Kōzōsu (孝蔵主) was a Japanese noble lady, aristocrat 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 ...

. She was the daughter of Kawazoe Katsuhige, a retainer of the

Gamō clan The was a Christian Japanese clan prominent during the Sengoku Period which claimed descent from the Fujiwara clan. Gamō clan heads (before taking Gamō name) # Fujiwara no Hidesato # Fujiwara Chitsuji # Fujiwara Senkiyo # Fujiwara Yorikiyo # ...

. She was an elite female officer under Nene's command and chief secretary to

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: ...

. Although her true name remains a mystery, she was an elite female officer under Nene's command and chief secretary to

, and later served as the chief lady-in-waiting to

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 ...

. "Kōzōsu" was her courtly title as a lady-in-waiting, signifying her distinguished position. During the

Toyotomi 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 primar ...

administration she possessed such authority that it was said that while

Asano Nagamasa was the brother-in-law of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and one of his chief advisors. Asano also fought for Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi in a number of campaigns during the Sengoku period of the 16th century in Japan. He was sent to Korea as one of the Thre ...

may run matters outside, Kōzōsu ran matters inside. She accompanied the Toyotomi clan in Japan's unification campaigns.

Life

Service to Nene

The exact commencement of her service to Nene (Kodai-in) remains uncertain, but by the time Toyotomi Hideyoshi ascended to the position of Kanpaku (Imperial Regent), she had assumed responsibility for managing the inner affairs of the court. In 1590, during the 18th year of the Tenshō era, she sent a formal inquiry letter to Date Masamune, who was suspected of rebellion, on behalf of Hideyoshi. Moreover, In 1597, she supervised practical matters when the punitive relocation of

Kobayakawa Hideaki (1577 – December 1, 1602) was the fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and a nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was gained the rank of ''Saemon no Kami'' (左衛門督) or in China ''Shikkingo'' (執金吾) at genpuku and held the court title of ...

, from Chikuzen Province to Echizen Province was decided. She was even entrusted with persuading

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was a during the Sengoku period of Japan. He was the nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the unifier and ruler of Japan from 1590 to 1598. Despite being Hideyoshi's closest adult, male relative, Hidetsugu was accused of atrocities and at ...

, who was accused of treason, to present himself at Osaka Castle. Her role in delivering tribute items to the Imperial Court further underscored her prominent status among the lady-in-waiting staff of Nene. Consequently, it was said that "Asano Nagamasa handles external matters, while Kōzōsu manages internal affairs," highlighting her authority. She also preserved the tanzaku (small strips of paper) bearing Toyotomi Hideyoshi's final poem, "Like dew, I fall, like dew, I vanish; what I am, who can know? Naniwa, a dream within a dream," which was composed in April 1588 during the visit of

Emperor Go-Yōzei was the 107th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Yōzei's reign spanned the years 1586 through to his abdication in 1611, corresponding to the transition between the Azuchi–Momoyama period and the Edo period ...

to Jurakudai. She retained this tanzaku for an extended period.

Sekigahara Campaign

Following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Kōzōsu, along with Nene, left Osaka Castle in 1599 and relocated to Sanbonmoku, near modern-day Gion in Kyoto. After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the power of the

declined and Japan would go to war again. In 1600 in 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, ...

, the country was divided in two armys,

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 ...

of the Western army against the Eastern Army of

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 ...

. Kozosu continued to serve as an attendant to Nene at this time. It is said that Kosozu supported the Western army as well as Nene, involving herself in tasks such as negotiating peace settlements during the

Siege of Ōtsu The took place in 1600, concurrent with the battle of Sekigahara. Kyogoku Takatsugu, Kyōgoku Takatsugu held Otsu, Shiga, Ōtsu castle for the Tokugawa clan, Tokugawa, and commanded the garrison. Mōri Terumoto, Tachibana Muneshige, and rough ...

Castle and negotiating with

. The Battle of Sekigahara ended in Tokugawa's favor and many of the Toyotomi clan's loyalists were penalized.

Service to Tokugawa Hidetada

In 1603, three years after the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu becomes Shogun. This caused much discontent with Toyotomi loyalists, which would lead to civil war between Toyotomi and Tokugawa again in 1614. However, in 1614, just before 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 ...

, Kosozu went to Suruga Province (present-day Shizuoka) and later received a residence in Edo Castle's vicinity from Tokugawa Hidetada. In October 1625, she was granted a 200-koku domain in Fukai Village, Kawachi Province (now part of Osaka Prefecture) in the October following Nene's first memorial service after her death in 1624.

Legacy and death

Kozosu died in 1626, a year after becoming a castelan in

Kawachi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as . Geography The area was radically different in th ...

, never having married or borne children. Her nephew, Kawasoe Shigetsugu (who died during the Siege of Osaka), became her adopted son and inherited the 200-koku domain. She is interred at Nansen-ji Temple in Nishi-Nippori, Arakawa Ward, Tokyo.

Relocation to Edo

The circumstances surrounding her move to Edo remain shrouded in mystery. Several hypotheses have been proposed: # She abandoned Nene after losing faith in the Toyotomi clan. # She fled to Edo out of fear for her life due to suspicions of collusion with the Tokugawa shogunate raised 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 ...

. # She initially supported the Western Army during the

, given her family ties to

(her nephew, Okabe Shigemasa, was married to Mitsunari's second daughter). However, after the deaths of Mitsunari and his allies, she severed ties with them and began communicating with the Toyotomi loyalists, which Kōzōsu strongly opposed. # To repay the kindness she and Nene had shown to Tokugawa Hidetada when he was sent to Hideyoshi's service as a 12-year-old hostage, Kōzōsu was invited to Edo with Nene's consent. # Her relocation was orchestrated by Tokugawa Ieyasu as part of a broader strategy to ease tensions and foster reconciliation between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans. These conflicting theories continue to fuel the enduring mystery surrounding Kosozu's move to Edo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kōzōsu Women of the Sengoku period 16th-century Japanese nobility Women in 16th-century warfare 16th-century Japanese women 17th-century Japanese women Women in 17th-century warfare 16th-century women politicians