Jukei-ni (寿桂尼, d. April 11, 1568) was a Japanese noble lady who acted as the

power behind the throne The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of a high-ranking office, such as a head of state. In politics, it most commonly refers to a relative, aide, or nominal subordinate of a poli ...

or ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

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 ...

of the

Imagawa clan was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan. Origins Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in the ...

during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. She was born in the aristocrat Nakamikado Family of

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 ci ...

. Jukei-ni was the wife of

Imagawa Ujichika was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. He was the 10th head of the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province. Ujichika was the son of Imagawa Yoshitada. He was the husband of Jukei-ni. Biography In 1476, Ujichika father, Yoshitada, invaded ...

and mother of

Imagawa Ujiteru was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who ruled the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province. His childhood name was Ryuomaru (竜王丸). His father was Imagawa Ujichika and his mother was Jukei-ni (d. 1568). He was the brother of Imagawa ...

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become ...

and Zukei-ni. She acted as guardian and advisor for Ujichika, Ujiteru, Yoshimoto and her grandson

Imagawa Ujizane was a Japanese ''daimyō'' who lived in the Sengoku through early Edo periods. He was the tenth head of the Imagawa clan, and was a son of Imagawa Yoshimoto and the father of Imagawa Norimochi and Shinagawa Takahisa. Biography Ujizane was born ...

. Jukei-ni is also known ''as ''Onna Daimyo'''' and ''"Amamidai",'' once proclaimed that she would "protect Imagawa to her grave".

Life

She was the daughter of the

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

Nakamikado Nobutane, and was from the Nakamikado clan, a aristocrat family close to the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

in Kyoto. There are no details about her early life and her real name, she is best known by her

Dharma name A Dharma name or Dhamma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The nam ...

, Imagawa Jukei-ni (寿桂尼). She politically married

, the lord of two provinces - Suruga and Tōtōmi, between 1505-1508. The Imagawa family was known for its affinity for the arts and maintained strong relations with Kyoto after Jukei-ni's entry into the Imagawa clan. Jukei-ni's husband was at the time engaged in land surveying and quantification, and it was he who created the ''Imagawa Kana Mokuroku'', a detailed work on the laws governing the Imagawa lands. It was Ujichika who elevated the Imagawa family from their previous position as

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

daimyō into the ranks of the Sengoku daimyō. During the marriage, she had four children, but there is a theory that she had five. Her most famous children were

, Hikogoro, Yoshimoto and Zukei-ni. The three became samurai warlords, and their daughter Zukei-ni entered into a diplomatic marriage with

Hojo Ujiyasu Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

, an initial step towards the formation of the Kōsōsun Triple Alliance. This alliance placed the daughters of the Imagawa clan,

Takeda is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files

and Hojo in a political marriage, strengthening the ties between them, but it gave rise to the beginning of many diplomatic wars in neighboring regions. Jukei-ni helped form the laws in the Imagawa clan's domain, acting actively as a political advisor during her husband's administration. Later, under the influence of ''"Imagawa Kana Mokuroku",'' she acted as regent during the reign of her descendants. In 1526, Ujichika died, his eldest son, Ujiteru, was still only 14 years old. However, Ujiteru was not only young, he was also ill. In this case, one of the highest retainers should assume the role of regent as Daimyo, but Jukei-ni took that position. This position was traditionally assumed by men, the real reason why Jukei-ni assumed for herself as leader of a powerful clan is not known. Women taking up positions as regents of their lords were more common in smaller clans. The most commonly believed reason was that ten years before his death, Ujichika was struck by an illness that kept him confined in his private quarters. While taking care of her husband, Jukeini also began to take responsibility for the family's political affairs. House officials also believed that "in the same way while Ujichika was still alive, Jukeini became an adviser to Ujiteru". Two years after Ujichika's death, a seal with the Jukeini brand began to appear in public documents released by the Imagawa family. She served as a

political advisor Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...

for Yoshimoto and Ujizane as well. Jukei-ni's grandson,

, is known for marrying Hojo Ujiyasu's daughter,

Lady Hayakawa Lady Hayakawa (早川殿, ''Hayakawa-Dono'', died April 4, 1613) was a Japanese woman and aristocrat of the Sengoku period. Hayakawa is a common nickname for one of ''Daimyō'' Hōjō Ujiyasu's daughters, who lived in the Sengoku through early ...

, thus initiating the triple alliance. For having passed four generations of Daimyos, Jukei-ni had great political power in Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa provinces and was known as "Female Daimyō" of

. During the reign of her grandson, it became evident that she was the real head of the Imagawa clan, leaving Ujizane only as a representative figure. Jukei-ni died in 1568 at almost 80 years of age and is said to have truly been the last pillar of the Imagawa family as Sengoku Daimyo. Diplomatic relations between Imagawa and Takeda collapsed after the death of Jukei-ni, and in December of the same year Takeda Shigen began the invasion in the region of Imagawa (Invasion of the Suruga). Because of this crisis, Imagawa Ujizane surrenders 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 fellow ...

the following year.

Family

* Father:

Nakamikado Nobutane was the 114th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 中御門天皇 (114)/ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 118. Nakamikado's birth name ...

* Husband:

* Children: **

** Imagawa Hikogoro (d.1536) **

** Zuikei-in married

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jukei-ni People of Sengoku-period Japan Women of medieval Japan 1568 deaths Samurai

Jukei-ni Jukei-ni (寿桂尼, d. April 11, 1568) was a Japanese noble lady who acted as the power behind the throne or ''de facto'' daimyo of the Imagawa clan during the Sengoku period. She was born in the aristocrat Nakamikado Family of Kyoto. Jukei-ni was ...

15th-century Japanese people 15th-century Japanese women 16th-century Japanese people 16th-century Japanese women 16th-century women rulers

Life

Family

See also

References