Odainokata (於大の方)
Odainokata (1528 - October 13, 1602) was the legitimate wife of Hirotada MATSUDAIRA, and later became the wife of Toshikatsu HISAMATSU. She was famous as the mother of Ieyasu TOKUGAWA. She called herself 'Denzuin' in her last years. The name 'Odai' by subsequent generations, and her real name is unknown. On October 29, 1850, she was conferred Juichii (Junior First Rank) and her imina (personal name that was generally used posthumously or by one's parents or lord) was Ogo in the court rank diploma.
Odai was born into a wealthy family as the daughter Tadamasa MIZUNO and his wife Keyoin at her father's Ogawa-jo Castle in Chita District, Owari Province (Ogawa, Higashiura-cho, Chita County, Aichi Prefecture). There is also a theory that she was a daughter of Masanobu AOYAMA and a foster daughter of Tadamasa.
Her father Tadamasa also held a territory in Mikawa Province near Ogawa, and upon the request of Kiyoyasu MATSUDAIRA who held a great deal of power in Mikawa at the time, he made Otomi no Kata divorce and marry Kiyoyasu but his desire to further strengthen his relationship with the Matsudaira clan led him to marry off his daughter Odai in 1541 to Hirotada MATSUDAIRA who succeeded Kiyoyasu. On January 31, 1543, Odai gave birth to their first son Takechiyo (later Ieyasu TOKUGAWA).
However, the Odai's older brother Nobumoto MIZUNO who succeeded the Mizuno clan after the death of Tadamasa broke relations with the Imagawa clan who was the master of the Matsudaira family and followed Oda clan in 1544, Odai was divorced by Hirotada who worried about relations with the Imagawa family and returned to Kariya-jo Castle (Kariya City) of the Mizuno family in Mikawa Province. In 1547, Odai remarried Toshikatsu HISAMATSU, the lord of Agoya-jo Castle (Agui-machi) in Chita-gun according to the wish of Nobumoto. Toshimasa had married a daughter of the Mizuno clan, but did not have good relationship with the Mizuno family or the Matsudaira family after her death, and he strengthened relations with the Mizuno clan in his struggle against the Matsudaira family. She bore Toshikatsu three sons and three daughters. She maintained regular correspondence with Ieyasu during this time.
After the Battle of Okehazama, Ieyasu became independent from the Imagawa family and allied with the Oda family, gave the family name Matsudaira to the three sons of Toshikatsu HISAMATSU and Odai, made them his retainers, and welcomed Odai as his mother. Odai underwent tonsure and called herself Denzuin after the death of her husband, Toshikatsu HISAMATSU.
In 1602, after the Battle of Sekigahara, she had an audience with the widow of Hideyoshi, Kodaiin and Emperor Goyozei, and visited Toyokuni-jinja Shrine (Kyoto City) to show that the Tokugawa clan had no hostility toward the Toyotomi clan. In the same year, she died in Fushimi-jo Castle in Kyoto, where Ieyasu was staying. Her ashes were buried at Denzu-in Temple in Koishikawa, Edo. Her posthumous Buddhist name is Denzuinden Yoyokogaku Chiko Daizenjoni. Her family temples were built in various locations.
Odai's birthplace of Higashiura-cho constructed 'Odai Park' in Ogawa in her memory and holds an 'Odai Festivals' every year.
Children of Odai no Kata
Child with Hirotada MATSUDAIRA
Ieyasu TOKUGAWA
Sons with Toshikatsu HISAMATSU
Yasumoto MATSUDAIRA
Yasutoshi MATSUDAIRA
Sadakatsu MATSUDAIRA
Daughters with Toshikatsu HISAMATSU
Wife of Tadamasa MATSUDAIRA (later remarried Tadayoshi MATSUDAIRA (Sakurai MATSUDAIRA family) (real brother Tadamasa) Masanao HOSHINA)
Wife of Yasunaga MATSUDAIRA
Wife of Iekiyo MATSUDAIRA