Take no Gosho (竹御所)
TAKE no Gosho (1202- August 23, 1234) was a woman in the early Kamakura period. She was a daughter of MINAMOTO no Yoriie, who was the second seii taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians") of the Kamakura bakufu. Her name recorded in the Iki (court rank diploma) was Mariko. Her mother is considered to be a daughter of MINAMOTO no Yoshinaka, according to "Sompi Bunmyaku" (Bloodlines of Noble and Base). However, given the fact that Mariko's residence, which was called the Palace of Bamboo, was located on the former estate of the Hiki family in the Hikigatani Valley, her mother was considered to be WAKASA no Tsubone, a daughter of Yoshikazu HIKI.
After her father Yoriie was assassinated by the Hojo clan, she and her elder brother Kugyo were adopted by their uncle MINAMOTO no Sanetomo. While the other children of Yoriie suffered a violent death one after another in the political strife within the shogunate, TAKE no Gosho, who was a girl protected by her grandmother Masako HOJO, escaped from being dragged into the strife. After Masako died, she became the substantial successor. As the only remaining survivor who was blood-tied to Yoriie among all the people related to the shogunate, TAKE no Gosho was respected by gokenin (immediate vasals of the shogunate)as a symbol of the authority of the shogunate, and played the role of bringing them together.
In 1230, at the age of 28 she married the fourth seii taishogun FUJIWARA no Yoritsune who was 13 years old. It is said that the couple got along well together. Four years after the marriage, she got pregnant and people around her were expecting the birth of a successor to the general, who would be blood-tied to Yoritomo. However, she lost her unborn boy after the hard delivery, and she herself also died at the age of 33. With the death of TAKE no Gosho, the bloodline originated in MINAMOTO no Yoritomo was completely ruptured.
Since she was considered to be too old to have the first childbirth at that time, it is said that TAKE no Gosho herself was also prepared for the risk of death when giving birth.
According to the record in FUJIWARA no Sadaie's diary "Meigetsuki" (Chronicle of the Bright Moon), when the news of the death of TAKE no Gosho broke out, the Kamakura samurais were so much shocked upon hearing the bloodline of Yoritomo ruptured that, gokenin in Kyoto all descended to Kamakura in a body. In the Japanese history book "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East), it was recorded that, on July 27, 1235, some princesses were serving the mourning of TAKE no Gosho.
The grave of TAKE no Gosho was in the Myohon-ji Temple, which was Hiki clan's family temple.