Ii Naotora


Ii Naotora was a daimyō of the Sengoku period. She was the daughter and only child of Ii Naomori, the eighteenth head of their clan. She was primarily the head of Ii clan and retainer of the Imagawa clan, because of her efforts, Ii Naotora becomes a daimyō and received the title "Female Landlord".
Naotora is best known for avoiding the decimation of her family and for continuing the lineage of Ii clan. As a relative of Lady Tsukiyama, Naotora switched sides to the Matsudaira clan of Mikawa province. The Ii clan that Naotora as guardian of Ii Naomasa protected, prospered for over 200 years and became one of the main samurai clans that formed the Tokugawa Shogunate government.

Early life

Ii Naotora was a daughter of Ii Naomori, a leader of Iinoya-is a part of Tōtōmi, who had been defeated by Imagawa Yoshimoto and became a vassal of Imagawa.
The Ii family had no male heir, so Natora's uncle Ii Naomitsu tried to betrothe Ii Naochika his son to her so that he could inherit the clan. However, Naomitsu planned to rebel against Imagawa. Unidentified Imagawa clan retainers carried a report of the plans to Imagawa, who ordered Naomitsu and his son Naochika to commit seppuku. Naomitsu died, but Naochika, who was very young, was protected by a Buddhist priest named Nankei. Naochika managed to flee to Shinano. Naotora became a priestess, and was named Jirō Hōshi at age of ten by Nankei.
Naomori and Yoshimoto died in the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, Imagawa clan loses power and the province goes into chaos. Naochika returned to Iinoya about ten years later after he left, he had already married another woman while in exile and could not marry Jiro Hoshi.
Naochika momentarily ruled the clan but, like his father, he planned a rebellion against Imagawa. Again, anonymous traitors carried news of the plans to Imagawa and Naochika was killed by Imagawa Ujizane in 1560. It is said that he was killed because of an anonymous report of Ono Michiyoshi. In 1563, Ii Naohira and other men from Ii, were ordered to break into Hikuma Castle as proof of their loyalty to Imagawa. Otazu no kata who was wife of Iio Tsurutatsu invited Naohira to a meeting with her husband and planned to eradicate it to claim prominence in Totomi. In September 18, Otazu no Kata then poisoned Naohira's tea and he died soon after. Following Naohira's death and many obstacles, Jiro Hoshi returned to secular life, removed her nun costume, was baptized by the male name Naotora and declared herself the nominal head of the Ii clan.

Reign

After the Imagawa clan killed several members of the Ii clan, Naotora became one of the last survivors, alongside her mother and niece. She adopted Naochika's daughter and son, Takase and Ii Naomasa. Naotora secured Naomasa's future successful career when he succeeds her.
During the early days of her reign, Naotora often tried to mediate with Imagawa Ujizane and his grandmother Jukei-ni, at which time the Imagawa clan was on warpath with Ii clan. Former Imagawa clan retainer Tokugawa Ieyasu went to war with Ujizane. Ieyasu was successful in forming an alliance with Oda Nobunaga after Yoshimoto's death in 1560. Ieyasu's wife was Lady Tsukiyama, who was from the Imagawa family and related to Naotora.
In 1564 Niino Chikanori, a retainer of Ii clan, led a siege to Hikuma castle to prove Naotora's loyalty to Imagawa Ujizane, Otazu and Tsurutatsu fought to defend the castle and Chikanori was killed. Naotora was presumed to have difficulty securing clan leadership because of the innumerable resistances from the Imagawa clan retainers, so she anonymously seeks support from other clans. After numerous threats from Imagawa retainers to Ii, Naotora finally allies with Ieyasu and actively participates in the achievements of the Matsudaira clan in Totomi and Mikawa Province.
Naotora's actions were the most important moment for her clan. She achieves Ii clan independence after more than two centuries serving the Imagawa. In some tales Naotora is portrayed as an "unconventional lord" because of her numerous strategies and unusual attempts to protect and thrive her domain and people. It is recorded that Naotora, being a former nun, often acted to avoid battles, earning the respect of many civilians. She actively participated in the success of Ieyasu's career that would later become the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.
In 1568, Jukei-ni dies and the Imagawa enter a major crisis again and a year later Ujizane surrender to the Ieyasu's Matsudaira clan. Ieyasu led a siege to Hikuma castle and capture it from Otazu no kata. Naotora is said to have participated actively in this battle to avenge her great grandfather's death, but it is probably a tale from the Edo period. At the same year, Ono Michiyoshi who was Naotora's ally, removes her from Iinoya's leadership with the help of Imagawa clan retainers. She escapes to Ryōtan-ji Temple in Hamamatsu. During her days in Hamamatsu, Naotora gets Ieyasu's help and recaptures Iinoya castle. Michiyoshi was executed and his head was disgraced in public.
In 1572, Takeda Shingen personally invades Iinoya and other castles in Totomi and Mikawa. The Battle of Mikatagahara took place near Naotora's domain. After days of resistance, Naotora surrenders Iinoya castle to the enemy to prevent bloodshed. In 1573, Shingen gets sick and dies in Naotora's domain. The Takeda clan army retreats from Iinoya and Naotora returns to being a daimyō. In 1582, she died of disease and was buried in the Ryōtan-ji temple. Naochika's son, the famed Ii Naomasa whom she adopted, succeeded her after her demise.

In popular culture