Kodai-in Temple

Japanese: 高台院 - こうだいいん

Year of death: 6 September 1624 (17 October 1624)
Year of birth: Unknown. She was Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Kita no Mandokoro. There are theories about her birth year, such as 1541 (Tenbun 10), 1542, or 1543, but in recent years the 1542 theory has become more popular. Her name was Yasuko, Yoshiko, and her nicknames were Nene or One. She was born as the daughter of Sugihara Sadatsu, and later became the adopted daughter of Asano Nagakatsu, the head of the Oda clan's foot soldiers. She married Kinoshita Tōkichirō (Toyotomi Hideyoshi), and in 1573 (Tenshō 1), she gained the status of the wife of the feudal lord of the three counties of Omisakata, Azai, and Ika. During her time in Nagahama Castle, she received a letter of red seal from her lord, Oda Nobunaga, urging her to behave "as a god would," treat Tōkichirō well, and not to become jealous. This letter of red seal shows the role of the wife in the "family" of medieval samurai, in which the wife was the head of the household when the husband was absent. One, who became the wife of the castle lord, also expressed her opinions on the governance of the territory and assisted in the internal affairs. When Hideyoshi became a junior first-rank regent and changed his surname to Fujiwara in 1581, she was called "the wife of the regent," or "Kita no Mandokoro," and in 1582 she was promoted to the rank of junior first rank. Since then, she has served as a negotiator between the Imperial Family and the Toyotomi Family. Hideyoshi summoned his concubine Yodo-dono during the siege of Odawara, likely because he wanted to entrust all future affairs, such as raising Yodo-dono's son Tsurumatsu and overseeing the internal affairs, to One. However, when Tsurumatsu died and Hideyori was born, the upbringing of Tsurumatsu was returned to his biological mother Yodo-dono, and the Hideyoshi-Yodo-dono-Hideyori line was positioned at the heart of the Toyotomi government. Although she held a special and high status among wives and concubines as a legitimate wife, it was only natural that Yodo-dono and Hideyori, mother and son, strengthened their self-assertion after Hideyoshi's death. One shaved her head to clearly show her status as a widow nun. In 1603 (Keicho 8), she was granted the title of Kodaiin, and in 1617, Kodaiji Temple was built. However, those around her would not allow her to be content with her role as a widow nun (praying for the soul of her husband), and warlords opposed to Ishida Mitsunari, such as Kato Kiyomasa and Tokugawa Ieyasu, gathered round, leading to conflict with Hideyori and Lord Yodo. It is believed that the division of the role of a widow into two roles, Kodaiin and Lord Yodo, was the cause of tragedy for the Toyotomi clan. She was buried in the Toyoko Mausoleum at Kodaiji Temple. <References> Kodaiji Documents, Kinoshita Family Genealogy, Watanabe Seisuke's The Private Life of Toyotomi Taiko, Kuwata Tadachika's Women in the Momoyama Period

(Tabata Yasuko)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：寛永1.9.6(1624.10.17)
生年：生年不詳
安土桃山時代,豊臣秀吉の正室。北政所。生年については天文10(1541)年説と17年,18年説があり,近年は18年説が有力である。名は寧子,吉子,愛称寧々またはおね。杉原定利の子として生まれ,のち,織田家足軽組頭浅野長勝の養女となる。木下藤吉郎(豊臣秀吉)と結婚し,天正1(1573)年には近江坂田,浅井,伊香3郡の大名の正室の地位を得ることになった。長浜城在城時代,主君織田信長から,「かみさまなりにおもおもしく」振る舞い,嫉妬をしないよう,うまく藤吉郎を扱うようにとの朱印状を得ている。この朱印状には,夫不在時には妻が家の重鎮であるという中世武士の「家」における妻の役割が示されている。城主の妻となったおねは,領内統治に対しても意見を述べ,内政を助けている。天正13年,秀吉が従一位関白となり藤原姓に改姓すると,「関白の女房」つまり「北政所」と称され,同16年には従一位に昇進した。以降,天皇家と豊臣家の折衝役を務めている。小田原攻めの際秀吉が側室淀殿を呼びよせたのは,淀殿の子鶴松の養育,内政の総覧など後事をすべておねに託そうとしたためであったと思われる。しかし鶴松が死去し秀頼が生まれると,その養育は実母淀殿の手に帰し,秀吉―淀殿―秀頼ラインが豊臣政権の中枢に位置づけられた。正室として妻妾のなかでは別格の高い地位を保っていたとはいえ,秀吉の死後,淀殿・秀頼母子が自己主張を強めたのは当然のなりゆきであった。おねは剃髪して後家尼としての姿を明確にする。慶長8(1603)年に高台院の院号を許され,10年には高台寺を建立。しかし後家尼役割(夫の菩提を弔うこと)のみに安住することは周囲が許さず,加藤清正,徳川家康ら反石田三成派の武将が参集し,秀頼・淀殿方と対立するに至った。後家役割が,高台院と淀殿という2つの人格に分掌されたことが豊臣家にとって悲劇の原因であったと考えられる。高台寺の豊公廟内に葬られる。<参考文献>『高台寺文書』『木下家譜』,渡辺世祐『豊太閤の私的生活』,桑田忠親『桃山時代の女性』

(田端泰子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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