THE SEN-HIMÉGIMI (Princess Sen)
The Sen-_himégimi_, eldest daughter of Hidétada the second Sho[u]gun,
figures little in our story; enough so, however, to necessitate the
telling of one of the not least striking episodes in a life full of
event. Married at the mature age of six years to the Udaijin Hidéyori,
son of the Taiko[u] Hidéyoshi and lord of O[u]saka castle, those
childish years were the happiest of that period. Clouds were rising
between Toyotomi and Tokugawa as the princess approached nubile years.
On her the Yodogimi, mother of the Udaijin, visited the more personal
effects of her resentment. For the growing girl it was a period of tears
and affliction. In truth she well knew the weight of her mother-in-law's
hand. So wretched was her life that there was some fear of her killing
herself. A powerful influence in screening her in these later years was
that of the famous Kimura Nagato no Kami. Shigenari and his wife Aoyagi
were the guides and friends of the _himégimi_ during this trying period;
her councillors to forestall cause of the Yodogimi's wrath. Moreover the
pleasant relations between the young husband and wife were an incentive
to bear a burden patiently, which time might remove. Nevertheless the
Yodogimi was inexorable. The night screens were set up in different
chambers. When the Sen-himégimi made her escape from O[u]saka castle she
was sixteen years old, and in all likelihood a virgin.
As to the stories of her escape from the besieged castle, then in the
very throes of the final vigorous and successful assault by the three
hundred thousand men surrounding it, these vary. According to one
account Iyeyasu Ko[u], brows knit with anxiety as he watched his men
pressing to the attack, thumped his saddle bow as vigorously as waning
years now permitted--"The Senhimé to wife, to him who brings her safe
from the castle!" Not a man in his train moved. They looked at the
blazing mass before them, the flying missiles--and staid where they
were. Then came forward a Tozama _daimyo[u]_, Sakasaki Dewa no Kami
Takachika.[15] Prostrating himself he announced his purpose to make the
attempt. Making his way into the blazing pile of the burning castle he
found the Senhimé amid her frightened maids. Wrapping her up carefully
he took her in his arms, and with great regard for her person, and none
for his own, he sought her rescue. The last chance was through the
blazing mass of the great gate. Just as he was about to clear it, down
came the tottering superincumbent structure almost on their heads. The
red hot tiles, the sparks like a fiery deluge, the blazing fragments of
wood carried and tossed by the air currents, surrounded them as in a
furnace. Nearly all the train perished in the attempt. Dewa no Kami
succeeded in presenting himself before the O[u]gosho[u] (Iyeyasu). Even
the old captain could but turn with pity from the hideously disfigured
man. The Senhimé in all her beauty was saved. Bitter was her resentment
against all--father, grandfather, their partisans--who had refused the
gift of life to the young husband. Rescue or no rescue, she absolutely
refused to carry out the agreement and become the wife of this--mask.
Other tales are less romantic. The most prosaic sends Dewa no Kami to
Kyo[u]to, on orders of Hidétada Ko[u]. For the princess a second bed was
to be found among the Sekké (the five great _kugé_ Houses of the
imperial court). The mission was not unsuccessful, but by the time the
messenger returned Hidétada had changed his mind.[16] Brusquely he
offered her to Dewa no Kami. The Senhimé got wind of these movements.
Her resentment toward the Tokugawa House determined her hostile stand.
She would not be an instrument to their advancement. Family relations
were taken very seriously. It is to be remembered that her uncle
Hidéyasu, adopted into the Toyotomi, was so fiercely loyal to that House
that his natural father, the O[u]gosho[u] Iyeyasu, poisoned him, by his
own hand and a gift of cakes, it is said. Those likely to hitch and
hamper the movement against O[u]saka, such as the famous Kato[u]
Kiyomasa, found short shrift in the soup bowl. At all events the insult
of refusal fell on Dewa no Kami. After all, by the most authentic tale,
he seems to have deserved no particular credit. As to the actual escape
from O[u]saka-Jo[u] either of the following versions can be accepted. As
suicide was the inevitable issue for the defeated, the Yodogimi, with
some reluctance, had announced her purpose; and her intent to involve
the _himégimi_ in the fate of herself and son. This was but the ethics
of the time; and was neither cruel nor unusual. It was thoroughly
constitutional. Fortunately the fears of the Lady Dowager made her
add--"the time is not yet propitious." She left the keep, intending to
ascertain in person how matters went on outside, before going on with
the ceremony inside. The maids of the Senhimé at once surrounded her and
urged flight. Overpowering any resistance, moral and physical, these
energetic _samurai_ women bundled their mistress well into _futon_
(quilts). Then with no particular gentleness they lowered her over the
castle wall. Others followed her--to destruction or better luck, without
_futon_. Some twenty of them risked the descent. Horiuchi Mondo[u], a
gentleman of Kishu[u] Kumano, noticed the unusual group. They besought
an aid for the princess he readily gave. Dewa no Kami happened to come
on the scene, and promptly took the responsibility of the safety of the
princess on his own shoulders.
Here the two versions join, for by the other Ono Shuri, captain of the
defense and hence most seriously involved, sought the safety of his own
daughter. The princess therefore was sent from the castle, under the
care of his _karo[u]_ Yonemura Gonémon, to plead for the lives of the
Udaijin and his mother the Yodogimi. Ono was careful to include his
daughter in the train, and the _karo[u]_ followed his illustrious
example. Dewa no Kami met the party outside the castle, and grasped the
chance of being agreeable by escorting it to the camp of the
O[u]gosho[u]. Honda Sado no Kami here was in charge. His mission to the
grandfather was eminently successful. Iyeyasu, overjoyed at the escape
of the beloved grandchild, consented; provided that of the actual
Sho[u]gun be obtained. All rejoiced, with little thought of Hidétada's
harsh feeling. Perhaps the message expressed this; perhaps it was spoken
to cover refusal, for he had deep affection for his children. But as in
greatest wrath he made answer--"The thing is not to be spoken of. Why
did she not die together with Hidéyori?" The Senhimé was safe enough now
in his camp; and he did not purpose the escape of his rival Hidéyori, to
be a permanent danger to his House. The princess, worn out by many days
of suffering, went to sleep in the shed which furnished her with
quarters, and never woke until high noon on the following day. By that
time she could choose between the tales of her husband's escape to
Satsuma; or his suicide and her widowhood, the only proof of which was
the finding of the hereditary sword of the Toyotomi House. She clung to
the former story, despite the ascertained suicide of the Yodogimi, who
hardly would have allowed the escape of the son and her own destruction.
Thus disgruntled, later the _himégimi_ was removed to Kyo[u]to, fiercely
hostile to all the Kwanto[u] influence.
A word in conclusion as to the fate of the attendants, thus skilfully
foisted on her. The daughter of Ono Shuri had escaped, with all the
sufferings and passions aroused by family disaster. When subsequently
the princess was removed to Edo she went in her train. They were
companions in misfortune. In the hostile atmosphere she was taken with a
consumption, long to undergo its torments. Overcome by homesickness she
would return to former scenes, and worship at her father's grave.
Permission was now granted. Yonémura accompanied the dying girl to the
capital. Here Ono Shuri had lost his head in the bed of the Kamogawa
(the execution ground). Here at Kyo[u]to the daughter found her tortured
end. Gloomy the old vassal prepared the funeral pyre of his mistress. As
the flames shot high and wrapped the corpse, a woman's figure darted
forward and sprang into the midst. Unable to distinguish the bones of
his daughter from those of the honoured mistress, Gonémon placed the
remains of both within the same casket, to rest at the last beneath the
pines and cedars of the holy mountain of Ko[u]ya.
On June 4th (1615) the castle had fallen. The date is important in
connection with one of the current scandals. Later the Senhimé was
escorted down to Edo by Honda Mino no Kami Tadamasa, in whose train was
his handsome son To[u]nosuké (Tadatoki). He is said to have been like
enough in appearance to the Udaijin Hidéyori to act as his substitute in
the most intimate sense. The fierce little lady fell violently in love
with him. By the time Edo was reached she ought to have married Honda,
and in the passage of the months and days would have to. At all events
this rather disproportionate marriage was early proposed to the council
of the Bakufu, and after some discussion accepted. This decision was not
reached until Genwa 2nd year 9th month (October 1616), or more than a
full year after the fall of the castle. The failure to carry out the
agreement with Dewa no Kami afforded ample reason for the extremity to
which this latter's rage was carried. By all accounts he had lost a
bride, the acknowledged beauty of the land, apart from the great
influence of the connection. Perhaps his own hideous disfigurement was
involved. He determined to lie in wait for the journey down to Himeji,
Honda's fief; and kill or carry off the lady. The Sho[u]gun's Government
got wind of the purpose. The lords were storming with wrath, and a
public fracas was feared. All composition had been refused. Dewa refused
to see his friend Yagyu[u] Munénori, sent to him as messenger of
greatest influence. Secret orders then were sent that Dewa no Kami must
be induced to cut belly, or--his vassals ought to send his head to Edo.
The Sho[u]gun's word and bond must be saved. The vassals knew their
lord, and had not loyalty enough to act otherwise than to sever his
head, as he lay sleeping off a drunken fit in broad daylight. It was
against rewarding this disloyal act that Honda Masazumi showed open
opposition to the council's decision; and Hidétada Ko[u] himself
disapproved enough not to inflict extinction (_kaieki_) on the family of
the dead lord, the usual process. The continuance of the succession was
permitted on the Sho[u]gun's order. All these matters were so public
that little credit is to be given to the rôle assigned to Sakasaki Dewa
no Kami in the event about to be described; the issue of which was so
unfortunate in the carrying out, that Sakasaki, in command of the bridal
cortege and keenly feeling the disgrace, cut open his belly in
expiation; and that the Government, to hush up talk as to attack on the
train of the princess, put forward as explanation the proposed treachery
and resultant death of Dewa no Kami.
As to the event itself: with greatest reluctance, uncertain as to her
former husband's fate, the Senhimé had been forced into agreement with
the Honda marriage. From the Nishimaru (western) palace the bridal
cortege took its way to the _yashiki_ of Honda near the Hitotsubashi
Gomon. Time was at a discount in those days, and by no means was the
shortest route to anything taken. The procession filed out of the
Sakurada Gomon, to circle with its pompous glitter the outer moat. All
went very well. The _yashiki_ walls bordering Tayasumura were slipping
by. Then the steadily accumulating clouds poured forth their contents.
It was a downpour, blinding in effect. The _rokushaku_ of the
Kurokwagumi--stout and tall palanquin bearers, "six footers"--floundered
and staggered in the mud. The heavy palanquin came to the ground. Great
was the rage of the princess at this unseemly precedent for such an
occasion. "Rude ruffians! By this very hand this scum shall die!"
_Te-uchi_ was to be the lot of the miserable fellows prostrate in
obeisance and seeking pardon in the blinding storm from the lady's
dagger, menacing them from the open door of the palanquin. The Lady of
O[u]saka was quite capable of carrying out her threat. Abé
Shiro[u]goro[u], later the famous Bungo no Kami, was equal to the
occasion. With soft words he would soothe her. "Congratulations to the
_Himégimi_! May her highness deign to accept the so happy augury of
present ill luck bringing good fortune throughout a long and happy life.
Deign to regard with future favour the words of Shiro[u]goro[u]." He got
as near the mud as he dared in his respectful salutation. The lady's
face softened. She was appeased.
Then she held up the hand, with the dagger still ready for action.
Shiro[u]goro[u] sprang to his feet. Something else than storm was in
progress. In the escort ahead there were other sounds than the rumbling
and sharp crash of the thunder, the swishing of rain wind driven. The
flashes of lightning showed that the cortege was the object of a most
determined attack, which sought to make its way to the palanquin of the
princess. Abé Shiro[u]goro[u] would have leaped forward, but the
flashing eyes and presence of the _himégimi_ held him to her nearer
defence. The number of the assailants could not be ascertained in this
darkness like to night.[17] The tower of defence was Yagyu[u] Tajima no
Kami, greatest master of the sword in Nippon. He had the support of the
younger O[u]kubo, of Kondo[u] Noborinosuké, of Mizuno Juro[u]zaémon even
then noted as expert with the spear. In general command was the beloved
superintendent of the _hatamoto_, O[u]kubo Hikozaémon. In daylight the
affair would have been easy. But in this darkness they had to stand to
their defence. That it was an attack by O[u]saka _ro[u]nin_, enraged at
the marriage of the princess, there was no doubt. But what their
numbers? So far the defense was impregnable. There was nothing to fear.
Three of the leaders of the _ro[u]nin_ lay on the ground. Their chief,
visible in the lightning flashes, could not hope for success. It was the
old and still active Hikozaémon, the _oyaji_ (old chap), the hardened
warrior of Iyeyasu, who scented out the threatening move. He sprang off
into the dark wood, almost as the crack of the musket was heard. They
would seek the life of the _himégimi_ with deadly missiles! How
contemptible; for great as yet was the scorn of such use. Vigorous was
the old man's pursuit of a foe, seeking to ascertain his success and
reluctant to flee. "Ah! Ah! Rascal! Just wait! Wait for this
Hikozaémon!" The fellow did wait, a little too long. Noting the
lessening darkness, the discomfiture of his train, he turned to flee in
real earnest. As he did so, Hikozaémon, despairing of success, hurled
his dirk. Deep into the fellow's shoulder it went. "Atsu!" Savagely he
turned on the old man. Hikozaémon was skilled in defence, but stiffening
with age. His opponent showed himself an able warrior. "Ah! Ha! 'Tis
Hikozaémon Dono. With him there is no quarrel. Deign to receive a
wound." The old fellow's sword dropped helpless under a sharp rap over
the wrist from the back of the blade. This was enough for the man's
purpose. With laughing and respectful salutation, of short duration, he
turned to a more successful flight.
The storm cleared away, the cortege was re-formed; to enter in state the
_yashiki_ of Honda Sama. It was said that he got but a cold bride--one
on whom only "the bed quilt lay light." Time, the ascertained fact of
Hidéyori's death, worked a change in the insanity simulated by the
princess. Then she was so taken with her lord that she proved fatal to
him. He died at the age of thirty-one years, was buried in his castle
town of Himeji, leaving but one daughter as issue by the princess. The
lady returned to residence at the Takébashi Goten, to be a disgruntling
influence in her brother's court. But Honda Ke had not done badly. This
consort made him a minister in the Sho[u]gun's household (Nakatsukasa no
Tayu), a more likely promotion than one at the age of sixteen years, at
this date of the Sho[u]gunate. From 10,000 _koku_ his fief was raised to
150,000 _koku_; and he secured a wife so beautiful that his exodus to
the houris of Paradise was a bad exchange. Meanwhile what was the cause
of objection, thus expressed by force of arms, to the conduct and
nuptials of the Sen-himégimi?