Letter by Hoshun-In
- Person
-
作者芳春院
- Date
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制作年 AD17
- Title
- ホウシュンインヒツショウソク
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001651-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Handwriting Rectangle Gesture Font Monochrome
Hoshun-In (1547-1617) was the legal wife of Maeda Toshiyie (1547-1617), the founder of Kanazawa Province. Her real name was Matsu. She married the 20-year-old Toshiyie at age 12 and gave birth to two sons and nine daughters. Her first son, Toshinaga, became the second lord of the Maeda clan in Kanazawa. Toshiyie died in 1599; immediately afterward, Matsu became a nun and assumed the name of Hoshun-In. She was 53 years old. She later dedicated the sub-temple Hoshun-In in the Daitokuji Temple compound in Murasakino, Kyoto. Around this time, the relationship between Toshinaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu turned sour, so Hoshun-In went up to Edo to become a voluntary hostage. (This action was considered to have brought security to the Maeda clan.) Thereafter, Hoshun-In lived in Edo (the seat of the Tokugawa military government) for 15 years until 1614 but died after her return to Kanazawa. She was 71 when she died. Hoshun-In was an intelligent and deeply learned woman of robust health.Hoshun-In wrote this letter to Murai Nagatsugu (1568-1613), commonly called “Izumo,” who was among the most loyal vassals of the Maeda clan. Nagatsugu’s father, Nagayori, was a vassal of Toshiyie even before Hoshun-In married him. Her beloved daughter Chiyo (1580-1641) married Nagatsugu after she was divorced from Hosokawa Tadataka (heir to Takaoki), so to Hoshun-In, her son-in-law was as close as her own son. From this letter, one can imagine that Nagatsugu had sent her a letter complaining of some kind of personal trouble at work, involving Nagatsugu’s rival, Kamio Zusho-no-Suke Yukinao (1565-1643). He was also a loyal courtier of the Maeda clan. The piece of advice Hoshun-In offers is summarized in her sentence “… your hunger will be remedied by eating food,” by which she recommends reconciliation. In determining the time of the writing, one should note the reference to the construction of Suruga Castle, which actually was completed in 1607 to be the home of Ieyasu after his retirement. Many samurai and workmen from Kaga Province, under Maeda family rule, had been sent to Suruga to aid in the construction. It is helpful to know of such background to understand this letter. So, at the time of this writing, Hoshun-In was 61 years old, Murai Nagatsugu was 40, and Kamio Yukinao, 43.
［上段］これのみ何にてもあんやうのし入事まいらせ候候ハゝにか／＼しさ にて候うけ文給候給候御うれしく候へく候つしょ殿文もひもしも見まいらせ候めしの物もく事なりせうしと申ましき思ひまいらせ候てよしあんかす／＼せうしにし申候 思ひまいらせ候かしく大なこんとりたてられ候まゝふひんに［下段］思ひまいらせ候にたる事か御入候まゝさためてさゝへられ候ハんと思ひまいらせ候せいしをもさせまいらせ候まつ／＼するかのふしんさて／＼せうしさかしく（別筆）六月〈封〉十七いつも殿まいる はう御返事
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- Letter by Hoshun-In
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