Tofukumon-in

Japanese: 東福門院 - とうふくもんいん

Year of death: June 15, 1678 (August 2, 1678)
Year of birth: October 4, 1607 (November 23, 1607)
In the early Edo period, she was the Empress of Emperor Gomizunoo. She was the youngest daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada, the second Shogun of the Edo shogunate, and his wife Tatsuko (the third daughter of Azai Nagamasa, Oeyo no Kata, Sugen'in). Her name was Kazuko. She was born in Edo. It seems that her entry into the Imperial Court was planned soon after her birth, and negotiations between the Imperial Court and the Shogunate progressed in 1612 (Keicho 17). After that, due to the Siege of Osaka and the successive deaths of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor Goyozei, the process was delayed. There was also the incident with Oyotsu no Goryoin, and it was not until June 1620 (Genna 6) that she was able to enter the Imperial Court. Her stipend was 10,000 koku. She gave birth to two sons and five daughters, but two of them died young. In November 1624 (Kan'ei 1), she became the Empress. Five years later, amid friction with the shogunate, including the "Purple Robe Incident," Emperor Gomizunoo suddenly abdicated in favor of Princess Okishi (Emperor Meisho), daughter of Tofukumon'in. As a result, she was given the title of Rein. She subsequently became the foster mother of three emperors: Gokomyo (whose birth mother was Mibu-in), Gosai (whose birth mother was Oshunmon'in), and Reigen (whose birth mother was Shinkogimon'in). Tofukumon'in's entry into the Imperial Court supported the finances of the Imperial Court and saved the lives of many of Emperor Gomizunoo's sons and daughters. She was an indispensable presence in the formation of the court culture of the Kan'ei period. Her grave is in the Tsukinowa Mausoleum within the grounds of Sennyuji Temple in Kyoto. <References> Kumakura Isao, "Gomizunoo-in"

(Takako Kubo)

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

Japanese:

没年：延宝6.6.15(1678.8.2)
生年：慶長12.10.4(1607.11.23)
江戸前期,後水尾天皇の中宮。江戸幕府2代将軍徳川秀忠と御台所達子(浅井長政の3女。お江与の方,崇源院)の末娘。名は和子。江戸で生まれる。誕生後まもなくから入内が画策されていたようで,慶長17(1612)年には公武間で交渉が進んだ。その後,大坂の陣や徳川家康,後陽成天皇の相つぐ死などがあり延引。さらに御与津御寮人の一件もあり,入内が実現したのは元和6(1620)年6月のことであった。化粧料は1万石。2皇子5皇女を儲けたものの2皇子1皇女は夭折。寛永1(1624)年11月中宮となる。5年後,「紫衣事件」など幕府との軋轢のなか,後水尾天皇が東福門院所生の興子内親王(明正天皇)に突然譲位。これに伴い院号宣下を受けた。その後,後光明(生母は壬生院),後西(生母は逢春門院),霊元(生母は新広義門院)と3代の天皇の養母となる。東福門院の入内は禁裏の財政を支え,後水尾天皇の多くの皇子女の生活を救った。寛永の宮廷文化形成に欠くべからざる存在である。墓所は京都泉涌寺山内の月輪陵。<参考文献>熊倉功夫『後水尾院』

(久保貴子)

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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