was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

of Japanese ''

daimyō 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 nominall ...

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 ...

during the Warring-states period (or

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 ...

) in Japanese history. She was born into the third generation of the prosperous and influential

Ikoma clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from Fujiwara no Fusasaki of the "Northern House" of the Fujiwara clan ( ''Fujiwara Hokke'', 藤原北家). During the Sengoku period they supported the Unification of Japan as retainers of ...

in about 1538 and her father was known as Iemune. Before Kitsuno became Oda Nobunaga's concubine, she was first wed to Yaheji Dota who died in the battle of Akechi. After the loss of her husband, Kitsuno returned to her family's home, Ikoma mansion. It was there that she met Oda Nobunaga.

Concubine of Oda Nobunaga

It was believed that Oda Nobunaga was charmed by Kitsuno's beauty at first sight, and immediately took her as his concubine. Nobunaga was officially married to Lady Nō, the daughter of

Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa (斎藤利政), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Saitō Dōsan"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 809. He was also known as the for his ruthless tactics. His hono ...

, but it was believed that theirs was not a happy marriage, especially since Nōhime could not conceive. It is often thought that Kitsuno was Nobunaga's most beloved concubine and that she probably had a higher position than Nōhime. In 1557 Kitsuno gave birth to Nobutada and later Nobukatsu and

Tokuhime Tokuhime may refer to: * Tokuhime (Oda) (徳姫) (1559–1636), daughter of Oda Nobunaga; also known as Gotokuhime * Tokuhime (Tokugawa) (督姫) (1565–1615), daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu * (登久姫) (1576–1607), daughter of Matsudaira ...

(Lady Toku). In 1564, Kitsuno moved to Kori Castle (in present-day

Kōnan, Aichi is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,903 in 41,363 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Overview The name of the city means "south of the river", referri ...

). She suffered due to the difficulty of her childbirths, and in 1566 she died at the age of 29. Even though Nobunaga is often regarded as a callous and bellicose figure , it is said that Nobunaga mourned her throughout the night and had her buried within view of his castle. Her body was cremated and buried in the cemetery at Kyusho temple (the Ikoma family temple), in Tashiro town. Nobunaga gave his son Nobukatsu the area in which Kyusho temple lies in order to protect it and Kitsuno's tomb, out of respect for his treasured concubine.

References

{{People of the Sengoku period , state= autocollapse 1528 births 1566 deaths Japanese concubines Deaths in childbirth People of Sengoku-period Japan Women of medieval Japan 16th-century Japanese women 16th-century Japanese people