Kaihime

Kaihime (甲斐姫, Kaihime, speculated to have been born in 1572) was the daughter of Narita Ujinaga, retainer of the Late Hōjō clan in Kantō. She is known as the legendary woman who helped her father's resistance at Oshi Castle against Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army during the Siege of Odawara. Though known for her bravery and beauty, modern historians are unsure if she actually performed the deeds in the tales surrounding her and it's highly likely that many of her feats steam from contemporary historical novels and folklore from the Edo period.

In June 1590, Ishida Mitsunari lead a 20,000 man army to take Oshi Castle. Due to lack of foresight and planning, his army was devastated by a water attack. Kaihime was said to have volunteered to rout the remaining soldiers, donning armor and riding on horseback with 200 men. When Ishida was reinforced by Sanada Masayuki, Sanada Yukimura and Asano Nagamasa, she was said to have slayed Asano's retainer, Miyage Takashige. When Odawara Castle surrendered, her father also chose to do the same with hope to end warfare.

She and her father were put under Gamō Ujisato's care for a time. Sometime when her father was away, an internal rebellion was caused by Hamada Shugen and his younger brother. During this time, Kaihime's mother-in-law was killed. As soon as she heard about the incident, Kaihime brandished a sword and sought to end the rebels. She slayed the instigator and two followers, effectively repressing the bloodshed. Hideyoshi heard of her bravery and donned her one of his concubines. As a result, her father became one of Hideyoshi's trusted generals. He was rewarded with Karasuyama Castle and 20,000 koku.

Much later, near the end of the Siege of Osaka Summer Campaign, she is said to have fled with Toyotomi Hideyori's concubine and Hideyori's daughter, Nāhime. The three of them became nuns at Tōkei-ji.

Kaihime in fiction

See People of the Sengoku period in popular culture.

References

• Himegimi-tachi Dai Sengoku Emaki (姫君たちの大戦国絵巻); ISBN:9784404037053