The “truth” of Yododono, who was treated as a “snake woman”.　The “truth” of Yododono, who was treated as a “snake woman

Were women such as Hojo Masako, Yododono, and Yaoyaya Oshichi, who have been described in history as “bad women” or “poison women,” really “bad women”?

On May 27, “Japanese History of Poisonous Women” (Tetsujinsha) was published, in which history writer Akira Kobayashi examines 25 women, ranging from myths and folklore to famous historical women, who remain infamous today. From the book, we present a partially edited version of “Yododono. What is the “true face” of Yododono, who was described by later generations as the “poison lady” who drove the Toyotomi family to ruin?

She was described as “amorous,” “snake-bodied,” “arrogant,” and so on.

Yodo-no-kimi, not only had a good face, but also had a fondness for sex” (Yodo-kun was not only good in capacity, but also had a fondness for sex).

Yodo-kun’s true identity was that of a serpentine monster.

This is a late Edo period evaluation of Yodogun, who was a concubine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Yodo-kun was called “amorous” and “a specter,” among other unfavorable comments. It has long been pointed out that the term “Yodo-kun” has a derogatory connotation.

Yodo-kun” is a reference to Tsujikun (also called “nighthawk”), a prostitute of the lowest rank in the Edo period, a woman who sold spring on the side of the road. Such an evil woman defied Ieyasu and drove Toyotomi to ruin.

In other words, at the end of the Sengoku period, Toyotomi was poisoned by a prostitute named Yodo-kun, which was the reason for the downfall of Hideyoshi and Hideyori after only two generations.

Literary sources on Yodo-kun are limited. In the historical records of the same period, Yodo-kun was called “Chacha” (her actual name) in her early years, and “Yodo’s Wife” or “Ninomaru-dono” (since she lived in Ninomaru, Osaka Castle) after she became Hideyoshi’s wife. Although she is so famous that she is said to be one of the “three most evil women in Japan” along with Hojo Masako and Hino Tomiko, little is known about her real image. Nevertheless, people have always assumed that she was a bad woman.

Even after the start of the Meiji period (1868-1912), she continued to be held in low esteem.

After Hideyoshi’s death, she became a haughty woman who could not control her own arrogance and arbitrariness, and became the wife of Harunaga Ohno.

Arrogant and arbitrary: read as “shōshi” (lack of moderation). Kyoufu = “haughty woman” is a woman who is haughty and temperamental, and shisu = to personalize or obtain. When Hideyoshi died, she became an arrogant, self-indulgent, slutty, and uncontrollable woman who took Harunaga as her own – the most abusive word ever.

Ono Harunaga was a military commander who was a close associate of Yodo-kun and her son Toyotomi Hideyori, who was considered to be Hideyori’s biological father, as will be explained later. The fact that such a theory of unfaithfulness was spread also indicates that Yodogun, whose true image is difficult to grasp, was the subject of gossip.

Here, we would like to clarify what kind of woman Yodo-kun really was. Since the term “Yodo-dono” has become common in recent years, I will henceforth refer to her as “Yodo-dono.

Yododono and Harunaga Ohno eloped!

Yododono’s life was a series of ups and downs, and if one only looks at her biography, she is a tragic heroine in her own right. The reason why Yododono was labeled as a “poisoned wife” is, at the end of the day, the question of whether Toyotomi Hideyori was really the son of Hideyoshi. The story goes that Hideyori’s real father was not Hideyoshi, but that Yododono was unfaithful and gave birth to a child, who successfully succeeded to the throne of Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan.

In fact, Hideyoshi had not been blessed with a child for a long time, but Yododono became a consort of Hideyoshi and soon had a child. The first child, named Tsurumatsu, died prematurely at the age of three, but Hideyori was born two years later. It seemed strange that Yodono should have two children while Hideyoshi had many wives and concubines in addition to his wife Nene (later Kita Masasho), whom he had been married to since he was young.

However, according to tradition, Hideyoshi had a son named “Hidekatsu” (infant name Ishimatsumaru) when he was lord of Nagahama Castle (1573-), and he died in 1576. An old photo of a scroll supposedly representing Hidekatsu Hashiba remains at Myohoji Temple in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture (the original scroll was destroyed by fire).

However, historical researchers are divided in their opinions as to whether Hidekatsu actually existed or, if he did, whether he was Hideyoshi’s biological son, and the truth is still unknown. However, since the infant mortality rate must have been high during the Warring States period, it would not be particularly surprising if there were other illegitimate children of Hideyoshi who died without being recorded.

Now, let us return to Yododono.

An old document “Hagi hanbun ryoroku” passed down in the Mori family tells us of Yododono’s disorderly behavior. It is dated December 2, 1599.

The document states, “An incident occurred in which a man named Harunaga Ono, who had a good command of the court, had a secret affair with Lady Yodo, the mother of Hideyori Ogochi, and although he tried to defeat her, she was later taken over by the Ukita family.

Yododono and Harunaga Ohno were punished for having a male-female relationship.

It is true that Harunaga was given to another family in October of the same year. However, the problem was that he was accused of plotting to assassinate Ieyasu, and he was entrusted to the Yuki clan in Shimousa Province (northern Chiba Prefecture and southwestern Ibaraki Prefecture), which was ruled by Ieyasu’s son, Yuki Hideyasu. This document is not very trustworthy, as it clearly misrepresents the attempted assassination of Ieyasu as a clandestine affair, and Yuki as Ukita.

There are other evidence that rumors of a secret affair between Yododono and Harunaga were circulating. For example, there is the “Tamonin Nikki (Diary of Tamonin)” kept at Tamonin Temple, a sub-temple of Kofukuji Temple in Nara.

In the diary, the author writes, “Hideyoshi had ordered Ieyasu and Yododono to become husband and wife in his will, but Harunaga eloped with Yododono.

This and other such statements would be considered highly likely to have been merely written down as hearsay. What is important to note is that these statements led to the rumor that “Hideyori’s real father was Harunaga” circulating in later generations. This led to the “bellicose” theory mentioned at the beginning of this article.

Bashing began in earnest after her death.

The rumors slandering Yododono may tell us that even during her lifetime, there were those who felt estranged from her presence and plotted to undermine her. Yododono had many enemies. The reason seems natural to assume that the reason was that Hideyoshi doted on Hideyori, and as a result, Yododono became more and more powerful.

When he could not see Hideyori for a long time, he wrote a letter to Hideyoshi saying, “I will suck his mouth when we meet again,” and he even made the feudal lords submit a written oath of loyalty to Hideyori and that they would be defeated if they disobeyed him. With such deep affection for Hideyori, it is no wonder that Yododono, Hideyori’s “go-bag lady,” was so conceited.

Furthermore, after Hideyoshi’s death, Hideyori and Yododono moved from Fushimi Castle, where they had lived until then, to Osaka Castle. This was in the first month of 1599. From then on, Yododono looked after Hideyori. Eight months later, Kitamasato left Osaka Castle to be replaced by Hideyoshi. Many of the feudal lords who served under Hideyoshi respected Kita Masasho, most notably Kiyomasa Kato and Masanori Fukushima. From their point of view, it must have been uninteresting for Yododono to become Hideyori’s backer and wield authority as the de facto lord of Osaka Castle.

As the actual lord of the castle, Yododono had to be sensitive to the changes of the times and take charge of politics. Yododono, however, was an amateur when it came to politics. Her pride made it impossible for her to acknowledge the fact that the ruling power had already shifted from Toyotomi to Tokugawa.

As the conflict with the Tokugawa deepened, Yododono fell into insomnia, as recorded in “Genzaku Dosan Shiryouroku” by the doctor who examined her, Kyokunaose Dosan, and her mental condition was also considered unstable. It is unlikely that a woman in such a state was a belligerent who wished to fight the Tokugawa.

However, Ieyasu took advantage of the fact that Yododono, Hideyori, and their entourage were inexperienced in both politics and warfare, and set up the Osaka battle. Toyotomi managed to survive the Winter Campaign of 1614, but the following year, the Summer Campaign unfolded as Ieyasu had planned, and Yododono and Hideyori committed suicide.

The humiliation of Yododono began in earnest after her death. The Tokugawa risked being stigmatized as having “destroyed Toyotomi. To avoid this, they began to shift the blame to Yododono, saying that it was because of her that the Tokugawa had been destroyed. Political scientist Takeshi Hara points out that the Edo shogunate began to “speak of Yododono as a role model that bad things do not happen when a woman holds power” (“The History of Japan: Women in Power,” NHK Shinsho).

Hara likens this to the story of the “mare chicken” that became popular in society during the reign of the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna. The cock is a legend from the Chinese historical book “Shujing,” in which the crowing of a cock crowing to announce the morning is compared to a woman wielding power, and is said to be an omen for the decline of a nation or a family. The reason for Toyotomi’s downfall was the rise to power of a mendori like Yododono, and that is why he claimed that the Tokugawa were justified in ruling the world.

It is typical that history is made by the victors.

Reiwa’s criticism of Yododono is not as bad as one might expect. However, the concentration of unjustified slander on prominent women has not changed.

A Japanese History of Poisonous Women” (Kobayashi Akira / Tetsujinsha)