Yodo-dono (Unknown–1615)

Yodo-dono, whose real name was Chacha, was a concubine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

She was born as a daughter of Azai Nagamasa, the lord of Odani Castle in Omi Province. Her mother was Oda Nobunaga’s sister Oichi. In 1573, Nobunaga attacked Odani Castle, and Nagamasa killed himself. Her mother, Oichi, Chacha and two other sisters were saved and moved to Owari Province [now the western half of Aichi Prefecture]. Oichi remarried to Shibata Katsuie so that the family moved to Kitanosho Castle in Echizen Province [now northern Fukui Prefecture]; however, in 1583, Kitanosho Castle was attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Katsuie surrendered and killed himself. Oichi followed him and killed herself. Later, Chacha was favored by Hideyoshi, and became his concubine in 1589. She then moved to Yodo Castle in Yamashiro Province [now southern Kyoto Prefecture] and that was why she was called Yodo-dono. She gave birth to Hideyori in 1593. After Hideyoshi’s death, she intervened in political affairs at Osaka Castle and exerted her power as a guardian of Hideyori. At the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1614, she was defeated by the Tokugawa force and killed herself with Hideyori.

Yodo-dono donated the Main Hall and Higashi Daimon Gate to Ishiyamadera Temple which was destroyed during the turbulent war period and helped greatly the restoration of the temple buildings during the Keicho Era [1596–1615].