Sakakibara Michiko

Reiko Sakakibara (born November 1, 1854 (Kaei 7, November 20) – December 2, 1899), was a woman during the late Edo period and the Meiji era in Japan, belonging to the kazoku (nobility). She was the eldest daughter of Maeda Yoshinaga, the lord of Kaga Domain. Her first names included Mutsuhime (むつひめ) and Reihime (れいひめ).

Life

Her birth date was November 1, 1854 (Kaei 7, November 20 in the Gregorian calendar), but her exact place of birth is not recorded. Her mother was a concubine named Hisanode. Her siblings included Maeda Toshiie and Princess Yuriko (Ujiji-no-miya), the wife of Prince Hitomi of Aisuregawa.

In her youth, during Bunka 2 (1862), she was engaged to the Aizu Domain lord, Matsudaira Katamori. However, the engagement was postponed due to Katamori's appointment as Kyoto Protector. Subsequently, due to the Boshin War and the birth of her first son, Yozai, her engagement was officially dissolved in Meiji 4 (1871).

Later, in Meiji 6 (1873), she married Sakakibara Masatake, former lord of Echigo Takada Domain. Reiko had a daughter, Ishiko. Ishiko became the wife of her adopted son, Masakazu Sakakibara, but was believed to have been frail. Reiko, Ishiko, and Ishiko’s son Masamoto—all died before her long-lived husband Masatake.

Artistic and Cultural Activities

Reiko was skilled in waka poetry and Chinese poetry, and she authored a collection of poems titled "Ume-ga-e-dzu-shu" (Plum Branch Collection). Her works are considered valuable for understanding the literacy and tastes of women of her time.

References

Notable references include "Nihon Jinmei Daijiten" (Kodansha, 2001), "Maeda Family Mother and Princesses of Kaga" by Reiko Minamimori (Hokkoku Shimbun Publishing Bureau, 2009), and "The Lord and I" by Kiyoko Sakakibara (Soshisha, 2001).

(Note: Specific details of footnotes are not provided and are omitted here.)