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(1552 – 1 July 1589), also known as Oai, was the first consort and trusted confidante of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord who unified Japan at the end of the sixteenth century and then ruled as ''Shogun''. She was also the mother of the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. During their relationship, Lady Saigō influenced Ieyasu's philosophies, choice of allies, and policies as he rose to power during the late Sengoku period, and she thus had an indirect effect on the organization and composition of the Tokugawa shogunate. Although less is known of her than some other figures of the era, she is generally regarded as the "power behind the throne", and her life has been compared to a "Cinderella story" of feudal Japan.〔Mochida (2000–2013).〕 Her contributions were considered so significant that she was posthumously inducted to the Senior First Rank of the Imperial Court, the highest honor that could be conferred by the Emperor of Japan. Once she was in a respected and secure position as first consort and mother to Ieyasu's heir, Lady Saigō used her influence and wealth for charitable purposes. A devout Buddhist, she donated money to temples in Suruga province, where she resided as the consort of Ieyasu, first in Hamamatsu Castle and later in Sunpu Castle. As she was quite near-sighted, she also established a charitable organization that assisted visually impaired women with no other means of support. Lady Saigō died at a fairly young age, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Although murder was suspected, no culprit was identified. Lady Saigō bore four children: she had a son and a daughter (Saigō Katsutada and Tokuhime) while married, and she later bore two sons as the consort of Tokugawa Ieyasu: Tokugawa Hidetada and Matsudaira Tadayoshi. Among the descendants of Lady Saigō was the Empress Meishō (1624–1696), one of very few women to accede to the Chrysanthemum Throne as empress regnant. ==Name== The term "Saigō-no-Tsubone", used in most historical texts, is an official title rather than a name. As an adult she was adopted into the Saigō clan, so she was permitted to use the surname. Later, when she was named first consort of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the title "tsubone" (pronounced ) was appended to the surname. The title was one of several titular suffixes conferred on high ranking women (others include ''-kata'' and ''-dono''). The bestowal of a title depended on social class and the relationship with her samurai lord, such as whether she was a legitimate wife or a concubine, and whether or not she had had children by him.〔(Downer (2008) ).〕〔Hata (2008), pp. 172–190, pp. 175–8.〕 The word ''tsubone'' indicates the living quarters reserved for ladies of a court,〔Griffis (1915), p. 88.〕 and it became the title for those who had been granted private quarters, such as high-ranking concubines with children.〔 This title, ''tsubone'', was in use for concubines from the Heian Period until the Meiji Period (from the eighth century to the early twentieth century),〔〔Akiyama (1990)〕 and is commonly translated to the English title "Lady".〔〔Murdoch (1996), p. 3.〕 Though Lady Saigō's given name does not appear in surviving documents from the time, there is good evidence it was Masako (昌子), but this name is very rarely used. Her most commonly used name was Oai (お愛 or 於愛, meaning "love") and most sources agree this was a nickname she gained as a child.〔Hōdai-in (2010).〕〔Kobayashi and Makino (1994), p. 392.〕〔Hyodo ''et al.'' (2007), p. 546.〕〔Nakashima (1999), p. 79.〕〔Nihon (2007), pp. 78–79.〕 Intimate friends and family would call her Oai throughout her life, and it is the name most often used in modern popular cultural references. Following death, she was bestowed with a Buddhist posthumous name, and an abbreviation of that name, Hōdai-in (宝台院), is sometimes used out of pious respect.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lady Saigō」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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