Okaru (お軽)
Okaru (1684 - November 23, 1713) was a concubine of Kuranosuke OISHI when he was hidden in Yamashina.
In certain books, her name was written as '於可留' or '梶.'
She was born a daughter of Jirozaemon NIMONJIYA in Nijo, Kyoto City. In April 1702, Kuranosuke OISHI let his wife Riku OISHI and other family members go back to her parent home in Toyooka Domain in Tajima Province and then, in Kyoto, he began to be so involved in amusing himself that he forgot every thing else. It was said that Genshiro SHINDO and Gengoemon OYAMA, who were afraid that dissatisfaction by a radical group in Edo, such as Yasube HORIBE, might become stronger, introduced Okaru and recommended that he keep her with him in order to let Kuranosuke quit frequenting red-light district. Okaru was eighteen years old, at that time. Reportedly, she was pregnant, but, as Kuranosuke was determined to go down to Edo, Kuranosuke gave her money and let her return to her parent home in Nijo and sent Genkei TERAI who was a doctor of the Asano family, to her. She died on November 23, 1713. She was twenty-nine years old. Her graveyard is in the Jozen-ji Temple at Iadegawa-dori, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City. Her posthumous Buddhist name is Seiyoteirinhoni.
She is the model for Okaru in "Kanadehon Chushingura" (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), but in this story, she is a girlfriend of Kanpei HAYANO (Sanpei KAYANO is the model) and a younger sister of Heiemon TERAOKA (Kichiemon TERASAKA is the model) and such plot is usually used in other works.