Princess Atsuhime

Japanese: 篤姫 - あつひめ

She was the wife of Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate. She married into the Tokugawa family from the Satsuma domain, and after Iesada's death she took the name Tenshoin. She was in charge of the Ooku when the Shogunate collapsed. Born in 1836 (Tenpo 7) and died in 1883 (Meiji 16). She was born into the Imaizume family, a branch of the Shimazu clan, lords of the Satsuma domain, and her childhood names were Katsuko and Okatsu. At the age of 17, she was adopted by Shimazu Nariakira, lord of the domain, and changed her name to Atsuhime. The Tokugawa family were looking for a wife for Iesada, and the Shimazu family found a suitable girl as the lord's child. At the age of 20, following the custom of choosing a bride for the Shogun from among the nobles, she was adopted into the Konoe family, changed her name to Sumiko, and married Iesada (1856 (Ansei 3)). However, Iesada was in poor health and it was not expected that he would have children, so there was a conflict over the position of the next Shogun between those supporting Tokugawa Yoshitomi of the Kishu Domain and those supporting Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, the biological son of Mito Nariaki and adopted into the Hitotsubashi family. Atsuhime's foster father, Nariakira, was on the Hitotsubashi side and expected Atsuhime to change the will of the Ooku, who disliked Mito, to support Yoshinobu. However, Ii Naosuke, who had been appointed as the Chief Advisor, decided that Yoshitomi would be the heir. Shortly after this, Iesada died of an illness at the age of 34 (1858 (Ansei 5)). His marriage to Atsuhime lasted less than two years. In 1862 (Bunkyu 2), Yoshitomi, who had replaced him as the 14th Shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, took Princess Kazunomiya as his official wife. The relationship between Atsuhime, who was from a samurai family and had a strong sense of her role as the daughter-in-law of the Tokugawa family, and Kazunomiya, who was from an aristocratic family and could not let go of the Imperial Court customs, was not a happy one. The two cooperated with each other when, in 66 (Keio 2), after Iemochi's death, Yoshinobu, who became the 15th Shogun, returned power to the Emperor amid the growing movement to overthrow the Shogunate, and under the call for the restoration of Imperial Rule, the anti-Shogunate forces approached Edo (January to April 68 (Keio 4)). The two sent messengers to their parents' Imperial Court in Kyoto and to the Satsuma forces, which were at the center of the anti-Shogunate forces, to request the survival of the Tokugawa family. It is said that the letter that Atsuhime sent to Saigo Takamori, the Chief of Staff of the Tosei Daitokufu, played a particularly large role in the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle. Even when Edo Castle was surrendered, while some Shogunate officials fled, Atsuhime remained until the end as the person in charge of the Ooku. After the Meiji Restoration, she refused assistance from the Satsuma Domain, which had come to power, and continued to live a modest life while raising the 16th head of the Tokugawa family, Iesato. Her resolute character was also praised by Katsu Kaishu, who became the guardian of the Tokugawa family. When she died, she had about 60,000 yen in today's money.

(Writer: Makoto Takahashi / 2008)

Source : "Chiezo" published by Asahi Shimbun Publications Co., Ltd. About Chiezo

Japanese:

江戸幕府13代将軍・徳川家定の正室。薩摩藩から徳川家に嫁ぎ、家定没後は天璋院(てんしょういん)と号す。幕府崩壊時の大奥の責任者であった。1836(天保7)年生～83(明治16)年没。薩摩藩主島津氏の一門今和泉家に生まれ、幼名は一子(かつこ)、於一(おかつ)。17歳のとき、藩主島津斉彬(なりあきら)の養女となり、篤姫と改める。徳川家から家定の結婚相手を求められていた島津家が、ふさわしい女子を藩主の子としたのであった。20歳の時、将軍の嫁は公家から迎えるという慣例に倣い近衛家の養女となり敬子(すみこ)と改め、家定と結婚(56(安政3)年)。しかし家定は虚弱で、子をなすことは期待できなかったため、次期将軍の座をめぐって、紀州藩の徳川慶福(よしとみ)を推す派と、水戸斉昭の実子で一橋家養子の一橋慶喜(よしのぶ)を推す派が対立していた。篤姫の養父・斉彬は一橋派で、水戸嫌いの大奥の意向を慶喜支持に変えることを篤姫に期待していた。しかし大老に就任した井伊直弼が慶福を後嗣と決定。その直後、家定が34歳で病没する(58(安政5)年)。篤姫との結婚生活は2年もなかった。慶福改め14代将軍・徳川家茂(いえもち)は、62(文久2)年、皇女和宮を正室に迎え入れる。武家出身で徳川家の嫁の自覚を強く持っていた篤姫と、公家出身で御所風を捨てきれない和宮との嫁姑関係は、決して円満ではなかった。2人が協力しあったのは、家茂が亡き後の66(慶応2)年に15代将軍となった慶喜が、倒幕運動の高まりの中で大政奉還し、王政復古の大号令の下で、討幕軍が江戸に迫った時だった(68(慶応4)年1月～4月)。2人は、それぞれ実家の京都の宮中や討幕軍の中心になっていた薩摩軍に使者を送り、徳川家の存続を求めた。特に、江戸城無血開城には、篤姫が東征大総督府下参謀・西郷隆盛に送った手紙の功が大きかったと言われている。江戸城明け渡しに際しても、逃げ出す幕臣がいる中で、篤姫は大奥の責任者として最後まで留まった。維新後は、政権の座についた薩摩藩からの援助も拒否して質素な生活を続けながら、徳川宗家16代家達(いえさと)を養育した。彼女の毅然とした性格は、徳川家の後見人格となった勝海舟も称賛している。亡くなったときの所持金は、今の金額にして6万円だったという。

(高橋誠ライター／ 2008年)

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