Irohahime
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Irohahime 五郎八姫 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 2, 1594 |
| Died | June 4, 1661 (aged 66) |
| Other names | Tenrin'in (天麟院) |
| Spouse | Matsudaira Tadateru |
| Parent(s) | Date Masamune Megohime |
| Family |  Date clan Matsudaira clan |
Irohahime (五郎八姫; August 2, 1594 – June 4, 1661) was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat from the Sengoku period and Edo period. She was the first daughter of Date Masamune and Megohime, as well as the wife of Matsudaira Tadateru, the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Her Buddhist name is Tenrin'in (天麟院).
Irohahime was born in Jurakudai. She was Masamune's first conjugal child. Although the married couple would have been hopeful for a boy to take over the Date family, the baby born to them was a girl. As Masamune was expecting a son, he personally chose a masculine name. After she was born, however, the name was kept, but pronounced more femininely.[1][2]
Having moved from place to place, from Jurakudai to Fushimi, and then to Osaka, Irohahime was engaged to Ieyasu's son, Tadateru, on January 20, 1599, as part of Ieyasu's strategy for strengthening relationships with powerful daimyō. In 1603, she moved from Fushimi to Edo, and on December 24, 1606, she married Tadateru. Though the two got along, they had no children. In 1616, she divorced Tadateru when he was stripped of his position, and returned to her father, Masamune, thereafter living in Sendai.
As she lived in the Nishikan (the west annex) of the main castle in this period, she was also called Lady Nishikan (西館殿). She died on June 4, 1661, at the age of 68. Her grave is in Tenrinin Temple in Matsushima.[3]
