Shimazu Kameju

Shimazu Kameju (島津亀寿, 1571 - 1630) or Kamejuhime (亀寿姫), was a Japanese noble woman from the Shimazu clan during the Sengoku period. She was the third daughter of Shimazu Yoshihisa, 16th head of the Shimazu clan, and wife to the 18th clan head, Shimazu Iehisa. Kameju is known as a beautiful and wise woman, it is said that she was very kind and loved by the people of Kagoshima. She played important roles as a diplomat when living under the Toyotomi clan, she later became castellan of Kokubu Castle.

It is said that visitors to Tsurugane Shrine will be blessed with her beauty, and each year a ceremony called Jimyo-sai is held where women gather to pray for health and beauty.

Early life Kameju was born in 1571 as the daughter of the powerful feudal lord, Shimazu Yoshihisa, who ruled much of the Satsuma area on the island of Kyushu.

Kameju's mother is the daughter of Tanegashima Tokitaka known for introducing firearms to Japan. Kameju's mother died when she was two years old, so she was raised by a nanny and a maid.

During the war with Korea, Iehisa participated by commanding 7,000 troops, he defeated 30,000 Ming troops, demonstrating his bravery. On the other hand, Kameju was once again taken hostage by the Toyotomi family. Upon arriving in the capital Osaka, she conveyed various information from Kyoto to the members of the Shimazu clan, and made a great contribution to transforming the clan, which was unaware of the situation in Kyoto, into one of the first clans with a complex system of diplomacy

It is believed that Shimazu Kameju's achievements are highly regarded by the Shimazu family. In 1599, Kameju was granted by Shimazu Yoshihiro (her uncle) landholdings of 5,000 koku in the Hioki District of Satsuma. The following year, she was granted by Shimazu Yoshihisa (her father) additional landholdings of 2,739 koku in the village of Ōnejime in Ōsumi Province.