Awa no tsubone (a daughter of Tokimasa HOJO) (阿波局 (北条時政の娘))
Awa no tsubone (Date of birth unknown - December 20, 1227) was a woman in a samurai family in the early Kamakura Period. She was a daughter of the first regent Tokimasa HOJO. Her real name is unknown.
Masako HOJO, the lawful wife of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo, and Yoshitoki HOJO were her sister and brother. She got married to Zenjo ANO, who was a younger paternal brother of her Gikei (brother-in-law) Yoritomo, and bore him the 4th son, Tokimoto ANO. Later she became menoto (wet nurse) of MINAMOTO no Sanetomo, the second son of Yoritomo.
On November 22, 1199, few month after MINAMOTO no Yoriie, the legitimate son of Yoritomo, succeeded after Yoritomo's death, Tomomitsu YUKI, a gokenin (an immediate vassal of the shogunate in the Kamakura and Muromachi through Edo periods), talked memories of while Yoritomo was still alive in tsumesho (a station) of Samurai-dokoro (the Board of Retainers) and spoke as follows.
It is said that "loyal subject would not serve another master", I should have entered into priesthood and do as it said.'
World now feels like walking on eggs.'
2 days later, on 24, Awa no tsubone told Tomomitsu that 'Kagetoki KAJIWARA slandered you as what you have said the other day is the proof of your rebellion thought, and it is decided that you will be killed'. Tomomitsu was surprised by this and appealed for gokenin and made a compact covenant under joint signatures of 66 gokenin, to impeach Kagetoki, which was submitted to Yoriie. On December 9, Kagetoki was exiled from Kamakura. He and his family were ruined on the way to the capital in January of the next year (the incident of Kagetoki KAJIWARA).
3 years after the fall of Kagetoki, conflict between HOJO clan and the 2nd Shogun, MINAMOTO no Yoriie intensified. On July 6, 1203, her husband Zenjo who was thought to had sided with HOJO clan was captured and killed as rebel by Yoriie's man. Yoriie tried to capture Awa no Tsubone as well but Masako rejected transfer of custody. Later Yoriie was exiled from Kamakura, imprisoned and killed by HOJO clan who took the lead.
Awa no Tsubone continued to serve Sanetomo after that. At Makishi Incident, she told Masako that 'something strange is going on, I am afraid that something may happen to Sanetomo if he continue to stay in Tokimasa's resident' and took initiative, seeking safety in flight of Sanetomo, and informed Yoshitoki on rebellion of Maki no kata (Lady Maki). However there is no record of Awa no Tsubone after Sanetomo's death, such as she defended her son Tokimoto who was punished for a suspicion of rebellion, and later movement is still unknown. She died in 1227 and Yasutoki HOJO took to mourning for 30 days, as she was his aunt.