Lady Ōkurakyō or Ōkurakyō no Tsubone (大蔵局) was a Japanese noble woman and retainer 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 ...

during the

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 wet nurse of

Yodo-dono or (1569 – June 4, 1615), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々), was a Japanese historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She was the concubine and the second wife of Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As the mother of his son and successor ...

and later served her son

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...

. She wielded great power within the Toyotomi family along with the Ono brothers, playing a crucial role before and during 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 ...

Life

Lady Ōkurakyō was the wife of Ono Satomori who lived in

Tango Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Tango bordered on Tanba Province, Tanba to the south, Tajima Province, Tajima to the west, and Wakasa Province, Wakasa to the east. Its abbreviated form name ...

. During this marriage she gave birth to Ono Harunaga, Ono Harufusa, Ono Harutane, Ono Haruzumi. In her early career she served Yodo-dono (

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: ...

's concubine and

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

's daughter) as her wet nurse, and later she began to serve Hideyori (Yodo-dono's son). After

, the Toyotomi clan leader, died, his first wife, Kodai-in left Osaka castle with Kozosu, Kodai-in's assistant. Later both women decided to support

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 ...

, rival of Yodo-dono and Hideyori. When Hideyoshi died, the clan's leadership was left in the hands 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 ...

, due to the fact that Hideyori was too young. Later, the Council of the Five Elders goes into crisis and crumbles, so Yodo-dono took substantial control over the clan's leadership. In 1599 following questioning by

, Lady Okurakyo's son, Ono Harunaga was banished to

Shimotsuke Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Tochigi Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''SHimotsuke''" in . Shimotsuke was bordered by Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Hitachi Province, ...

, under suspicion of being a ringleader of a failed plot to assassinate

that had been hatched by servants of Tokugawa Ieyasu and

Honda Masanobu was a commander and ''daimyō'' in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. In 1563, when an uprising against Ieyasu occurred in Mikawa Province, Masanobu took the side of the peasants against Ieyasu ...

Sekigahara campaign

Two main factions arose during the fading years of Hideyoshi's rule and the immediate aftermath of his death.

was unrivaled in terms of seniority, rank, reputation, and overall influence within the regency government, and had the allegiance of many of the lords of eastern Japan. Toyotomi clan loyalists and the lords of western Japan rallied behind

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 ...

. Tensions between them sometimes boiled into open hostilities, with relations eventually degenerating into the conflicts of 1600 that led to Sekigahara. In 1600 the

Sekigahara campaign The Sekigahara Campaign was a series of battles in Japan fought between the Eastern Army aligned with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, culminating in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. The conflict was sparked by a ...

began, a fight between those loyal to Tokugawa, the Eastern army led by

, against those loyal to the Toyotomi clan, Western army led by

. Lady Okurakyo son's Ono Harunaga was forced to join forces with the Eastern army at 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, ...

, thereby earning a pardon for his crime from Ieyasu. Ishida Mitsunari was defeated by Ieyasu and the power of the Toyotomi clan diminished even further. Following the battle, under orders from Ieyasu Ono Harunaga bore a note from Ieyasu to the Toyotomi clan, in which Ieyasu declared, 'I bear no animosity towards the Toyotomi clan' after which he remained in Osaka and did not return to Edo. When Lady Okurakyo's son returned to Osaka, she was already one of the most prominent political figures in the castle, giving her children the opportunity to also amass such influence in Toyotomi's domain. Lady Okurakyo and Aeba no Tsubone was one of lady's maid in a high position. It seems that she and Lady Aeba was good at negotiations (with military families) and therefore, she was dispatched by Yodo-dono as her representative several times. Although Lady Aeba was not more prominent than Lady Okurakyo, Aeba no Tsubone was one of women who played an active part in the Osaka Castle.

Siege of Osaka

In 1614, Ieyasu Tokugawa accused Hideyori of an intention to get rid of him on the ground that an inscription on a large bell, which Hideyori caused to be cast for the Hokoji Temple, contained the two ideographs representing the name of Ieyasu in such a way as to signify his downfall. When the incident of Hoko-ji Temple bell occurred, Lady Okurakyo went to Sunpu to see Tokugawa Ieyasu. In this meeting, Ieyasu hatched a plot to induce a split among the people of the Toyotomi family. On one hand, Ieyasu proposed, humbly, a generous demand towards Lady Okurakyo. On the other hand, Ieyasu made severe demands on Katagiri Katsumoto, who represented the moderates and had been separately asking Ieyasu to save the Toyotomi family. At this time, the three proposals proposed by Katsumoto

"Hideyori's attendance at Sunpu and Edo", "Yodo-dono is held as a hostage", "Hideyori leaves Osaka Castle and moves to another domain"

Naturally, the opinions of Lady Okurakyo and Katsumoto differed and didn't dovetail. Watchful people at Osaka Castle came to believe that Katsumoto was a spy of Tokugawa and eventually, Katsumoto was forced to leave Osaka Castle despite the persuasion by Yodo-dono. Other moderate busho who watched the scene also gave up on the future of the Toyotomi family and left Osaka Castle. Because of this the Ono family came to be in a position to lead the Toyotomi family. In November 1614, Tokugawa Ieyasu decided not to let this force grow any larger, and led 164,000 men to Osaka. Afterwards, the pro-war faction within the Toyotomi family gained ascendancy and enlisted the services of ronin from various parts of the country to take part in the Winter campaign of the

, however; Ono clan orchestred with Yodo-dono and passively sued for peace, earning they the animosity of

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

's pro-war faction. In January 1615, Lady Okurakyo held a peace conference with

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 ...

(Yodo-dono's sister) and

Lady Acha Lady Acha or Acha no Tsubone (阿茶局, March 16, 1555 - February 16, 1637) was a Japanese noble woman from the Sengoku period to the early Edo period. She was a concubine of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Due to her intel ...

(Ieyasu's concubine) as representative of Toyotomi clan. The peace treaty was successfully carried out. In 1615 once again the Toyotomi clan rebelled with the Tokugawa clan. During the summer campaign of the siege of Osaka, Harunaga sent Senhime (daughter of

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was born to Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Lady Saigō on May ...

and Hideyori's wife) as a messenger for Ono, to plead for clemency for Hideyori and Yodo-dono; without waiting for answers,

, Lady Okurakyo, Lady Aeba and the four Ono brothers committed ''

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

'' in the flames of Osaka castle, ending the Toyotomi legacy. The final major uprising against Tokugawa rule was put to an end, leaving the shogunate unchallenged for approximately 250 years.

References

{{reflist samurai Suicides by seppuku Nannies 1615 deaths 16th-century births 17th-century Japanese women 16th-century Japanese women Women of the Sengoku period Female suicides Toyotomi retainers Japanese military personnel who died by suicide