Oinu (お犬, died September 24, 1582) was a Japanese

historical figure A historical figure is a significant person in history. The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social ...

and a member of the prominent

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 had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several ...

in 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 daughter 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 the ...

and the younger sister of Oda Nogunaga, one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period Japan. She is commonly known as Oinu no Kata (お犬の方), "no Kata" indicating her status as an official wife.

Life

Oinu was the eighth daughter of

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 ...

. She was the younger sister of

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 unify ...

and the elder sister 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 Nagamasa had no hope of winning, and chose to commit seppuk ...

. Oinu initially married Saji Nobukata, Lord of Ōno Castle, who ruled the western part of Chita in Owari Province. The two had two children,

Saji Kazunari was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period and Edo period. Turnbull, Stephen R. (2000)''The Samurai Tradition,'' Vol. 2, p. 149 excerpt, "Hideyoshi married Oeyo the younger sister of Yodo-Dono his chief concubine to Saji Kazunari, warde ...

and Nakagawa Hideyasu. In 1574, Nobukata was killed in battle during the

Sieges of Nagashima The , taking place in 1571, 1573, and 1574, were part of Oda Nobunaga's campaigns against the Ikkō-ikki, arguably among his greatest enemies. Nagashima, in Owari Province along Japan's Pacific coast, was the location of a string of river island fo ...

, and Oinu returned to her parents' home. She went to live at the

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 2011 ...

, the residence of her elder brother Nobunaga. She was introduced to Lord of

Makishima Castle Makishima (written: 巻島 or 牧島) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (born 1976), Japanese politician Fictional characters: * Shogo Makishima, the main antagonist in ''Psycho-Pass'' *Agito Makishima, a major char ...

Hosokawa Akimoto, the eldest son of Deputy Shogun

Hosokawa Harumoto was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, and the head of the Hosokawa clan. Harumoto's childhood name was Sōmei-maru (聡明丸). He was born to Hosokawa Sumimoto, another renowned samurai of the Muromachi era. Early ...

, by Nobunaga's retainer

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 Cour ...

, and the two subsequently married in 1577. The two had three children; the only son,

Hosokawa Motokatsu Hosokawa (typically ja, 細川, meaning "narrow river" or "little river") is a Japanese surname. People with the name include: *Bill Hosokawa (1915–2007), Japanese American author and journalist *Chieko Hosokawa (born 1929), a Japanese manga a ...

, became a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi; the eldest daughter married

Akita Sanesue was a Japanese daimyo who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. Biography He was the son of daimyo Andō Chikasue, a powerful figure in Dewa Province. Sanesue pledged loyalty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590 during the Sieg ...

; and the second daughter served as a lady attendant of

Tamahime Tamahime (珠姫) or Tama (1599-1622) was a Japanese noble lady, member of the aristocrat Tokugawa family during the Edo period. She was the second daughter of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, and her mother was Oeyo, both important figures who sta ...

, the wife of

Maeda Toshitsune was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. Toshitsune was a brother of Maeda Toshinaga and a son of Maeda Toshiie. He was ...

. Oinu died on September 24, 1582. Following Oinu's death, her son Kazunari sent her family 3 '' kan'', 989 '' mon'' as condolence money. The next year, he sent an extra 19 ''kan'', 655 ''mon''. From this, it can be seen that Oinu had been in contact with Kazunari even after her husband's death. Her funeral was held by her

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...

Jōchi-in.

Legacy

After the death of Oinu, Reikō-in temple was built as her mausoleum at the Ryōan-ji temple 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 ci ...

. A portrait of Oinu survives at the temple, depicting her in a ''

kosode The was a type of short-sleeved Japanese garment, and the direct predecessor of the kimono. Though its component parts directly parallel those of the kimono, its proportions differed, typically having a wider body, a longer collar and narro ...

'' and ''koshimaki'', holding

prayer beads Prayer beads are a form of beadwork used to count the repetitions of prayers, chants, or mantras by members of various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Umbanda, Islam, Sikhism, the Baháʼí Faith, and some Christian denominati ...

with both hands and sitting on one knee with her palms together. There are records of the 44th Gekkō Sōzu of Myōshin-ji temple praising her beauty and offering condolences for her young death. The description of the eulogy indicates that the portrait was created by the children of Oinu in the year of her death. According to the records of Shōsen-ji temple in

Ebisu, Shibuya is major district of Shibuya-ku in Tokyo, Japan. It was developed on the site of a Ebisu, Shibuya#History, former brewery and is now home to Ebisu, Shibuya#Yebisu Garden Place, Yebisu Garden Place. It has a high concentration of Ebisu, Shib ...

, Tokyo, the temple was established by "Oda, the wife of Hosokawa". The temple was established as Reikō-in in Ōsawa, Hitotsugi in 1604, with Jiei as its founding monk. It is a branch temple of the

Rinzai school The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...

Myōshin-ji. In 1695, the temple moved to Hitotsugi, Akasaka, and changed its name to Ryūokusan Shōsen-ji.

Family

* Father:

* Elder brother:

* Younger sister:

* First husband: Saji Nobukata ** Son:

** Son: Nakagawa Hideyasu * Second husband: Hosokawa Akimoto ** First son:

** First daughter: Wife of

** Second daughter: Lady attendant of

References

{{Reflist 16th-century Japanese women Oda clan People of Sengoku-period Japan 1582 deaths