Shōgun

As the wife of the Taikō, Lady Iyo counseled her husband throughout his extraordinary rise from peasant to unifier of Japan.

As the wife of the Taikō, Lady Iyo counseled her husband throughout his extraordinary rise from peasant to unifier of Japan. Shrewd and cunning, Lady Iyo knew what must be sacrificed to achieve her goals, and she schooled her husband’s young consorts in these same hard lessons. Later known by her Buddhist nun name, Daiyoin, she remains a powerful presence in Osaka Castle as she uses her influence to protect the future of her husband’s empire.&nbsp;

The historical model for Daiyoin is Nene (also called Kōdai-in), the wife of Hideyoshi (the Taikō). The daughter of Sugihara Sadatoshi, a retainer of Oda Nobunaga (Kuroda Nobuhisa in Shōgun) and Asahi-no-tsubone, she fell in love with Hideyoshi when he was still an ashigaru and married him over her mother's vehement objections.Because of his many military successes, Hideyoshi rose through the ranks of the Oda clan. As a reward for his exploits in the war against the Azai clan, Hideyoshi became the lord of Kita-Omi, which had been Azai's territory. When Hideyoshi moved to Nagahama Castle, Nene followed him. She took care of the clan's affairs during Hideyoshi's numerous campaigns for Nobunaga. Nene didn't have any children with Hideyoshi, but she took care of the children of other warlords who lived in the castle as hostages, as if she were their mother.When Hideyoshi fought Mōri Terumoto in 1582, Nobunaga was killed by a vassal, who sent an army to Nagahama Castle. Nene arranged for all the women and children in the castle to escape to temples in the nearby mountains, saving their lives. After Hideyoshi defeated this rebel lord, she moved to his newly built Osaka Castle. There she helped her husband to govern the country. Her important role was recognized by the imperial court, and she received the honorary title of Kita-no-mandokoro, given to the wife of the kampaku, or regent.Nene seems to have suffered from stress due to the heavy responsibilities placed upon her. She also had to put up with the fact that Hideyoshi had numerous concubines, one of whom, Chacha, bore Hideyoshi two sons. However, she seems to have had a gentle character. After Hideyoshi's death in 1598, she sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu (Toranaga in Shōgun), undoubtedly because she believed this was the best way to prevent the decline of the Toyotomi clan.

Every legend begins with a story.&nbsp;Explore the vision and artistry behind FX's Shōgun's groundbreaking series. Join host and staff writer Emily Yoshida as she sits down with the creators, cast, and crew that brought Sengoku Era Japan to life.

Daiyoin I FX's Shogun

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