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*''Died: [[1912]]''

*''Died: [[1912]]''

Nishimiya Hide was a lady-in-waiting to Yoshiko, wife of [[Tokugawa Nariaki]], lord of [[Mito han]], prior to the [[Meiji Restoration]]. Like many others from elite backgrounds, she struggled to support herself and her family following the fall of the old social order.

Nishimiya Hide was a lady-in-waiting to [[Princess Yoshiko (Arisugawa no miya)|Yoshiko]], wife of [[Tokugawa Nariaki]], lord of [[Mito han]], prior to the [[Meiji Restoration]]. Like many others from elite backgrounds, she struggled to support herself and her family following the fall of the old social order.

==Edo==

==Edo==

At age 14, she fell seriously ill with the flu, of which her mother then died. For a few years following her recovery, despite her young age, Hide had to suddenly take on much of the responsibilities of the woman of the house, caring for her younger brother and sister, entertaining guests, and so forth. She wrote in her memoirs, "what I did not do did not get done."<ref>Walthall, 47.</ref> Before long, however, her father remarried, and his new wife took over much of these responsibilities, freeing Hide to apply to enter the service of Lord Nariaki's wife Yoshiko. The application included assessments of her skills at poetry and tea ceremony, and of her physical beauty.  

At age 14, she fell seriously ill with the flu, of which her mother then died. For a few years following her recovery, despite her young age, Hide had to suddenly take on much of the responsibilities of the woman of the house, caring for her younger brother and sister, entertaining guests, and so forth. She wrote in her memoirs, "what I did not do did not get done."<ref>Walthall, 47.</ref> Before long, however, her father remarried, and his new wife took over much of these responsibilities, freeing Hide to apply to enter the service of Lord Nariaki's wife Yoshiko. The application included assessments of her skills at poetry and tea ceremony, and of her physical beauty.  

She entered Lady Yoshiko's service in [[1850]], at the age of 16, being given her own maid, and her own room in a wing designated for the female attendants, at the clan's mansion in Komagome, where they had all relocated in [[1844]], after Nariaki fell out of favor with the shogun & his chief advisors. Hide would remain in Lady Yoshiko's service for nineteen years. At this Komagome mansion, Nariaki, having been ordered to refrain from manly pursuits, spent much of his time in the women's quarters, where Hide interacted with him on numerous occasions, exchanging poetry, playing incense games, and the like.

She entered Lady Yoshiko's service in [[1850]], at the age of 16, being given her own maid, and her own room in a wing designated for the female attendants, at the clan's mansion in [[Komagome]], where they had all relocated in [[1844]], after Nariaki fell out of favor with the shogun & his chief advisors. Hide would remain in Lady Yoshiko's service for nineteen years. At this Komagome mansion, Nariaki, having been ordered to refrain from manly pursuits, spent much of his time in the women's quarters, where Hide interacted with him on numerous occasions, exchanging poetry, playing incense games, and the like.

Nariaki began spending more time at the Koishikawa mansion again in [[1853]], having come back into favor with the shogunal authorities. For a time, he left Yoshiko (and therefore Hide and the other female attendants) at Komagome, but when Yoshiko's mother-in-law fell ill, she returned to Koishikawa, leaving Hide and a number of the other women behind to care for the house, and for the animals. Nariaki finally received permission in [[1855]] to return his whole family, and their attendants and so forth, to the Koishikawa mansion.

Nariaki began spending more time at the Koishikawa mansion again in [[1853]], having come back into favor with the shogunal authorities. For a time, he left Yoshiko (and therefore Hide and the other female attendants) at Komagome, but when Yoshiko's mother-in-law fell ill, she returned to Koishikawa, leaving Hide and a number of the other women behind to care for the house, and for the animals. Nariaki finally received permission in [[1855]] to return his whole family, and their attendants and so forth, to the Koishikawa mansion.

==Meiji==

==Meiji==

In [[1869]], Lady Yoshiko dramatically reduced the size of her staff, and Hide returned briefly to her father's residence at the Koishikawa mansion in [[Tokyo]]. Before long, they had to move again, and find a property of their own to rent, as the [[Mito Tokugawa clan]] could no longer afford to maintain their Tokyo mansion. Her father, though seventy years old at this time, was able to find work in the new [[Meiji government]], his expertise as a scholar of Japanese imperial history helping him obtain a position as assistant in charge of managing imperial tombs. In [[1872]], he retired from that position. He and Hide were summoned to Mito, and were obliged to re-settle there in order to maintain their family's ''[[shizoku]]'' (former samurai) status. Her father's stipend had been increased dramatically to 150 ''koku'' in [[1867]], and in order to maintain their status, and income, they agreed to relocate to Mito; unfortunately, ''shizoku'' stipends were cut severely by the Tokyo government shortly afterward. At some point around this time, her father changed the family name from Nishino to Nishimiya.

In [[1869]], Lady Yoshiko dramatically reduced the size of her staff, and Hide returned briefly to her father's residence at the [[Mito Edo mansion|Koishikawa mansion]] in [[Tokyo]]. Before long, they had to move again, and find a property of their own to rent, as the [[Mito Tokugawa clan]] could no longer afford to maintain their Tokyo mansion. Her father, though seventy years old at this time, was able to find work in the new [[Meiji government]], his expertise as a scholar of Japanese imperial history helping him obtain a position as assistant in charge of managing imperial tombs. In [[1872]], he retired from that position. He and Hide were summoned to Mito, and were obliged to re-settle there in order to maintain their family's ''[[shizoku]]'' (former samurai) status. Her father's stipend had been increased dramatically to 150 ''koku'' in [[1867]], and in order to maintain their status, and income, they agreed to relocate to Mito; unfortunately, ''shizoku'' stipends were cut severely by the Tokyo government shortly afterward. At some point around this time, her father changed the family name from Nishino to Nishimiya.

Hide, meanwhile, had she been able to remain in Yoshiko's service, might have been able to retire with a comfortable pension. Since she was not able to do that, she, her father, and her stepmother had to figure out some way to support the family, and to secure an heir. Her father adopted a man for her to marry, and after their son Nobutaka was born in [[1873]], the couple were divorced. After that, the family tried a number of things to make money to support themselves. They rented out futons for a brief time, then gave that up and tried raising chickens, but a fox destroyed their flock. For a few years after that, she found considerable, though brief, success establishing and running a [[geisha]] house. She recruited several geisha from Tokyo, and brought them to Mito, finding enough success that she was able to recruit several more shortly afterward. However, in [[1882]] after the geisha house burned down for the third time, she gave up on this endeavor as well, in part because of concerns of the negative impact of the geisha house upon her son's moral education. Her father died later that year.

Hide, meanwhile, had she been able to remain in Yoshiko's service, might have been able to retire with a comfortable pension. Since she was not able to do that, she, her father, and her stepmother had to figure out some way to support the family, and to secure an heir. Her father adopted a man for her to marry, and after their son Nobutaka was born in [[1873]], the couple were divorced. After that, the family tried a number of things to make money to support themselves. They rented out futons for a brief time, then gave that up and tried raising chickens, but a fox destroyed their flock. For a few years after that, she found considerable, though brief, success establishing and running a [[geisha]] house. She recruited several geisha from Tokyo, and brought them to Mito, finding enough success that she was able to recruit several more shortly afterward. However, in [[1882]] after the geisha house burned down for the third time, she gave up on this endeavor as well, in part because of concerns of the negative impact of the geisha house upon her son's moral education. Her father died later that year.

==References==

==References==

*[[Anne Walthall]], "Nishimiya Hide: Turning Palace Arts into Marketable Skills," in Walthall (ed.), ''The Human Tradition in Modern Japan," Scholarly Resources, Inc. (2002), 45-60.

*[[Anne Walthall]], "Nishimiya Hide: Turning Palace Arts into Marketable Skills," in Walthall (ed.), ''The Human Tradition in Modern Japan'', Scholarly Resources, Inc. (2002), 45-60.

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