Sanjo no kata (三条の方)
Sanjo no kata (c. 1521 - August 29, 1570) was a woman who lived during the Sengoku period (period of warring states) (Japan), and was the second wife of Shingen TAKEDA. She was the second daughter of Kinyori TENPORIN-SANJO, who was the Sadaijin (minister of the left). Her elder sister was the wife of Harumoto HOSOKAWA, and Nyoshunni, her younger sister, was the wife of Kennyo HONGANJI. Her children included the following: Yoshinobu TAKEDA, Obaiin (or Kobaiin) (wife of Ujimasa HOJO), Nobuchika UNNO (also known as Ryuho), Nobuyuki TAKEDA, and Kenshoin (legitimate wife of Baisetsu ANAYAMA) (wife of Nobukimi ANAYAMA).
Her real name is not known, and she is usually called Sanjo no kata or Sanjo fujin.
Career
She was born in the mansion of the Sanjo family in Kyoto. The Sanjo family belonged to the Seiga family, which was second in terms of social standing only to the Sekkan families (the five families of the Fujiwara clan who were entitled to hold the position of Sekkan [regent]), and the highest position a member of this family could attain was Daijo-daijin (Grand minister of state). The Sanjo family was known for the fue (Japanese flute) and shozoku (ritual accouterments). The Sanjonishi family, which was a branch family, included Sanetaka SANJONISHI, who was famous as the greatest man of culture of the day. In July, 1536, Sanjo no kata married Harunobu TAKEDA through the intermediation of the Imagawa clan in Suruga Province. With Harunobu, she successively gave birth to three sons and two daughters as follows: Yoshinobu, Obaiin, Nobuchika, Nobuyuki, and Kenshoin. Among Kinjushu (personal attendants) of the Takeda family, Goryoninshu (close aides) seem to have guarded her; ten of them, starting with Shinemon GOMI, were attached to her.
She experienced a series of misfortunes, including the death of her father, Kinyori SANJO, by the sword; the revolt of Yoshinobu; Nobuchika's loss of eyesight; Nobuyuki's early death; and Obaiin's divorce and death at the age of twenty-seven. Sanjo no kata died on August 29, 1570 at the age of fifty.
Her grave sits in Enko-in Temple in Kofu City.
Personality
In the record of funeral ceremonies of Enko-in Temple, Joki KAISEN's compliment on Sanjo no kata's personality is recorded as 'She is very beautiful and a person of strong faith in Buddha, warm-hearted and genial like the spring sun encompassing those around her. In addition, she lived a happy married life with Shingen.'
With respect to religious matters, Sanjo no kata inherited a wooden shakanyorai zazo (wooden seated statue of Shaka Nyorai (Shakamuni)) which had been handed down in the Sanjo family; she brought it with her when she married into the Takeda family and it was kept in the Enko-in Temple. In "Kaikokushi" (history of Kai Province), there is a record that she made a new donation to the Kogaku-ji Temple. Sanjo no kata's younger sister, Nyoshunni, was the legitimate wife of Kennyo of the Hongan-ji Temple, and it seems that Sanjo no kata made background efforts in forging the alliance between Hongan-ji Temple and Shingen. In Enko-in Temple, there is a mirror used by Sanjo no kata engraved with the crest of the Takeda clan, as well as Kikukamon crest (the Imperial crest of the chrysanthemum), and Kirimon crest (the crest of the paulownia) which the Imperial family allowed her to use. In addition, according to "Enko-in Jiden" (history of Enko-in Temple), which is historical material kept by Enko-in Temple at that time, just before Shingen's death at Komaba in Shinano Province, he called Nobuharu BABA to his bedside and left his will to send to Sessan-osho (a priest), for dedication to Enko-in Temple, his Jinchu Mamorihonzon (guardian deity at the front), Tohachi-bishamon (a statue of Bishamoten) and Shogun-jizo (Jizo that brings victory), carved at Shingen's order by Kunaikyo hoin Yasukiyo ([宮内卿法印 定訳不明])(famous busshi (sculptor of Buddhist Statues) in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and worshipped very much). Shingen also willed that his body be buried secretly for three years in Enko-in Temple.
Two statues are still kept in the Enko-ji Temple even today, in accordance with Shingen's will. Many believe that akagawa gusoku (armor made with red leather) dedicated to Ninomiya Miwa-jinja Shrine in Fuefuki City on January 15, 1567 (November 25, 1566 in old lunar calendar) belonged to Shingen. As it was the time when Yoshinobu was confined in Toko-ji Temple (Yamanashi Prefecture), there is a view that Sanjo no kata dedicated Yoshinobu's akagawa gusoku.
Influences of dramas and novels
Some believe that there was bad blood between Sanjo no kata and Shingen and that Sanjo no kata was a bad wife, because of the historical facts of a revolt by her son, Yoshinobu, and the inheritance of the position of family head by Katsuyori TAKEDA, who was a son of Suwa goryonin, a concubine from the Suwa family, as well as influences of works of fiction such as TV dramas and novels. She has been given the negative image of a bad wife who, in addition to being ill-favored and benighted, was proud of her noble blood and overproud and jealous.
Most such images arise from the novel "Takeda Shingen" (Shingen TAKEDA) by Jiro NITTA. In the Japanese movie "Furin Kazan (movie) (1969)" (originally written by Yasushi INOUE), Yoshiko KUGA starred as Sanjo no kata.
In the taiga drama series screened by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1988, we felt that Sanjo fujin herself, performed by Misako KONNO, played the role of an enemy of a concubine (Suwa goryonin), because of her jealous love for Shingen. The element of wicked woman in the novel was performed by her maid, Yae.
There is no historical material of that time that supports the view of bad wife or the view of bad blood. As she gave birth to five children with Shingen, we cannot pronounce that Sanjo no kata's origin or personality caused a poor relation between them. Recently, the view that the relation of married couple between Shingen and Sanjo no kata was not bad has been becoming more dominant. This view surmises that because Suwa goryonin became the mother of Katsuyori, the last family head of the Takeda family, in order to romanticize and put emphasis on the relation between Shingen and Suwa goryonin, Sanjo fujin came to be described as a bad wife (rule of unfair diminishing).
In contrast to the prevailing view, in the taiga drama series of NHK for 2007 "Furin Kazan (NHK taiga drama)" (originally written by Yasushi INOUE), Sanjo no kata's image was changed to a pretty and fragile little girl, in a significant departure from the original. Sanjo fujin, performed by Chizu IKEWAKI, was not overproud and acted as a lady who loved Harunobu and had a stalwart heart. There was only one scene in which she happened to see Harunobu's koiuta (love poem) to Suwa goryonin (Yuhime) and, because she had a woman's mind, said terrible things. Otherwise, she was consistently described as a pure-hearted young lady who made a misty gaze immediately after that. On the other hand, as the image of Suwa goryonin was shifted 180 degrees from 'soft' to 'hard,' we can say that the producer intentionally challenged a popular historical belief that had penetrated widely.