Ono Otsu - Ono Otsu

Date of birth and death unknown. A woman said to be the author of "Junidan-soshi" (The Tale of Princess Joruri), a love story between Ushiwakamaru and Princess Joruri, which is said to be the origin of Joruri. She is said to have been a maid to Oda Nobunaga or his wife, or Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his wife, or a maid to Tofukumon'in or Shinjotomon'in, but it is unclear. According to the Dai Nihon Shiryo, she was the daughter of Ono Masahide and served Hideyoshi's wife Yodo-dono. In any case, the legend of Princess Joruri itself has existed long before Otsu, so today the prevailing theory is that she was not the author of "The Tale of Princess Joruri" but rather the person who adapted it to tell the tale with twists and turns.

[Hideo Furuido]

Among the "Daigo Hanami Tanzaku" (Daigoji Temple, Kyoto) left by attendees at the Daigo cherry blossom viewing party hosted by Hideyoshi in 1598 (Keicho 3), two pieces by Otome still remain, suggesting that she was within the area of ​​Osaka Castle at the time. In the history of calligraphy, she is celebrated as one of the leading female calligraphers of her time, and many of her witty and original self-portraits have been handed down, including a portrait of Kakinomoto Hitomaro in the style of hidden-word paintings and a drawing of Bodhidharma, and her handwriting was later printed on wood as a model.

[Shigeru Matsubara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。浄瑠璃(じょうるり)の起源とされる牛若丸と浄瑠璃姫の恋物語である『十二段草子(じゅうにだんそうし)』（浄瑠璃姫物語）の作者と伝えられる女性。織田信長ないしは信長夫人、または豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉・秀吉夫人の侍女とも、東福門院・新上東門院の侍女とも伝えられるが不明。大日本史料では小野正秀の娘で秀吉夫人の淀君(よどぎみ)に仕えたとされる。いずれにせよ浄瑠璃姫の伝説自体はお通よりはるか以前から存在しているので、今日では『浄瑠璃姫物語』の作者ではなく、曲節をつけて語るように改作した人物とする説が有力になっている。

［古井戸秀夫］

　1598年（慶長3）、秀吉主催の醍醐(だいご)の花見に参会者が残した「醍醐花見短籍」（京都・醍醐寺）のなかにお通のものが2枚現存し、彼女が当時、大坂城圏内にあったことを示唆する。書道史上、彼女は当代を代表する女筆としてうたわれ、ほかにも字隠し絵風の柿本人麿(かきのもとひとまろ)像や達磨(だるま)図など、才知に富む洒脱(しゃだつ)な自画賛ものも伝存し、その筆跡は後年、手本として板行されている。

［松原　茂］

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