The Trailblazing Journey of Kasuga no Tsubone

prologue:

Kasuga no Tsubone (ofuku) was a woman who changed society through her bold decision to divorce in Japanese history. Her fighting spirit and courage will resonate with us throughout the ages. This essay follows Kasuga no Tsubone's life and the story of her divorce, exploring how she impacted society.





Chapter 1: Declaring Divorce in Adversity

Ofuku Kasuga was born into a rebel family. Her father was a vassal of Mitsuhide Akechi and died in the Battle of Yamazaki. Because of this background, her family was socially marginalized and financially in dire straits.

Kasuga no Tsubone grew up in her predicament, but she herself contracted smallpox and was plagued by her appearance. Smallpox was common at the time, and in some cases she was severely affected like Kasuga no Tsubone. Due to this situation, she received a cold look from the public as "the avatar girl of the house of rebels".

Her marriage was decided by her family circumstances. Kasuga no Tsubone was married to Masashige Inaba as his second wife. Masanari Inaba had two children with her ex-wife (deceased), but she accepted to marry him due to her family circumstances.

But this marriage was not a happy one. Kasuga no Tsubone's husband continued to have illicit affairs with her maids, and she endured the infidelity. Even after the marriage, the couple had a child, but Kasuga no Tsubone's desire to monopolize her increased, and her anguish deepened.

In that situation, Kasuga no Tsubone decided to cut off her relationship with her husband after a certain incident. Having killed one of her husband's favorite maids, she ran out of her house, leaving her children behind, declaring that she would no longer be in her house. I was.

This declaration of divorce was a very unusual act in the society of the time. It was a bold move for a woman to file for divorce and even commit murder. Kasuga no Tsubone escaped from her unhappy marriage of her own volition, unconstrained by her society's restrictions. Her divorce challenged women's right to self-determination and social norms in society.





Chapter 2: The beginning of a new life

After her divorce, Kasuga no Tsubone was able to start a new life because of a bill she happened to see. On the bulletin board was written a request for a wet nurse for Takechiyo, the legitimate grandson of Shogun Ieyasu. Fuku had just given birth to a child and was qualified as a nanny. Seizing this opportunity, she quickly made an offer and was hired. Thus, she took the first step towards her new life.

Ofuku had a deep affection for Takechiyo. It was not out of her cold heart that she killed her husband's concubine, but rather out of love for her husband. She tried to fill the void in her heart by channeling her unrequited love for her husband into her Takechiyo.

When her Takechiyo contracted smallpox, she made her own wish to abstain from medicine for the rest of her life. This act was praised as a model of "loyalty" before the war, but it seems that the intense frustration hidden inside women was overlooked.

As her love affair deepened, she became more and more determined to monopolize Takechiyo. She believed that she belonged to her young lord, and that the young lord belonged only to her. But the moment her thoughts reach a zenith, she finds her powerful rival, Oe no Kata, right in front of her. Oe no Kata was Iemitsu's biological mother and wife of Hidetada. Awareness of this fact fuels her desire to possess and gradually transforms into her paranoia.

Fuku vacillated between her possessiveness and her paranoia, burning with her fighting spirit to protect her Iemitsu future and her position. She asserted her opinion and stood up to power struggles with those around her. Her existence played an important role in the growth and future of her Iemitsu, and contributed greatly to her political support during the Ieyasu era.




Chapter 3: Presence as a Political Support

Kasuga no Tsubone earned Ieyasu's trust and played an important role in protecting Iemitsu's position as shogun. She was deeply in love with Takechiyo (Iemitsu) and fought against power struggles to protect his future. Her fighting spirit and decisiveness ensured Takechiyo's succession and succeeded in establishing him as general. The existence of Kasuga no Tsubone provided political support during Ieyasu's time and contributed greatly to Iemitsu's success as a shogun.

Fuku appealed directly to Sunpu, where Ieyasu was, and appealed for Iemitsu's future. Ieyasu listened and invited Takechiyo to his side. In this way, Takechiyo's succession was decided, but the truth was more complicated. At that time, there was a power struggle between the Takechiyo faction and the Kunimatsu faction among the influential vassals, and it is possible that the Takechiyo faction took advantage of Fuku's blind love.

Takechiyo later took the name Iemitsu and succeeded his father Hidetada as shogun. However, Fuku continued to take care of Iemitsu for the rest of his life.

The first danger to Fuku was his younger brother Tadanaga. He was the former Kunimatsu, aspiring for the Shogunate, and Fuku harassed him. Officially, he pretended not to be involved, but a plaque left at Tokeiji Temple in Kamakura says, "I'm a decoy of Kasuga no Tsubone."

Her political power was also recognized by the Imperial Court. During the Shogun Hidetada era, she had an audience with Emperor Gomizunoo. She was given the name 'Kasuga no Tsubone' and received status from the Imperial Court, but she had ulterior motives for this audience. At the table, Fuku hinted at her abdication.

Her wealthy political power was astonishing, surpassing even men. Her presence became a political prop in Ieyasu's time and contributed greatly to establishing her status as Iemitsu's shogun.

Conclusion

Kasuga no Tsubone had a great social impact through his personal decision to divorce. Her courage and fighting spirit demonstrated her willingness to stand up to women's self-determination and social norms. Her life has been a product of her power to overcome adversity and political prowess to earn her trust from Ieyasu and Iemitsu. Her presence contributed to the advancement of women in Japanese history and social change, and gave courage and hope to many people. Kasuga no Tsubone should be honored for her fighting spirit and her meaningful life as a standard-bearer of divorce that changed society.





Kasuga no Tsubone's life and activities were not directly related to modern femtech (technology for women). In her time, there was no technology like today, and she was active in social constraints and environments.

However, Kasuga no Tsubone's way of life and personality can be an inspiration for modern women's independence and career development. She raised her self in the midst of her adversity and used her talents and activism. Like Kasuga no Tsubone, today's women can believe in their own talents and abilities and actively work towards self-fulfillment.

Kasuga no Tsubone's decision to divorce also has something in common with modern femtech thinking. She chose her divorce for her own happiness and self-fulfillment, regardless of her family circumstances and social norms. This importance of self-determination and self-actualization is consistent with femtech thinking that promotes contemporary women's rights and freedom of choice.

Although Kasuga no Tsubone's life and activities differ from her direct Femtech contributions, her attitude and determination can serve as a role model for modern women. Like her, overcoming adversity, making the most of her own talents, and actively working toward self-fulfillment will be an important factor in the social advancement and career development of modern women.

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