This is a list of female castellans in Japanese history.
This is a list of female castellans in Japanese history.
The list includes the following persons:
The list does not include:
| Name | Allegiance | Castle | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harima no Tsubone | Ōkura clan | Hondo castle | 1233 - Unknown (Kamakura period) |
 Otazu no kata [1] | None [lower-alpha 1] | Hikuma Castle (Tōtōmi Province) | 1566–1568 |
 Lady Otsuya | Oda clan | Iwamura Castle (Mino province) | 1572 |
 Tachibana Ginchiyo |  Ōtomo clan | Tachibana Castle (Chikuzen province) | 1575–1581 |
 Onamihime [2] |  Ashina clan | Sukagawa Castle (Mutsu province) | 1582–1588 |
 Ashikaga Ujinohime | （  Later Hōjō clan） [lower-alpha 2] | Koga Castle (Shimōsa Province) | 1583–1590 |
| Enkyū-ni |  Ryūzōji clan | Kamafunatsu Castle (Chikugo Province) | 1584 [3] |
 Yodo-dono | Toyotomi clan | Yodo castle (Yamashiro Province) | 1589 [4] |
| Ashikaga Ujinohime(2) | Toyotomi clan→ Kitsuregawa clan | Kōnosu Palace (Shimōsa Province) | 1590–1620 |
| Kōdai-in | Toyotomi clan→ Tokugawa clan | Kyōto New castle (Yamashiro Province) [5] | 1599–1623 |
| Seishin-ni |  Nanbu clan | Ne Castle (Mutsu province) | 1614–1620 [6] |
A sequence of women who acted remarkably as castellans, without being a formal heiress, or female castellans where there is little detail about their administration, area and castle.
Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左衛門) being his common name. He was a member of the so-called Echizen Sanninshu along with Sassa Narimasa and Fuwa Mitsuharu. The highest rank from the court that he received is the Great Counselor Dainagon.
The siege of Osaka was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages, and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment. The end of the conflict is sometimes called the Genna Armistice, because the era name was changed from Keichō to Genna immediately following the siege.
In the history of Japan, the Council of Five Elders was a group of five powerful feudal lords formed in 1598 by the Regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi, shortly before his death the same year. While Hideyoshi was on his deathbed, his son, Toyotomi Hideyori, was still only five years old and as such Hideyoshi needed to create the council in order to ensure his heir would be able to succeed him after coming of age. They also acted as advisers for the Five Commissioners, which had also been established by Hideyoshi to govern Kyoto and the surrounding areas.
Ii Naomasa was a general under the Sengoku period daimyō, and later shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. He led the clan after the death of Ii Naotora. He married Tobai-in, Matsudaira Yasuchika's daughter and adopted daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Yodo-dono (淀殿) or Yodogimi (淀君), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々), was a Japanese historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She was the concubine and the second wife of Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As the mother of his son and successor Hideyori, she actively acted as Hideyori's guardian in the restoration of the Toyotomi clan after the fall of the Council of Five Elders, and alongside her son, led the last anti-Tokugawa shogunate resistance in the siege of Osaka.
Onna-musha (女武者) is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Japan. These women fought in battle alongside samurai men. They were members of the bushi (warrior) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war. They also have an important presence in Japanese literature, with Tomoe Gozen and Hangaku Gozen as famous and influential examples representing onna-musha.
Ohatsu (お初) or Ohatsu-no-kata (お初の方) was a prominently placed figure in the late Sengoku period. She was daughter of Oichi and Nagamasa Azai, and the sister of Yodo-dono and Oeyo. Alongside her sisters, she was active in the political intrigues of her day. Ohatsu's close family ties to both the Toyotomi clan and the Tokugawa clan uniquely positioned her to serve as a conduit between the rivals. She acted as a liaison until 1615 in the siege of Osaka, when the Tokugawa eliminated the Toyotomi.
The siege of Uto was a battle during the final years of the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japan. Katō Kiyomasa besieged Uto castle. Uto castle at the time had belonged to his old rival, Konishi Yukinaga who joined western forces under Mōri Terumoto's side.
Ōtaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Ōtaki, southeast Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In the Edo period, Ōtaki Castle was given to Honda Tadakatsu. The castle was also known as "Odaki-jō" (小田喜城).
Ikeda Sen, or Anyōin (安養院), was a late-Sengoku period onna-musha. She was the daughter of Ikeda Tsuneoki and the older sister of Ikeda Terumasa. Mori Nagayoshi was her first husband. She was a woman trained in martial arts and was commander of a unit that consisted of 200 female musketeers
Myōrin (妙林) or YoshiokaMyorin-ni (吉岡妙林尼) was a late-Sengoku period female warlord onna-musha. She was the wife of Yoshioka Akioki a samurai warlord, and served Otomo clan in Bungo. She was the heroic woman who defended the Otomo clan in the Kyūshū campaign against Shimazu's army. Her contributions to the Kyushu campaign were so significant that they completely changed the course of history and she was highly praised by Japan's most powerful man at the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Later, she was named Guardian of Tsurusaki, an honorary title due to her heroic acts.
Tōshōin or Akamatsu Tōshōin was a Japanese noble who acted as the power behind the throne or de facto daimyo of the Akamatsu clan during the Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Hosokawa Katsumoto, sister of Hosokawa Masamoto, and wife of Akamatsu Masanori. Tōshōin was a de facto Daimyo who supported the Akamatsu clan as a guardian of Akamatsu Yoshimura. She took explicit control of the clan as the leader in 1521, after Yoshimura was assassinated.
Sadowara Castle is a Japanese castle located in the Sadowara neighborhood of the city of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It is also called Tsurumatsu Castle, and later Shōkaku Castle. During the Sengoku period, it was the stronghold of the Itō clan and later was controlled by the Shimazu clan. Shimazu Toyohisa was command of the castle. During the Edo period, the castle was headquarters of Sadowara Domain, which ruled portions of Hyūga Province from 1603 to 1871. The castle site has been a National Historic Site since 2004.
Munakata Saikaku was a Japanese female samurai warlord, aristocrat and onna-musha of the Sengoku period. She was the wife of Munakata Ujisada, the last Munakata clan daiguji of Munakata Shrine in Chikuzen province of the Kyushu island. After her husband's death in 1586, she was appointed leader of the Munataka clan by Japan's most powerful man at the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. She played a crucial role in the Kyushu campaign, her achievements in battles were noted and she became a female lord.
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Lady Acha or Acha no Tsubone was a Japanese noble woman from the Sengoku period to the early Edo period. She was a concubine of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Due to her intelligence, Ieyasu entrusted her with management of the family's affairs, sending her to negotiate peace during the Siege of Osaka. Her contributions to the stabilization of the Tokugawa shogunate and service to the country were notable for the court; being enducted to the Junior First Rank of the Imperial Court the second highest honor that could be conferred by the Emperor of Japan.
Toyotomi Tomo or Nisshu-ni was a Japanese noble woman member from the aristocrat samurai family, Toyotomi clan, from the Sengoku period to the early Edo period. She was the sister of Toyotomi Hideyoshi the second "Great Unifier" of Japan. She was the daughter of Ōmandokoro, the matriarch of Toyotomi clan, and mother of Toyotomi Hidekatsu, Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Toyotomi Hideyasu. Tomo was the founder of Zensho-ji Temple. She was one of the last survivors of the Toyotomi clan; the clan was exterminated after the Siege of Osaka.
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Ōkōchi Masatada was a Japanese daimyō. He was the last lord of the Ōtaki Domain.