Shimazu Teruko

Tsuruko Shimazu (Shimazu Tsuruko, born February 16, 1851 (Kaei 4, January 16) – May 5, 1869 (Meiji 2, May 24)) was the last wife of the Lord of Satsuma Domain, Lord Tadayoshi Shimazu, during the late Edo period. She was also known by the nickname Terve-hime (Tsucheruhime).

Tsuruko was the third daughter of the third lord of Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Saemon Tadatoki. She was not the eldest daughter, but the third. Her mother was the concubine Suma. Tsuruko had two older sisters, both born of the same mother. One sister was Funako (Tenkō), born on May 27, 1852 (Kaei 5, 5th month 27), who lived until 1903 (Meiji 36). The other was Yasuko, born on October 30, 1853 (Kaei 6, 10th month 30), who died on May 24, 1879.

Tsuruko was married into an important branch of the Satsuma family, and her position was significant within the family’s power structure, closely linked with prominent lineages and political influence. In 1869, she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Fusako, but died later that same year due to complications from childbirth. After her death, the feudal lord Tadayoshi Shimazu married her younger sister Yasuko as a secondary wife; however, Yasuko also died from childbirth complications in 1879.

Within the genealogical records of the Shimazu family, Tsuruko appears as a daughter of Saemon and the first wife of Tadayoshi, with detailed documentation regarding her marriage, birth, and family status. Her life was brief, passing away young in 1869, but detailed records of her birth year and family history exist, reflecting her origins and the political alliances of her family at that time.