Who was this person?
A woman of the Sengoku to early Edo periods and wife of Maeda Toshiie, founder of the Kaga domain. Her name was Matsu. She supported her husband and devoted herself to the house’s rise, and after Toshiie’s death went to Edo herself as a hostage to protect the Maeda family. Spending over fourteen years in Edo, she helped secure the foundation of the great Kaga domain.
| Name | Hōshun-in (Matsu) (芳春院（まつ）) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1547 – 1617 |
| Period | Sengoku–Edo |
| Birthplace | Owari Province (now Aichi Prefecture) |
| Also known as | Matsu, Lady Omatsu |
| Main achievements |
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She was born in Kaitō District, Owari Province (now Ama, Aichi), the daughter of Shinohara Kazukazu, a retainer of the Oda. Her name was Matsu. Her mother was the elder sister of Maeda Toshiie's mother, so she and Toshiie, her future husband, were cousins. She is said to have been versed in learning and the martial arts.
Her father Kazukazu died and her mother remarried a retainer of the Shiba. Matsu was therefore taken in and raised by Maeda Toshimasa, lord of Arako Castle, who had married her mother's younger sister. Toshimasa's fourth son was Toshiie, so Matsu grew up living alongside him from early childhood.
While still barely more than a girl, she married her cousin Maeda Toshiie, a young samurai serving Oda Nobunaga and known as a master of the spear. She lived near and was close to Nene (One), later the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who is said to have helped arrange the marriage.
She gave birth to her eldest daughter, Kō. That year Toshiie angered Nobunaga and left the Oda house, living hard days as a masterless samurai, while Matsu held the household together. Over some twenty years she bore two sons and nine daughters, who were later married into lords' families across the country.
Her eldest son Toshinaga was born. He would later succeed his father and become the first lord of the Kaga domain. By about this time Toshiie had been pardoned by Nobunaga and returned to the Oda house, and by winning merit in battle he gradually restored the fortunes of the Maeda family.
Her fourth daughter, Gō, was born. For Hashiba Hideyoshi and Nene, who had no children, Matsu entrusted Gō to them as an adopted daughter while still an infant. Gō was cherished by the couple and later married Ukita Hideie. The episode shows the deep trust between Matsu and Nene.
Toshiie, who had sided with Shibata Katsuie in the Battle of Shizugatake, withdrew from the field to Fuchū Castle in Echizen. When the victorious Hideyoshi came to Fuchū, Matsu met him and negotiated peace, saving the Maeda from danger, it is said. Thereafter the Maeda became leading vassals of Hideyoshi.
Sassa Narimasa attacked Suemori Castle, held by the Maeda. It is said that when Toshiie hesitated to march, Matsu rebuked him for hoarding gold and silver instead of keeping enough soldiers, telling him to 'let your gold and silver carry spears and fight'. Toshiie was roused and relieved the castle.
She was invited, together with Hideyoshi's wives, to the lavish Daigo cherry-blossom viewing Hideyoshi held at Daigo-ji in Kyoto. Because Toshiie had become guardian of Hideyoshi's son Hideyori, Matsu too had a role in raising him and was treated as one of the chief guests. Hideyoshi died that year.
Her husband Toshiie died of illness. Matsu shaved her head, became a nun and took the name Hōshun-in. The Maeda house passed to her eldest son Toshinaga, but with both Hideyoshi and Toshiie gone, Tokugawa Ieyasu's power grew rapidly within the Toyotomi government.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu suspected the Maeda of rebellion, she calmed Toshinaga, who argued for war, and to clear the suspicion went down to Edo herself as a hostage. The Maeda thus avoided war and survived. This is regarded as the first case of the system under which lords' wives and children lived in Edo.
Her life as a hostage in Edo lasted fourteen years. During that time she worked hard for the Maeda, for example petitioning the shogunate to pardon her second son Toshimasa, who had sided with the West at Sekigahara, but her wish was not granted. This year her eldest son Toshinaga died, and she was at last allowed to return to Kanazawa.
She died within Kanazawa Castle. Her grave is at the Noda-yama cemetery in Kanazawa, and part of her remains was placed at Hōshun-in in Daitoku-ji, Kyoto. As the wife who supported her husband and protected the house by becoming a hostage, she later became widely known through dramas as a builder of the 'Kaga million koku'.
A. A woman of the Sengoku to early Edo periods and wife of Maeda Toshiie, founder of the Kaga domain. Her name was Matsu. She supported her husband and devoted herself to the house’s rise, and after Toshiie’s death went to Edo herself as a hostage to protect the Maeda family. Spending over fourteen years in Edo, she helped secure the foundation of the great Kaga domain.
A. Period: Sengoku–Edo. Born in 1547, died in 1617.
A. Hōshun-in (Matsu) was born in Owari Province (now Aichi Prefecture).
A. After Toshiie’s death, Tokugawa Ieyasu suspected the Maeda of plotting rebellion. To protect the house, Hōshun-in chose to go to Edo herself as a hostage, avoiding conflict with Ieyasu and securing the Maeda family’s survival.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Shibata KatsuieOda NobunagaToyotomi HideyoshiMaeda ToshiieTokugawa IeyasuUkita Hideie
Sanada MasayukiAsano NagamasaSatake YoshishigeOda Nagamasu (Urakusai)Honda TadakatsuNene (Kōdai-in)Sakakibara YasumasaTakayama Ukon
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.