Uesugi Kiyoko (上杉清子)
Kiyoko UESUGI (date of birth unknown - January 20, 1343) was a woman who lived during the period of the later half of Kamakura Period through the early Muromachi Period. Her maiden name was Fujiwara. She was from one of the branch lines of Kaju-ji Temple line (one of the 13 families designated as "meike" (one of the court noble family ranks designated to assume a certain official post in government) branched out from the Takafuji line of the Northern House of Fujiwara clan); her Father was Yorishige UESUGI. She was a legal wife of Sadauji ASHIKAGA. She was a mother of the bothers Takauji ASHIKAGA and Tadayoshi ASHIKAGA. She was the elder sister to Norifusa UESUGI and the younger sister to Nichijo.
She gave birth to Takauji in 1305. For that occasion, she prayed for kannon (a Bodhisattva with compassion) enshrined at Kokawa-dera Temple in Kii Province; consequently this led her to donate tocho (a woven fabric to cover the shelf to enshrine kannon statue) to the temple in 1336, and she additionally donated her estate to the temple in the following year.
Even after the death of her husband Sadauji, she continued to support the Ashikaga clan; she went along with her sons Takauji and Tadayoshi when they took action to overthrow Kamakura bakufu. After the establishment of Muromachi bakufu, she utilized her influence to help prosper her parents house, the Uesugi family.
She called herself as Jomyo-inden Settei, and was called by the common name Nishikikoji dono. She was also well versed in Waka (a form of Japanese traditional poetry), and her works were selected in acollection of poems, "Fugashu." Her posthumous Buddhist name was Kasho-inden, and her grave is located at Touji-in Temple in Kyoto.