Takatsukasa Takako

Takatsukasa Takako (born April 28, 1787 (Tenmei 7, 6th month 13) – June 8, 1870 (Meiji 3, 6th month 8)) was a woman active from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period. She was the principal wife (consort) of the 12th Daed of the Kaga Domain, Maeda Narihiro, and the second daughter of Takatsukasa Masahiro. Her mother was a court lady. Her given name was Soku-hime. Her younger brother was Takatsukasa Masamichi. She had several sisters, including Tsuneko (a court lady and later Empress Dowager under Emperor Ninkō), Kiuko (a court lady and consort of Emperor Ninkō, also known as Shin Saku Taira-mon-in), Ninko (the official wife of Tokugawa Ieda), Yoshiko (the princess consort of Prince Takahiro of the Kan'in Imperial family), and Keiko (the consort of Prince Fushimi no Miya Momoyo).

Her biography is summarized as follows. On December 18, 1807 (Bunka 4), she was married to Maeda Narihiro, the 12th daimyō of Kaga Domain. The wedding procession departed from the Takatsukasa residence in Kyoto on November 27 and traveled to the Maeda main estate in Edo. Shortly after her marriage, a great fire broke out in Kanazawa Castle Town on January 15, 1808 (Bunka 5), which also burned within the castle. As a result, Narihiro returned to Kaga in March of that year and stayed in Kanazawa for three years. Due to frequent illnesses and other reasons, he spent long periods in Kanazawa, and in practice, she and Narihiro lived together for less than three of the eighteen years following their wedding. Narihiro retired in 1822 (Bunsei 5), built the Takenokawa Garden (Kenrokuen) and residence called Takedzawa Goten in Kanazawa, where he resided until his death in July 1824 (Bunsei 7). After his death, Takako became a Buddhist nun, taking the name Shinryuin.

In February 1833 (Tenpo 3), Takako moved to a residence in Komagome. She and Narihiro had no children together, but children born to him with concubines grew up and were brought to Edo, where she attended to their marriage arrangements and other matters. In March 1838 (Tenpo 9), with the approval of the shogunate, she returned to Kaga, departing from the Komagome residence in Edo on August 4 and arriving in Kanazawa on the 22nd. She continued to stay in Kanazawa afterward.

In 1863 (Bunkyu 3), the 13th daimyō of Kaga, Maeda Nariyoshi (Narihiro’s eldest son), built a retreat for her called “Tatsumi Goten.” The name derives from its location southeast (Tatsumi direction) of Kanazawa Castle, and because the Takatsukasa family was called Tatsumi-den. The Goten was an extension of the Takatsukasa residence in Kenrokuen, incorporating parts of her late husband Narihiro’s retreat at Takedzawa Goten (the audience hall and the Ayu corridor). Today, it is designated as an Important Cultural Property and is known as Natsumonnkaku. She died at Tatsumi Goten in 1870 (Meiji 3), at the age of 84.

For references, see the book “Mama and Princesses of the Kaga Maeda Family” by Reiko Minamimori (Hokkoku Shimbun Publishing Bureau, 2009). An external link is provided to the official website of Bunka Zaidan Hojin Natsumonnkaku.