(January 11, 1561 – October 22, 1634) was a Japanese woman who lived from 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 ...

to the early

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. She was the sister of

Kyōgoku Takatsugu was a ''daimyō'' (military feudal lord) of Ōmi Province and Wakasa Province during the late Sengoku period of History of Japan, Japan's history.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Edmond. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 27–28./ref> Biography His chi ...

. She was first the wife of Wakasa ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' Takeda Motoaki, but after his death she became

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: ...

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

. Her cousin, Chacha, was also a concubine and both of them were best friends. Hideyoshi granted her the name . After Hideyoshi's death she became a nun under the name . She also moved to Ōtsu Castle, which was under the command of her brother, in

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

, and she was there when the siege of Ōtsu occurred.

Biography

Kyogoku Tatsuko, also known as Jikko-in (寿芳院) was born into the prestigious Kyoto-based Kyogoku family, with her father being Kyogoku Takayoshi and her mother, the daughter of Azai Hisamasa, being named Kyogoku Maria. She had siblings as well, including her brother, Kyogoku Takatsugu (some sources suggest he might have been her cousin), and her younger brother, Kyogoku Takachika. She was related to

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering ...

, her uncle, and was a cousin to the Azai sisters

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Oeyo , , or : 1573 – September 15, 1626) was a noblewoman in Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period and early Edo period. She was a daughter of Oichi and the sister of Yodo-dono and Ohatsu. When she rose to higher political status during the Tokugawa s ...

. Kyogoku Tatsuko's lineage traced back to the main branch of the Kyogoku clan, who were originally the lords of the Hokuriku region in Omi Province. Due to this illustrious heritage, she could claim to be from a more distinguished family than Yodo-dono, who was known for her marriage to

and was of lower birth.

Life journey

In her youth, Kyogoku Tatsuko married Takeda Motoaki, a local guardian in

Wakasa Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the southwestern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Wakasa''" in . Wakasa bordered on Echizen, Ōmi, Tanba, Tango, and Yamash ...

. Together, they had two sons and one daughter. After her husband Motoaki returned from

Echizen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga Province, Kaga, Wakasa Province, Wakasa, Hida Province, Hida, and Ōmi Provin ...

, where he had been stationed, he was granted control over the 3,000-koku territory of Kozukuri Castle in Omi Province by

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

. Kyogoku Tatsuko joined her husband in the town of Ishiyama in Omi Province. However, following the Incident at Honnoji, her husband Motoaki, aiming to secure control over all of Wakasa Province, aligned himself with

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period. Mitsuhide was originally a bodyguard of the last Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later, one of ...

, leading to a confrontation with the allied forces of Niwa Nagahide and Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi). Motoaki was defeated and killed by these forces. Kyogoku Tatsuko, hailing from the Kyogoku clan, a former ruling family in Omi Province, was captured and subsequently became one of Hideyoshi's concubines. Throughout her time as Hideyoshi's concubine, Kyogoku Tatsuko accompanied him to various locations, including

Odawara Castle is a reconstructed Japanese castle in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The current donjon (keep) was constructed out of reinforced concrete in 1960 on a stone foundation of the former donjon, torn down from 1870–1872 ...

and

Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, Japan. Nagoya Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in the Sengoku period. Nagoya Castle was the heart of one of the ...

. She was allowed to use the third best palanquin during the cherry blossom viewing party at Daigo, and these facts indicate that she was one of Hideyoshi's favorite concubines. A portrait of Kyogoku Tatsuko has been preserved at Seigan-ji Temple in Kyoto, depicting her in her forties, highlighting her exceptional beauty.

Later life

Following Hideyoshi's passing, Kyogoku Tatsuko sought refuge at Otsu Castle, where her brother Kyogoku Takatsugu resided. When Otsu Castle came under attack by the Osaka forces prior to 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, ...

in 1600, records from the Chikushi Kobunsho mention Kyogoku Tatsuko's presence in the inner citadel. After the battle, she took religious vows and assumed the name Jikko-in, residing at Saiho-in Temple in the Western Dojo-in Monastery. In August of the ninth year of the Keicho era (1604), she visited Toyokuni Shrine along with Lady Takadai-nyo Sugihara (杉原氏) and Goho-hime. She requested a special prayer service from the miko (巫女) of Ohara during the Bon festival. Tatsuko often sent presents to Osaka Castle and visited the castle to see Toyotomi Hideyori. According to "Shunkyuki," even after Hideyoshi's death, she continued to have friendly relationships with Kodai-in and Yodo-dono as a member of the Toyotomi family. A letter written on July 8 of the same year from Myoshin-ji Temple in Kyoto reveals that Toyotomi Hideyori sent a letter to the Matsunomaru Palace (松の丸殿) as part of Bon festival greetings, acknowledging Kyogoku Tatsuko's forthcoming visit to Osaka Castle. This visit during the Keicho era, when Matsunomaru Palace visited Osaka Castle to inquire after Hideyori's well-being, is well-documented. After the siege of Osaka in the summer, Kyogoku Tatsuko protected a lady-in-waiting named Kiku, who was a maid of Yodo-dono, and received the body of Kunimatsu, the son of Hideyori, who had been executed at Rokujogawara. She buried Kunimatsu at Seigan-ji Temple in Kyoto. On September 1, 1634, Kyogoku Tatsuko died at her residence in Nishi Dojo-in, Kyoto, and was posthumously named Jikko-in Don Gekko Sekihisa Daizenjo-ni. Her final resting place was initially at Seigan-ji Temple in Kyoto, but her current tomb is located at Toyokuni Shrine.

Sources

* Kuwata Tadachika, "Research on Toyotomi Hideyoshi," Kawade Shobo Publishers, 1975. * Watanabe Seyu, "The Private Life of Toyotomi Taiko," Kodansha, 1980 (Originally published by Sohensha in 1939).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyogoku, Tatsuko Year of birth unknown 1634 deaths 17th-century Japanese women Kyōgoku clan Women of the Sengoku period 17th-century Japanese people Japanese concubines