Oeyo (於江与 ), Gō (江 ), Ogō (小督 ) or Satoko (達子 ) : 1573 – September 15, 1626) was a prominently-placed female figure in late-Sengoku period. She married three times, first to Saji Kazunari, her cousin, then to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's nephew Toyotomi Hidekatsu. She had a daughter named Sada with Hidekatsu, but he passed away due to an illness during the Korean War. Her third and last husband Tokugawa Hidetada became the second Tokugawa shogun. She was also the mother of his successor Iemitsu, the third shogun. She had Senhime, Tamahime, Katsuhime, Hatsuhime, Takechiyo (Iemitsu), and Tadanaga. Hatsuhime was adopted by Oeyo's sister Ohatsu, who is the wife of Kyogoku Takatsugu.
Hidetada's changing fortunes affected Oeyo's life as well. Surviving record books from merchants of luxury goods provide insight into patterns of patronage and taste amongst the privileged class of women like Oeyo and her sisters.[1]
Contents |
Oeyo, also known as Ogō, was the third and youngest daughter of the Sengoku period daimyo Azai Nagamasa. Her mother, Oichi was the younger sister of Oda Nobunaga.[2] Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the adoptive father and protector of Oeyo in the period before her marriage.[3]
Oeyo's oldest sister, styled Yodo-dono, Cha-Cha in birth name, was a prominent concubine of Hideyoshi who gave birth to his heir, Toyotomi Hideyori.[2]
Oeyo's middle sister, Ohatsu was the wife of Kyōgoku Takatsugu and the mother of Kyōgoku Tadataka.[2]
After Hidetada resigned the government to his eldest son in 1623, Oeyo took a Buddhist name, Sūgen'in (崇源院 ) or Sogenin. Her mausoleum can be found at Zōjō-ji in the Shiba neighborhood of Tokyo.[4]
NHK's 2011 Taiga drama, Gō: Himetachi no Sengoku, is based on the life of Oeyo who is played by the actress Juri Ueno.[5]