View source for Ōoku

{{short description|Former women's quarters of Edo Castle}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Italic title}}
[[File:Ooku-utaawase.jpg|thumb|[[Ukiyo-e]] depiction of the {{transliteration|ja|Ōoku}} by [[Toyohara Chikanobu|Hashimoto Chikanobu]]]]

The {{nihongo3|"great interior"|大奥|'''Ōoku'''}} was historically the [[harem|women's quarters]] of [[Edo Castle]], the section where the women connected to the reigning {{transliteration|ja|[[shōgun]]}} resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful {{transliteration|ja|[[daimyō]]}}, such as the [[Satsuma Domain]], were also referred to by this term.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/taiga/kikou/kikou09.html |title=大河ドラマ 篤姫 |access-date=2008-10-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019233543/http://www9.nhk.or.jp:80/taiga/kikou/kikou09.html |archive-date=2008-10-19}}</ref>

During the reign of the second shogun, [[Tokugawa Hidetada]], ''Ōoku'' was established in Edo Castle as a women's room where his {{nihongo|official wife|御台所|[[Midaidokoro]]}}, [[Oeyo]], resided. During the reign of the third shogun, [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]], the ''Ōoku'' was expanded at the suggestion of his nanny, [[Lady Kasuga]], to ensure the birth of a male heir to the shogun's lineage, and became a vast shogun's harem with nearly 1,000 women working as maidservants.<ref name="waraku051021">{{cite web|url=https://intojapanwaraku.com/rock/culture-rock/175393/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610182314/https://intojapanwaraku.com/rock/culture-rock/175393/|script-title=ja:大奥とは？徳川幕府を支えた“女たちの最前線”を3分で解説|language=ja|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|date=5 October 2021|archive-date=10 June 2023|access-date=9 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="ōokurekishi">{{cite web|url=https://www.rekishijin.com/26719|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609045246/https://www.rekishijin.com/26719|script-title=ja:勤務先が男子禁制の大奥!? 大奥に出入りできた男性たち|language=ja|publisher=Rekishijin|date=29 March 2023|archive-date=9 June 2023|access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="rekishi011021">{{cite web|url=https://www.rekishijin.com/14797|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328125645/https://www.rekishijin.com/14797|script-title=ja:徳川家の将軍は思うがままに性を享楽できなかった？「大奥の床事情」|language=ja|publisher=Rekishijin|date=1 October 2021|archive-date=28 March 2023|access-date=9 March 2024}}</ref>

The ''Ōoku'' was inhabited by the official wife and concubines of the shogun. The women of ''Ōoku'' were highly hierarchical, with the official wife of the shogun, who was of aristocratic lineage, ruling at the top, and the older women who had served her for a long time actually controlling ''Ōoku''. The women who worked as maidservants in ''Ōoku'' were daughters of the {{nihongo3||旗本|[[Hatamoto]]}}, a high-ranking class of samurai, and they had servants from the {{nihongo3|townspeople|町人|[[chōnin]]}} and peasants who worked for them. Even low-ranking servants were treated as concubines of the shogun if they bore his children. One such example was Otama, the daughter of a grocer, who gave birth to the fifth shogun, [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]].<ref name="waraku051021"/><ref name="ōokurekishi"/><ref name="rekishi011021"/> 

Adult men were generally forbidden to enter ''Ōoku''; only the shogun, his male descendants and prepubescent boys who came to visit the maidservants were allowed. The highest official in the shogunate, the {{nihongo3|[[Elder (administrative title)|Elder]]|老中|[[Rōjū]]}}, could enter only when summoned on official business by the shogun's official wife, or a high-ranking woman in the ''Ōoku''. However, men such as doctors, carpenters, and painters were also allowed to enter ''Ōoku'' as needed, and over time the number of men performing security, clerical, and other duties at ''Ōoku'' increased, albeit on a limited basis.<ref name="waraku051021"/><ref name="ōokurekishi"/><ref name="rekishi011021"/> The ''Ōoku'' was also used to ensure the Tokugawa shogun's rule over the country by arranging political marriages between the shogun's children and the children of daimyo in various regions. The ''Ōoku'' continued until 1868, when the Tokugawa shogunate was dissolved.<ref name="waraku051021" /><ref name="ōokurekishi" /><ref name="rekishi011021" />

== Structure ==
No male adults were admitted onto the floor of the {{transliteration|ja|Ōoku}} without the permission of the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}. The corridor through which the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}} entered was called {{nihongo3|great bell corridor|御鈴廊下|Osuzu Rōka}}, derived from the custom of ringing of the {{transliteration|ja|[[Suzu (bell)|suzu]]}} bells to announce the entrance of the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}. This corridor was the only route which connected the {{transliteration|ja|Ōoku}} to rest of Edo Castle, and it was usually locked.

The {{transliteration|ja|Ōoku}} consisted of the {{nihongo3|the central section|本丸|Honmaru}} where the {{transliteration|ja|[[midaidokoro]]}}, the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}'s official wife, and her children resided (though only [[Oeyo]], wife of [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] resided there with her children). Male heirs residing in the {{transliteration|ja|Honmaru}} were required to move to the {{transliteration|ja|Sannomaru}} after coming of age. The {{nihongo||ニの丸|Ninomaru}} was where the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}'s concubines and their children resided, and the {{nihongo||三の丸|Sannomaru}} housed the {{transliteration|ja|[[oomidaidokoro]]}} (the past {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}'s official widow) and the former {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}'s widowed concubines without children in the shogunate family. {{transliteration|ja|Nagatsubone}} was where the senior chamberlain and servants resided, as well as the residence of male heirs from the time they came of age until their appointment as shogun. The {{nihongo||中之丸|Nakanomaru}} was a performance area for [[Noh]] plays, although during the reign of the third {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}} it was also the residence of his wife Takatsukasa Takako, who moved there after her third miscarriage.

After a fire destroyed the {{transliteration|ja|Honmaru}} and the [[Meiji Restoration]] brought about the end of the shogunate, the {{transliteration|ja|Ōoku}} also ceased to exist.

== Organisation ==
[[File:千代田の大奥 茶の湯辺り花-Chiyoda Inner Palace- No.20 Flower Arranging in Turn (Chiyoda no Ōoku- Chanoyu mawaribana) MET DP149382.jpg|thumb|Depiction of ''[[ikebana]]'' flower arranging at the ''Ōoku'' (by Hashimoto Chikanobu)]]
[[File:Chiyoda Ooku Hanami.jpg|thumbnail|Women of the ''Ōoku'' enjoy cherry blossoms at a ''[[hanami]]''. ''[[Woodblock printing in Japan|Moku-hanga]]'' in the ''ukiyo-e'' style (by [[Toyohara Chikanobu]], 1894)]]
The women's quarters included the shōgun's mother, the official wife (''[[seishitsu]]''), and concubines. Rumored to house several thousand women, including maids and servants at one point, the ''Ōoku'' was, as much as any other part of Edo Castle, a focal point of political intrigue for the [[Tokugawa shogunate]].

A lady in the rank of an ''{{nihongo|Otoshiyori|御年寄|}}'' or ''{{nihongo|Jōrō Otoshiyori|上臈御年寄|}}'' or the senior ladyship held the reins of power in the ''Ōoku'', while attaining the influence equivalent to a [[Rōjū]] in Edo Castle.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Position
!Duties
|-
|Jorō O-toshiyori (上臈御年寄)
|<nowiki>- Took orders from the </nowiki>''midaidokoro'' and gave her counsel

- Usually a woman who was from a respected and noble family
|-
|O-toshiyori (御年寄)
| - The court lady who runs the ''Ōoku''
- Held authority similar to the Rōjū in Edo Castle
|-
|O-kyaku-ashirai (御客応答)
| - Responsible for receiving ambassadors from various daimyo
|-
|Chū-doshiyori (中年寄)
| - Took orders from the o-toshiyori
- Did everything from menu checking to poison tasting
|-
|Chūrō (中臈)
| - Personal assistant of the Shogun and his wife
- Usually women of good social standing and good caliber were chosen

- Concubines could be chosen from these women
|-
|O-koshō (御小姓)
| - Midaidokoro’s handmaid and page
- Many were young girls between the ages of 7 and 16
|-
|O-jōguchi (御錠口)
| - Responsible for managing the locks on the gates between the ''Ōoku'' and Naka-oku
|-
|Omote-zukai (表使)
| - Under the orders of the o-toshiyori, in charge of requesting the Hiroshiki-yonin (広敷用人) to procure supplies
|-
|Go-yūhitsu (御右筆)
| - Responsible for managing all official documents from diaries to letters
- Also in charge of inspecting gifts from the various daimyo
|-
|O-tsugi (御次)
| - Responsible for transporting meals and various tools
- Responsible for cleaning meeting places
|-
|Kittegai (切手書)
| - Responsible for renewing a certificate that visitors needed in order to enter from one of the seven gates
|-
|Gofukunoma (呉服之間)
| - Responsible for the clothes and wardrobe of the Shogun and midaidokoro
|-
|O-bōzu (御坊主)
| - Responsible for the Shogun’s miscellaneous affairs
- Usually women in their middle ages adorning haori hakama and wearing their hair in the tonsure style

- Occasionally going in and out of the Naka-oku
|-
|O-hirozashiki (御広座敷)
| - Underlings of the omote-zukai
- In charge of the meals for the ambassadors that visited the ''Ōoku''
|-
|O-sannoma (御三之間)
| - Responsible for the cleaning of the three sections of Honmaru Palace
|-
|O-nakai (御仲居)
|<nowiki>- Responsible for cooking all the meals</nowiki>
|-
|Hinoban (火之番)
|<nowiki>- Patrolled the ''Ōoku'' around the clock for any potential fire outbreak</nowiki>

- Excelled at martial arts and also served as a security guard
|-
|O-chanoma (御茶之間)
|<nowiki>- Responsible for bringing out the midaidokoro’s tea</nowiki>
|-
|O-tsukaiban (御使番)
|<nowiki>- Responsible for the opening and closing of the lock between the hiroshiki and the palace</nowiki>
|-
|O-hashita/O-sue (御半下/御末)
|<nowiki>- A maid servant responsible for taking care of the miscellaneous chores in the ''Ōoku''</nowiki>
|}

==Notable persons==
* [[Kasuga no Tsubone]], ''shōgun'' [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]'s wet nurse. She became the first ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' in 1607 after being recommended by the first ''[[Midaidokoro]]'', [[Oeyo]]. She managed the ''Ōoku'' with [[Oeyo]] from 1607 until Oeyo died in 1626, and then with Oman no Kata from 1640 until her death in 1643.
* Oman no Kata, the first concubine named a ''Jōrō Otoshiyori''. She later acted as adoptive mother to two Iemitsu's children, [[Chiyohime]] and [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]], the fourth shogun. She was a concubine of [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] and retired in March 1657.
* Yajima no Tsubone, ''shōgun'' [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]]'s wet nurse. She became the third ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' in 1656 after Oman no Kata's retirement, and later was banished from ''Ōoku'' in 1675 after her plots against several of the other women of the ''Ōoku'' were discovered by Ietsuna:
** In 1675, she poisoned the powder used by Asa no Miya Akiko, which blinded her; the resulting stress contributed to her death a year later.
** In 1667 she poisoned the lipstick of Ofuri no Kata, who was then pregnant; Ofuri suffered a miscarriage and died soon after. Yajima's motive in poisoning Ofuri was to allow her daughter to become the mother of Ietsuna's sole heir, but this was not to be as her daughter also later miscarried after falling down the stairs.
* Lady Emonnosuke, the second and last concubine to be named ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'', and the concubine of [[Tokugawa Tsunayoshi]] from 1683 until her death in January 1705.
* Lady Akimoto, who became ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' in 1705 after the death of Lady Emonnosuke. She retired in 1709.
* Ejima, ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' and the personal ladyship of Gekkoin, mother of seventh ''shōgun''. Held the office from 1709 until 1714. She was expelled from ''Ōoku'' in 1714 due to her relationship with a man named Ikushima Shingoro.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}This tragedy came to be known as '''[[Ejima-Ikushima affair]]'''.
* Fujinami, ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' and the personal ladyship of Ten'ei-in, widow of the sixth shogun. In office beginning in 1714.
* Lady Takaoka, ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' during the reign of [[Tokugawa Ieharu]]. In office from 1765 to 1787.
* Lady Anekoji (1810–1880), ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' from the reign of [[Tokugawa Ienari]] until that of [[Tokugawa Ieyoshi]]. In office from 1826 to 1844.
* Lady Utahashi, wet nurse of [[Tokugawa Iesada]], personal ladyship of Lady Honjuin (mother of Iesada) and ''Jōrō Otoshiyori'' during the reign of [[Tokugawa Ieyoshi]]. In office from 1844 to 1853.
* Ikushima, the personal ladyship of [[Tenshōin]]. She retired from the ''Ōoku'' at 1859 and stayed with Muraoka, the senior ladyship of the Konoe family, until her death. She was buried at Satsuma.
* Niwata Tsuguko of Kyoto, the personal ladyship of Princess Kazunomiya, Iemochi's wife. She died 1868 in the ''Ōoku''.
* Takiyama (1805–1876), the ''Jōrō Otoshiyori''. She served the previous ''shōgun'', including [[Tokugawa Iesada]] and Atsuhime/[[Tenshōin]], [[Tokugawa Iemochi]] and [[Princess Kazu|Kazunomiya]]/Seikan'in-no miya, and the last ''shōgun'' [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]]. After a new government took over Edo Castle, she moved to Kawaguchi in [[Saitama Prefecture]]. Her remains were buried in Shakujo-ji Temple. In office from 1853 to 1867.

==In popular culture==
No painting exists of the interior. ''[[Ukiyo-e]]'' artists such as [[Hashimoto Chikanobu]] and [[Toyohara Chikanobu]] created a number of prints that depict life as imagined inside the women's quarters. However, there are many modern popular portrayals of the ''Ōoku'':<ref>[[:ja:大奥に関する作品の一覧]]</ref>
* ''[[Ōoku (1983 TV series)|Ōoku]]'', a 1983 51-episode TV series
* [[Ōoku (2003 TV series)|''Ōoku: Hana no Ran'']], a [[Japan]]ese [[Japanese television drama|television drama]] running between 2003–2006
* ''[[Ōoku: The Inner Chambers]]'', a manga series running between 2004–2022
* ''[[Oh! Oku]]'', a 2006 film
* ''[[Atsuhime (drama)|Atsuhime]]'', a 2008 [[NHK]] [[Taiga drama]]
* ''[[Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain]]'', a 2024 animated movie

==Notes==
{{note|1}}The name and title of "Ōoku" was given by [[Oeyo]], Tokugawa Hidetada's wife<br>
{{note|2}}Her name before Iemitsu become the third ''shōgun''<br>
{{note|3}}her name after Iemitsu become the third ''shōgun''

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commonscat-inline}}
*{{wiktionary-inline|大奥|ōoku}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ooku}}
[[Category:Edo Castle]]
[[Category:Edo period]]
[[Category:Women's quarters]]