Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo (治部卿局)
Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo (1152 - October 15, 1231) was a woman from the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. She was the wife of TAIRA no Tomomori. She was a wet nurse of Gotakakura-in (Imperial Prince Morisada). TAIRA no Tomoakira, TAIRA no Tomotada, and Chunagon no tsubone (the wife of Norishige TAKAKURA) were her children.
She originally served Junii (Junior Second Rank) TAIRA no Tokiko, and was called Minami no onkata. In 1179, she became a wet nurse for Imperial Prince Morisada, and choose "Jibukyo" as her saburai na (given name in the court). During the latter part of her life, she was called Shijo no tsubone. Her origin was not clear, but given the fact that she was called 'onkata,' which meant she was a daughter of a daijin (minister), her father was believed to be FUJIWARA no Tadamasa, who was the Naidaijin (the Minister of the Interior) when Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo was a nyobo of Tokiko, and who had close relations with TAIRA no Kiyomori.
Biography
Around 1167, during a time when the Taira clan was prosperous, TAIRA no Tomomori fell in love with and married Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo, who was the same age as him. She gave birth to their eldest son, TAIRA no Tomoakira, in 1169, when she was 18 years old. She became the wet nurse of Imperial Prince Morisada, who was born as the second prince of Emperor Takakura in 1179, by an order from her father-in-law, TAIRA no Kiyomori. She and her husband, Tomomori, raised the Imperial Prince at their residence.
Thereafter, the Jisho-Juei Civil War took place, and her eldest son, Tomoakira, was killed in the Battle of Ichinotani. In July 1183, she was part of the exile of Imperial Prince Morisada and the Taira clan from the capital. In May 1185, her husband, Tomomori, killed himself in the Battle of Dan no ura, thereby marking an end to the Taira clan. Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo went back to Kyoto with the Imperial Prince Morisada and the women of the Taira clan, including Kenreimonin, and lived in Shijo-Omiya at the residence of her relative, FUJIWARA no Takafusa. Imperial Prince Morisada was adopted by Princess Josaimonin Muneko, and Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo served Josaimonin as a wet nurse of the Imperial Prince. She and Imperial Prince Morisada learned to play the biwa (a type of Japanese flute) from FUJIWARA no Takamichi, and eventually became very skilled at it.
In July 1196, her second son, TAIRA no Tomotada, who had been left with his wet nurse ever since the exile of the Taira clan, was beheaded for his rebellion. Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo, who was called out for that execution, broke out into tears when she thought she had seen her late husband in the place of her son, Tomotada.
After the Jokyu War in 1221, Emperor Gohorikawa ascended to the throne. Imperial Prince Morisada, the father of Emperor Gohorikawa, managed the Cloistered Government as Gotakakura-in. Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo moved into limelight again by supporting Gotakakura-in and the mother of Emperor Gohorikawa, Kitashirakawa-in. In 1231, she passed away at the age of 80. The daughter of Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo, Chunagon no tsubone, served Emperor Gohorikawa, and was a person of influence within the Imperial Court.
In the "Meigetsuki" (The Chronicle of the Bright Moon), she was described as `the woman with power.'
Otsubone Court Lady of Jibukyo was still alive in 1230 when "The Tale of the Heike" is known to have been completed. It was a time when women who were associated with the Taira clan wielded political power. The title of the "Jisho monogatari" (The Tale of the Jisho) was changed to "The Tale of the Heike" most likely due to the social circumstances around that time.