Konoe Hisako (近衛尚子)
Hisako KONOE (April 5, 1702-February 27, 1720) was Nyogo (a wife of Emperor) of the Emperor Nakamikado in the Edo period, who was the real mother of the Emperor Sakuramachi. Her "nyoingo" (the title of respect given to close female relatives of the Emperor or a woman of comparable standing) was Shinchukamonin.
Family tree
She was the daughter of Iehiro KONOE, "Sessho Kanpaku" (Imperial Regent and Chief adviser to the Emperor) and "Daijo-daijin" (Grand Minister). Her real mother was Kazuko MACHIJIRI, the daughter of Kanekazu MACHIJIRI who was Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councillor of state). She had the older paternal half-brother, Iehisa KONOE who was Kanpaku Dajodaijin (Imperial Regent and Grand Minister). When she got married, she became the adopted child of Ienobu TOKUGAWA, the sixth Seii taishogun (literally, "great General who subdues the barbarians") of the Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), because his lawful wife Hiroko KONOE was Hisako's aunt.
Career
In 1716 she married the Emperor Nakamikado and received the Imperial letter of appointment as the title Nyogo.
On February 8, 1720, she gave birth to the first son, Imperial Prince Teruhito (later the Emperor Sakuramachi). However, it was such a difficult delivery that it made her seriously ill; She died on February 20 in the same year. She died at the age of 19.
She was conferred the court titles, "Jugo" and "Nyoingo" after her death; She was buried at Tsukinowa no misasagi (the Tsukinowa Mausoleum) (in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture). In June 1728, the title Empress Dowager was conferred to her; Her birth child, Imperial Prince Teruhito officially became the Crown Prince in November of the same year.