, also known as was a Japanese woman 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

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nob ...

. She was a

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 ...

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 ...

, a Sengoku

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 ...

of the

Owari Province was a province of Japan in the area that today forms the western half of Aichi Prefecture, including the modern city of Nagoya. The province was created in 646. Owari bordered on Mikawa, Mino, and Ise Provinces. Owari and Mino provinces w ...

. She is said to have been the fourth daughter of Takabata Genjūrō (or Shinjirō), local ruling family 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, ...

. According to common belief, she married Ogura Sanefusa (or Sanezumi or Kataharu), lord of Takano Castle in Ōmi Province, and had two sons, but after Sanefusa's death in battle, she became a concubine of Nobunaga. She was the birth mother of Nobunaga's seventh son Nobutaka, eighth son Nobuyoshi and sixth daughter Ofuri. She played the role of a substantial legal wife in Nobunaga's later years, and was treated courteously by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Yodo-dono. She had a deep knowledge of

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and had contacts with the

kuge The was a Japanese Aristocracy (class), aristocratic Social class, class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th ce ...

Name

She is called ''Onabe no Kata'' because her

signature A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, Handwriting, handwritt ...

on a letter left at Sōfuku-ji is .

Life

In 1545, Onabe no Kata was born the daughter of Takabatake Genjūrō (or Shinjirō), a

Gōzoku , in Japanese, refers to powerful regional families. In historical context, it can refer to powerful non-royal families regardless of their area of influence, in contrast to the Imperial Family. The most powerful ''gōzoku'' families of the Yam ...

of Ōmi Province. The time is unknown, but before she became Oda Nobunaga's concubine, she married Ogura Sanefusa (or Sanezumi or Kataharu), a vassal of

Rokkaku Yoshikata was a samurai head of the Rokkaku clan during Japan's DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ''shugo">Sengoku period">DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ' ...

, and had sons with him, Jingorō and Matsuchiyo (or Matsuju). Sanefusa was a vassal of the

Rokkaku clan The was a Japanese samurai clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 53 of 80">"Rokkaku" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 49 According to one account, Sanefusa helped Nobunaga when he was targeted by Saitō Yoshitatsu">Saito Yoshitatsu's assassination squad in Kyoto, but the Ogura clan confronted the Rokkaku clan in 1564 and were defeated. Sanefusa was ordered to commit seppuku and died in 1565. Another theory is that Sanefusa assisted Nobunaga's escape from a predicament caused by his brother-in-law Azai Nagamasa's breaking of an alliance while attacking Asakura clan, Asakura in 1570. However, his lord, the Rokkaku Clan, was hostile to the Oda clan and angered that he had sided with Nobunaga, they attacked the Ogura Clan. Sanefusa was defeated and committed suicide. Her two sons were taken as hostages by the Rokkaku clan. Having lost her husband and even her sons taken away, Onabe no Kata became half-crazy, according to documents from the time. In order to get her sons back at any cost, she consulted with the Ogura clan's vassals and wrote a letter to Nobunaga, asking him to rescue them. Perhaps feeling indebted to Sanefusa, Nobunaga immediately agreed to her request and got her two sons back. Besides, he accepted them as vassals of the Oda clan. Furthermore, he made Onabe no Kata live in

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. ...

, and then made her his concubine. Onabe had two sons and a daughter with Nobunaga: Nobutaka, Nobuyoshi and Ofuri. After Nobunaga moved his base to

Azuchi Castle was one of the primary Castles in Japan, castles of Oda Nobunaga located in the Azuchi, Shiga, Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. The site of the castle was designated a Monuments of Japan, National Historic Site i ...

, she supported him as de facto

Midaidokoro The ''midaidokoro'' (御台所) was the official wife of the ''shōgun''. During the Edo period, she resided in the ''Ōoku'' of Edo Castle and sometimes wielded considerable political power behind the scenes. Heian period * Miyoshi Takako, wife ...

and was in charge of the Oda family's domestic affairs. Nobunaga's vassals also paid respect to Onabe no Kata as a substantial legal wife. In 1582, Nobunaga died a violent death at the Honnoji Incident. At this time, Matsuchiyo, the son of her ex-husband, was also killed.

Gamō Katahide was a Japanese daimyo of Gamō clan, a family of Christian daimyo from northern Honshu, during the Sengoku period through Azuchi–Momoyama periods. Katahide, the eldest son of Gamō Sadahide, was a retainer of the Rokkaku clan and later DF 53 o ...

, who was the guardian of Azuchi Castle, and his son, Ujisato, had Nobunaga's wives and children evacuate Azuchi Castle to Hino Castle, Gamo's residence. Onabe no Kata immediately set out to secure Nobunaga's Buddhist mortuary chapel. First, she went to Gifu Castle, the residence of Nobunaga's heir, Nobutada, and organised the remaining belongings. She then designated Sōfuku-ji in Mino Province as Nobunaga's mortuary chapel and decided to build a mausoleum and graves. On that occasion, she sent a letter in her own handwriting addressed to the temple, ordering the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

to refuse any attempt to disturb the temple, no matter who it might be. Hideyoshi Hashiba conducted Nobunaga's funeral at

Daitoku-ji is a Rinzai school Zen Buddhist temple in the Murasakino neighborhood of Kita-ku in the city of Kyoto Japan. Its ('' sangō'') is . The Daitoku-ji temple complex is one of the largest Zen temples in Kyoto, covering more than . In addition to ...

in Kyoto and built his tomb in its precincts. However, the tablets and belongings of Nobunaga and Nobutada were placed in Sōfuku-ji by Onabe no Kata. Later, when Hideyoshi became Nobunaga's successor, he protected Onabe no Kata by giving her 500 koku as a make-up fee, and also gave her sons Nobutaka and Nobuyoshi a fief. However, during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Nobutaka and Nobuyoshi joined the Toyotomi side (Western Army) and were imposed sanctions after the war and their estates were confiscated, as was Onabe's make-up fee. Nobutaka also died of illness in 1602. Her distress was saved by

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

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, both of whom had close ties to the Oda Clan.

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 ...

(actually Yodo-dono) gave her 50 koku and One gave her 30 koku. With their support, she spent her last years in Kyoto until her death in 1612. Onabe no Kata is laid to rest in the tomb of the Oda clan in Daitoku-ji Sōken-in.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyounin 1612 deaths Oda clan Japanese concubines Women of the Sengoku period 16th-century Japanese women 17th-century Japanese women