Lady Kasuga
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Lady Kasuga (春日局 Kasuga no Tsubone?) (1579–October 26, 1643) was a prominent Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. Born Saitō Fuku (斉藤福?), she was a daughter of Saito Toshimitsu (who was a retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide). Her mother's father was Inaba Yoshimichi. Married to Inaba Masanari, she had three sons, including Inaba Masakatsu, and an adopted son, Hotta Masatoshi. She was the wet nurse of the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu. She also established the Ōoku, the women's quarters, at Edo Castle.
Fuku was promoted to the Junior Second Rank at the Imperial Court in Kyoto and awarded the title Lady Kasuga.
Her grave is in Rinshō-in, a temple in Bunkyō, Tokyo. The temple possesses a portrait of Kasuga by Kanō Tanyū. Another grave is in Odawara, Kanagawa.
The Kasuga neighborhood of Bunkyō takes its name from her.
Lady Kasuga has been the subject of various films and television series, and has been a character in many more. Among the most prominent are these:
- Jotei Kasuga no Tsubone (1990, directed by Sadao Nakajima)
- Oooku (2004) portrayed by Yuki Matsushita
- Kasuga no Tsubone (1989 NHK Taiga drama) portrayed by Reiko Ōhara
[edit] External references
- Jotei: Kasuga no tsubone at IMDB
