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, also known as Sendai Takao or Manji Takao,〔Yasutaka, Teruoka. "The pleasure quarters and Tokugawa culture," in ''18th Century Japan: Culture and Society''. C. Andrew Gerstle, ed. p. 15〕 was a ''tayū'' (courtesan or oiran) of the Yoshiwara, one of the most famous of Japan's Edo period. She debuted in 1655 as the leading courtesan of the Great Miura, the most prestigious Yoshiwara brothel of the day, and rapidly became the leading courtesan of the entire Yoshiwara.〔Yasutaka, Teruoka. "The pleasure quarters and Tokugawa culture," in ''18th Century Japan: Culture and Society''. C. Andrew Gerstle, ed. p. 15〕 Takao II would be one of between six and eleven courtesans to hold the ''myōseki'' (inherited name) of Takao. She is particularly famous for her affair with daimyō Date Tsunamune; some time after her death, her story would be featured in kabuki (in the play titled ''Meiboku Sendai Hagi''), in song and literature, though much of it would be fabricated and fictionalized.〔Seigle, Cecilia Segawa. Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. p. 59〕 ==Portrayal in Literature== According to the tale, Date Tsunamune, the young daimyō of Mutsu, visited the Yoshiwara as the result of a dispute involving family politics. His uncle sought to undermine his reputation in order to replace Date Tsunamune with the uncle's son, and indirectly encouraged Date Tsunamune to debauch himself in the pleasure quarters. Date Tsunamune fell in love with Takao, but Takao rejected him, as she had promised to marry her lover at the end of her contract with the brothel. Tsunamune offered to buy out her contract by paying gold equal to her weight. The brothel owner weighted her sleeves down with iron until she weighed more than 165 pounds. Tsunamune paid.〔Seigle, Cecilia Segawa. Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. pp. 59-60〕 According to one version, on the boat to Date Tsunamune's home, at a spot on the river called Three Forks (''Mitsumata''), Takao tried to leap into the river to either escape or drown. Tsunamune flew into a rage and killed her with his blade, then flung her body into the river. Tsunamune's uncle used the murder to force Tsunamune into retirement.〔Seigle, Cecilia Segawa. Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. pp. 59-60〕 According to a second version, Takao refused Tsunamune even after he bought her freedom, so he had one of her fingers broken each day for ten days. When she continued to defy him, he had her taken to Mitsumata and hanged.〔Yasutaka, Teruoka. "The pleasure quarters and Tokugawa culture," in ''18th Century Japan: Culture and Society''. C. Andrew Gerstle, ed. p. 15〕 This is the tale popularized in kabuki theatre, in song, poetry and literature. 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「Takao II」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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