Ichijō Mikako

Ichijō Mikako (一条美賀子; later Tokugawa Mikako 徳川 美賀子) was a Japanese noble woman and wife to Tokugawa Yoshinobu. She and the shōgun had at least three children. Early life

Ichijō Mikako was born the daughter of on September 11, 1835. Shortly after her birth, her father died. Originally, a man named 's daughter, Teruko, was supposed to marry Tokugawa Yoshinobu, but Teruko contracted smallpox and the marriage was called off. Tadaka quickly adopted Mikako as his own and engaged her to Yoshinobu. Marriage and life as the shōgun's wife Mikako was wed in 1855 and became pregnant in 1858. She gave birth to a daughter, however her daughter soon died. She would go on to have at least 2 other daughters, all dying young. Soon later, Yoshinobu became the guardian of the shōgun, Tokugawa Iemochi and as such the couple did not live together. Yoshinobu finally became shōgun in August 1866, yet she still did not live with him as she did not move to the Ōoku in Edo Castle. In 1867 the Meiji Restoration bought an end to shōgunate rule, and Mikako's title was officially defined as . Post shōgunate alt=A woodblock painting of Mikako from 1888 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. A woodblock painting of Mikako from 1888 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Following the Meiji restoration, Yoshinobu lived in confinement and Mikako was never allowed to see him. Later years and death

Mikako lived a very private life. However, in 1894, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and so moved into the Tokugawa family home, where she received treatment by . Before her death, she composed a death poem;