Kamehime (, 27 July 1560 – 1 August 1625) was a Japanese woman from 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 the eldest daughter of

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 ...

with his first wife,

Lady Tsukiyama Lady Tsukiyama or (d. 9 September 1579) was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat from the Sengoku period. She was the chief consort of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the ''daimyō'' who would become the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunat ...

. She married

Okudaira Nobumasa called Okudaira Sadamasa (奥平貞昌), was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku and early Edo periods. Nobumasa's family considered their origins to have been associated with Mikawa Province. The clan was descended through the Akamatsu f ...

. The marriage was arranged as a reward for Nobumasa, who had proven himself as the guardian of

Nagashino Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in what is now Shinshiro, eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is noteworthy as the site of the crucial Battle of Nagashino between the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga against Takeda ...

. It is said that her dowry included one of the twenty-one prized writing boxes of crafted by Koami masters. She is known to have acted actively in the

siege of Nagashino The took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa Province of Japan. Takeda Katsuyori attacked the castle when Okudaira Sadamasa rejoined the Tokugawa, and when his original plot with Oga Yashiro for taki ...

. Kamehime helped her husband and send

Torii Suneemon was an ashigaru (low class footman) who served the Okudaira family, retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He became famous for his bravery and incredible exploit at the siege of Nagashino. He was a retainer of Okudaira Sadamasa and member of the Naga ...

on the mission to cross the enemy army to request aid to her father, Ieyasu in Okazaki and defended the Nagashino castle. After Ieyasu's death she had a large part in the overthrow of

Honda Masazumi (1566 – April 5, 1637) was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. He later became a ''daimyō'', and one of the first rōjū of the Tokugawa shogunate. Masazumi was born in 156 ...

, whom she disliked. In 1625, Kamehime died at age 66. Her Buddhist name was Seitokuin and her remains were buried in Kokoku-ji Temple.

Family

* Father:

* Mother:

* Husband:

* Children: ** Okudaira Iemasa (1577–1614) of

Utsunomiya Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Shimotsuke Province (modern-day Tochigi Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Utsunomiya Castle in what is now part of the city of Utsunomiya. Utsunomiya was ruled ...

. ** Matsudaira Ieharu (1579–1592). **

Matsudaira Tadaaki was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period through early Edo period. He was a retainer and relative of the Tokugawa clan.Hauser, William B. (1974)''Economic Institutional Change in Tokugawa Japan: Ōsaka and the Kinai cotton trade,'' p ...

** Okudaira Tadamasa ** Daughter married Okubo Tadatsune of

Kisai Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Musashi Province (modern-day Kisai, Saitama). The domain existed until 1632, when the last lord, Ōkubo Tadamoto, was moved to the Kanō Domain, and the Kisai holdings were then merged into ...

Legacy

Since April 2008, Kamehime has been characterized as a navigator for a municipal administration program produced in Shinshiro City,

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

. The street in front of Kokoku-ji Temple, where her grave is located, has been maintained as "Kamehime-dori" following the redevelopment work in front of Shinshiro Station.

References

1560 births 1625 deaths People of Edo-period Japan 16th-century Japanese people Japanese women in warfare Women in 16th-century warfare Women of medieval Japan 16th-century Japanese women Tokugawa clan {{Japan-bio-stub