyoshi gave to Chacha. Hideyoshi's wife, Nene, did not have children, and Lady Yodo thus inherited many of her privileges. Yodo-dono had two sons with Hideyoshi, Tsurumatsu (d. 1591) and Hideyori (b. 1593), the latter becoming Hideyoshi's designated successor. After giving birth to Hideyori, Yodo-dono gave the important posts of guarding him to Ōkurakyō no Tsubone and Aeba no Tsubone. In 1594, the family moved to Fushimi Castle. The tragedy fell, however, when Hideyoshi died in 1598. As a result, the

lost much of its influence and importance. Yodo-dono founded the temple Yogen-in (養源院) in memory of her father, Azai Nagamasa, and her mother, Oichi, and she contributed to the restoration of the temples in Koya-san Mountain and others. She then moved to

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...

with her son Hideyori, where she planned the restoration of the Toyotomi clan. As Hideyori's guardian, she was involved in politics and became the de facto head of Osaka Castle.

Struggles against Tokugawa Clan

Sekigahara Campaign (1600)

After Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Hideyori became his successor, with Yodo-dono becoming the mother of paramount. Still a child, Hideyori could not manage the retainer, and the conflict between the front generals and the administrative staff escalated.

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

stirred up the conflicts between the two parties by supporting the front generals. In 1600, news spread that

Ishida Mitsunari 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 Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

, one of the former Five Commissioners, along with Otani Yoshitsugu, was planning a rebellion against Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was leading an expedition toward Aizu. In response to this, Yodo-dono and three commissioners, Masuda Nagamori, Nagatsuka Tadashi, and Maeda Gensaku, sent an urgent letter to Ieyasu to hasten his journey to

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

to quell the crisis. When Mōri Terumoto entered Osaka Castle as the overall commander of the Ishida faction (Western Army), supported by the three commissioners, Yodo-dono maintained a stance of vigilance on behalf of the Toyotomi family. She did not issue a warrant of approval for Hideyori, which the Ishida side had hoped for; nor did she initiated Hideyori's deployment. Although she acknowledged the movements of the Ishida faction, she refrained from active participation. Ieyasu used the letters from Yodo-dono and others as evidence to convince other feudal lords that Ishida and Otani's actions constituted a rebellion. Later, the three commissioners signed the "Internal Council Oath" condemning Ieyasu, but the absence of any document retracting the earlier letter from Yodo-dono allowed Ieyasu to maintain the noble cause "for the sake of Hideyori." After the victory of the Tokugawa side (Eastern Army) in the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

on September 15, Ieyasu sent Ōno Harunaga to Osaka Castle to convey his belief that Yodo-dono and Hideyori were not involved with the Western Army. Yodo-dono, in response, expressed her gratitude. Following Mōri Terumoto's withdrawal from Osaka Castle, Ieyasu entered the castle. When Yodo-dono entertained Ieyasu and offered her sake cup, she insisted that he pass it on to Hideyori. Ieyasu then publicly declared himself Hideyori's surrogate father. Even though Yodo-dono did not actively participate in the Battle of Sekigahara, more than 2,000 Toyotomi vassals were said to have participated in the battle, causing the Tokugawa-Toyotomi relations to decline. As Ieyasu distributed the Toyotomi family land as a prize for Sekigahara, the Toyotomi family's control weakened. After the battle, Yodo-dono confronted Ieyasu, who began constructing a military government in Edo. She refused his requirement for Hideyori to show his vassalage and go to the capital, Kyoto. In 1601, Yodo-dono's "depression" intensified, as she suffered from chest pains, eating disorders, and headaches, for which she was prescribed medicine by Gensaku Makunaose, as documented in "Gensakudo Sanpoyakuroku".

Formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate

In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu was named Shogun by

Emperor Go-Yōzei was the 107th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Yōzei's reign spanned the years 1586 through to his abdication in 1611, corresponding to the transition between the Azuchi–Momoyama period and the Edo period ...

, and Yodo-dono began to actively resist him. Hideyori retained

, having married Princess Senhime, the daughter of Ieyasu's son Tokugawa Hidetada. However, there was no room for two rulers. Even though Hideyori's former retainers had secured Osaka Castle and inherited huge amount of property from Hideyoshi, they now supported the

, which significantly weakened Hideyori's position. In 1605, on May 8, Ieyasu, through the mediation of Kōdai-in (Nene), demanded that Hideyori demonstrate his allegiance to the

by paying homage. Yodo-dono, in her efforts to preserve the Toyotomi clan's status, expressed her dissatisfaction about the territorial reductions and declined the meeting. Ieyasu responded by sending his sixth son, Matsudaira Tadatoki, to

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

to seek reconciliation and harmony. In 1611, after meeting with Ieyasu for two hours at Nijō Castle, Hideyori finally left Osaka. Contrary to the popular belief about the heir's "uselessness", as promoted by Hideyori's personal guardian Katagiri Katsumoto (serving since 1599 upon assignment by Ieyasu), who hoped to mitigate any potential aggression against the young heir, Hideyori's demeanor surprised Ieyasu.

Incident of Hoko-ji Bell

In 1614, the Toyotomi clan rebuilt

. The head of the clan also sponsored the rebuilding of Hōkō-ji in

. These temple renovations included the casting of the great bronze bell with the inscriptions that read "May the state be peaceful and prosperous" (国家安康 ''kokka ankō'') and "May noble lord and servants be rich and cheerful" (君臣豊楽 ''kunshin hōraku''). However, the shogunate interpreted "''kokka ankō''" (国家安康) as shattering Ieyasu's name (家康) to curse him and "''kunshin hōraku''" (君臣豊楽) as meaning "Toyotomi's force (豊臣) will rise again," which meant treachery against the shogunate. The tension between the Tokugawa and the Toyotomi clans intensified, deepening even further when Toyotomi gathered a force of

rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...

and the shogunate's enemies in

. Ieyasu, despite having passed the title of Shōgun to his son in 1605, nevertheless maintained significant influence. After the Hōkō-ji Temple Bell Incident, Yodo-dono sent Lady Ōkurakyo, Lady Aeba, and Katagiri Katsumoto to Sunpu Castle to meet with Tokugawa Ieyasu. During this meeting, Ieyasu hatched a plot to split the members of the Toyotomi family. On the one hand, he humbly proposed a generous demand towards Lady Ōkurakyo. On the other hand, he imposed severe demands on Katagiri Katsumoto, who represented the moderates and had been petitioning Ieyasu to save the Toyotomi family.

Katagiri Katsumoto overthrow

Despite Katagiri Katsumoto's attempts to mediate the situation, Ieyasu found an ideal pretext to take a belligerent stance against Yodo-dono and Hideyori. The situation worsened in September of that year, when the news reached Edo that a large number of rōnin were grouping in Osaka at Hideyori's invitation. Katsumoto proposed that Yodo-dono be sent to Edo as a hostage, hoping to avoid hostilities. However, she either flatly refused or ultimately accepted but was denied by Hideyori. Suspecting Katsumoto of trying to betray the Toyotomi clan, Yodo-dono finally banished him from Osaka Castle, along with Oda Urakusai and several other servants accused of treason. Following their banishment, they entered the service of the Tokugawa clan, thus shattering any hope to reach an agreement with the shogunate. This led to the siege of Osaka.

Siege of Osaka

, who seized control from Hideyori after Hideyoshi's death, now regarded Hideyori an obstacle to the unification of Japan. In 1614, Ieyasu laid siege to Osaka Castle. Yodo-dono sought assistance from

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to ...

s across Japan, but none dared to oppose the shogunate and side with the Toyotomi clan. Left with no choice, she recruited ''

Rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...

'' (masterless samurai) with gold and silver, using them as her military force. She defended the castle with her son, actively participating in the siege. When the Tokugawa army bombed her room and killed two of her maids, Yodo-dono emerged from her mansion with a group of armed and armored women. She later told the warriors to make a peace treaty. Following the meeting with Lady Acha, who was accompanied by Honda Masazumi and

(Yodo-dono's younger sister), the peace treaty was accepted by both sides. However, in 1615, Ieyasu broke the truce and once again attacked Osaka Castle. Yodo-dono and her son, Hideyori, committed suicide as Osaka Castle burned, ending the Toyotomi legacy. No eyewitness accounts or records detailing her final moments have survived, and her body was never found. This gave rise to speculations and theories about what happened to her after the fall of the Toyotomi clan. According to some, Yodo-dono and Hideyori managed to escape and survive, with the varying speculations about their escape route. Others believe that she may have sought refuge with the Shimazu clan in

Satsuma Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Satsuma" in . Its abbreviation was . History Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai. Dur ...

or she may have fled as far as

Utsunomiya is the capital and largest city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 513,584, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its ''gyoza'' ...

in Ueno Province.

Family

* Father: Azai Nagamasa (1545-1573) * Mother:

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu

(1547-1583) * Adopted mother: Nene (d. 1624) * Husband:

(1537-1598) (Hideyoshi also is her adopted father) * Sons: ** Toyotomi Tsurumatsu (1589–1591) ** Toyotomi Hideyori (1593-1615) * Adopted daughter: **

Toyotomi Sadako Toyotomi Sadako (豊臣完子,1592 – 1658) was a Japanese noble woman from the Sengoku period and Edo period. She was a daughter of Toyotomi Hidekatsu (Toyotomi Hideyoshi's nephew) and Oeyo ( Oichi's daughter, Oda Nobunaga's niece). In 1609, ...

(1592–1658), daughter of

later married Kujō Yukiie

Cultural references

A fictional character based on Yodo-dono appears in

James Clavell James Clavell (born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell; 10 October 1921 – 7 September 1994) was a British and American writer, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best known for his ''Asian Saga'' nov ...

's ''

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 Kamak ...

''. This contrived protagonist is ''Lady Ochiba'', who dislikes Toranaga (

) because he presumably suspects that her son was not fathered by the Taikō (

). However, she admires and trusts the Taikō's widow, Yodoko ( Nene), who urges both her and Toranaga to marry so that Japan would remain united and the heir, Yaemon ( Toyotomi Hideyori), would safely take control upon coming of age. In James Clavell's later novels, it is revealed that, just as in real history, Toranaga eventually besieged Ochiba and Yaemon in their castle, prompting them to commit suicide. In the 2011

Taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...

, ''Gō: Hime-tachi no Sengoku'', Cha-cha was portrayed by Japanese actress Rie Miyazawa. In

board games A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

, she appears as one of the characters of the expansion ''Rising Sun'' of the card game Samurai Sword by Emiliano Sciarra.

References

Bibliography

* Hickman, Money L., John T. Carpenter and Bruce A. Coats. (2002)
''Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama.''
New Haven:

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

.
OCLC 34564921
* Bryant, Anthony. ''Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power''. Praeger Publishers, 2005

External links

* Sengoku Expo

{{Authority control 1560s births 1615 deaths 16th-century Japanese women 17th-century Japanese women Samurai 16th-century Japanese people People of the Muromachi period People of the Azuchi–Momoyama period People of the Edo period Japanese concubines 17th-century Japanese people Japanese Buddhist clergy Suicides by sharp instrument in Japan Women of the Sengoku period 16th-century women rulers Women in 17th-century warfare Deified Japanese women Azai clan Female castellans in Japan

Genealogy

Early years

Concubine of Hideyoshi

Struggles against Tokugawa Clan

Sekigahara Campaign (1600)

Formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate

Incident of Hoko-ji Bell

Katagiri Katsumoto overthrow

Siege of Osaka

Family

Cultural references

See also

References

Bibliography

External links