The was historically the women's quarters of Edo Castle, the section where the women connected to the reigning resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful, such as the Satsuma Domain, were also referred to by this term.[1]
During the reign of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, Ōoku was established in Edo Castle as a women's room where his, 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.[2] [3] [4]
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, a high-ranking class of samurai, and they had servants from the 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.[2] [3] [4]
Men were generally forbidden to enter Ōoku; only the shogun, his sons, and boys under the age of nine who came to visit the maidservants were allowed. The highest official in the shogunate, the, 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.[2] [3] [4] 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.
No male adults were admitted onto the floor of the without the permission of the . The corridor through which the entered was called, derived from the custom of ringing of the bells to announce the entrance of the . This corridor was the only route which connected the to rest of Edo Castle, and it was usually locked.
The consisted of the where the, the 's official wife, and her children resided (though only Oeyo, wife of Tokugawa Hidetada resided there with her children). Male heirs residing in the were required to move to the after coming of age. The was where the 's concubines and their children resided, and the housed the (the past 's official widow) and the former 's widowed concubines without children in the royal family. 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 was a performance area for Noh plays, although during the reign of the third it was also the residence of his wife Takatsukasa Takako, who moved there after her third miscarriage.
After a fire destroyed the and the Meiji Restoration brought about the end of the shogunate, the also ceased to exist.
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 or or the senior ladyship held the reins of power in the Ōoku, while attaining the influence equivalent to a Rōjū in Edo Castle.
| Jorō O-toshiyori (上臈御年寄) | - Took orders from the 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 Ooku- 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 Ooku 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 7 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 Ooku|-|O-sannoma (御三之間)| - Responsible for the cleaning of the three sections of Honmaru Palace|-|O-nakai (御仲居)|- Responsible for cooking all the meals|-|Hinoban (火之番)|- Patrolled the Ooku around the clock for any potential fire outbreak - Excelled at martial arts and also served as a security guard|-|O-chanoma (御茶之間)|- Responsible for bringing out the midaidokoro’s tea|-|O-tsukaiban (御使番)|- Responsible for the opening and closing of the lock between the hiroshiki and the palace | |
| O-hashita/O-sue (御半下/御末) | - A maid servant responsible for taking care of the miscellaneous chores in the Ooku |
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:[5]
The name and title of "Ōoku" was given by Oeyo, Tokugawa Hidetada's wife
Her name before Iemitsu become the third shōgun
her name after Iemitsu become the third shōgun