- Birth: 1836/12/19
- Death: 1883/11/12
- Birth Name: 島津敬子 (Shimazu Sumiko)
- Married Name: 徳川 篤姫 (Tokugawa Atsu-hime)
- Retired Name: 天璋院 (Tenshô-in)
The wife of the thirteenth shogun Tokugawa Iesada (1824-1858).
Atsu-hime [1] was born the daughter of Shimazu Tadatake (島津忠剛), the head of a branch of the powerful Shimazu family, that of the lords of the Satsuma fief of southern Kyushu. She was adopted by the lord of the fief, Shimizu Nariakira and given the name Atsu. Adopting the daughter of a branch house or a high-ranking retainer for use in marriage politics was not an unusual practice in Japan; it was much used by Tokugawa Ieyasu, among others. In Atsu's case, Nariakira intended to marry her to the shogun Tokugawa Iesada. However, Nariakira's purpose was not to become the grandfather of the future shogun. Iesada had already buried two wives and was still childless. His successor had to be chosen from amoung the heads of several Tokugawa branch houses. The most natural one was his cousin, the young lord of Kii Iemochi (1846-1866). However, Yoshinobu (1837-1913), originally of the Tokugawa Mito branch, but adopted into the Hitotsubashi branch, was also a strong candidate. The latter was supported by those, including Nariakira, who believed the shogunate needed a strong leader who could make necessary reforms, especially in view of the foreign threat typified by the visit of Matthew Perry in 1853. It was hoped that Atsu could be influential in getting Yoshinobu named as successor. The "outer lords," (Tozama Daimyo) including the Shimazu, had been shut out of the shogunate administration since the beginning, but from the shogunate side it was hoped that this marriage would strenghten the weakening shogunate with this powerful clan.
As the wife of the shogun was supposed to be from the imperial family or from a high-ranking imperial noble (Kuge) family, Atsu was adopted by the Minister of the Right, Konoe Tadahiro. [2] Then in the 11th month of 1856, she entered Edo Castle as the wife of the shogun. The next year she was formally given the title of Mi-dokoro, the wife of the shogun, and Third Degree rank.
However, Atsu was not able to exersize the influence that had been hoped. Iesada died in the 7th month of 1858, naming as his heir the young lord of Kii. Two months after her husband's death Atsu-hime retired and took the name Tenshô-in. She remained living in Edo castle during the shogunate of Iemochi and that of Yoshinobu, who became shogun in 1866.
During this time, the Satsuma clan joined forces with the Chôshû clan in support of the imperial restoration against the shogunate, and events eventually errupted into the Boshin War (1868), ending with the overthrow of the shogunate. At the end of the war, Tenshô-in (Atsu), who was from Satsuma, and Seikan-In no Miya (静寛院宮) (formerly Kazu no Miya 和宮), the widow of Shogun Iemochi and the daughter of Emperor Ninkô, successfully interceded with the victors for the continuance of the Tokugawa family. After the fall of Edo Casle, Tenshô-in and the rest of the Tokugawa family were deprived of their rank. She moved to the Hitotsubashi mansion and concentrated on raising the Yoshinobu's heir Yasuda Kamenosuke (田安亀之助) (Tokugawa Iesato 徳川家達). She died in 1883. Upon her death her rank was restored.
Atsu Hime is to be the subject of the NHK Taiga Drama of 2008.
Notes
- ↑ "Hime," often translated "princess," is a title used with the personal name of a woman of high rank, such as the daughter of a daimyo.
- ↑ A similar route had been chosen when a woman from the Shimizu family (Kôdai-In 広大院) married the 11th shogun Tokugawa Ienari. In that case, they had been engaged before he was chosen as shogun. One of Kôdai-In's names was Atsu-hime.
References
- 明治維新人名辞典, 日本歴史学会編集、吉川弘文館, 1981 (Dictionary of Personal Names of the Meiji Restoration).