Midaidokoro


The midaidokoro was the official wife of the shōgun. During the Edo period, she resided in the Ōoku of Edo Castle and sometimes wielded considerable political power behind the scenes.

Heian period

The first Midaidokoro in this period was wife of the second shōgun, Tokugawa Hidetada, because when the Tokugawa Ieyasu became shōgun, his wives had already died and there was no Midaidokoro at that time. When Tokugawa Yoshimune's time came he didn't have Midaidokoro either because his wife had died before he became shōgun. Also when Tokugawa Ieshige's time, his wife already died. At Tokugawa Yoshinobu's time, he and his wife, Ichijō Mikako, did not live together as she did not move into Edo Castle. Thus, her title was officially defined as.