Oeyo in the context of "Kujō Yukiie"

Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光; 12 August 1604 – 8 June 1651) was the third shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the forefront of shogunate negotiations with the Imperial court. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651; during this period he crucified Christians, expelled all Europeans from Japan and closed the borders of the country, a foreign policy that continued for over 200 years after its institution.

Yodo-dono (淀殿) or Yodo-gimi (淀君; [jo.do(ꜜ).ɡʲi.mʲi, -ŋʲi.mʲi], 1569 – June 4, 1615), also known as Lady Chacha (茶々; [tɕaꜜ.tɕa]), was a Japanese historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She was the concubine and the second wife of Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As the mother of his son and successor Hideyori, she acted as Hideyori's guardian in the restoration of the Toyotomi clan after the fall of the Council of Five Elders, and alongside her son, led the last anti-Tokugawa shogunate resistance in the siege of Osaka.

She was the daughter of Oichi and sister of Ohatsu and Oeyo. When her two younger sisters became prominent members linked to the Tokugawa clan, she and her sisters became vital to maintaining the diplomatic relations between the two most powerful clans of the time, Toyotomi and Tokugawa. Her sister, Oeyo, was the wife of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and matriarch of the successive shoguns' lineage, thus receiving the political title Omidaidokoro.

Tokugawa Masako (徳川 和子; November 23, 1607 – August 2, 1678), also known as Kazu-ko, was empress consort of Japan as the wife of Emperor Go-Mizunoo. Through collaboration with her parents, Oeyo and Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, she was a prominent and influential figure within the politics and culture of the Edo Period.

Oichi (お市; 1547 – June 14, 1583) was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu and Oeyo. Oichi was the younger sister of Oda Nobunaga; and she was the sister-in-law of Nōhime, the daughter of Saitō Dōsan. She was descended from the Taira and Fujiwara clans.

She was an influential figure in Japanese history in the Sengoku period. Although remembered mainly for her tragic life as sister of Oda Nobunaga, Japan's first unifier since Ōnin War, Oichi is also famous for her honorable conduct, her beauty and determination. She was present at two historically significant battles, the siege of Odani and the siege of Kitanosho, sieges that led to the extermination of the powerful Azai and Shibata clan, respectively.

Ohatsu (お初) or Ohatsu-no-kata (お初の方) (1570 – September 30, 1633) was a prominently placed figure in the late Sengoku period. She was daughter of Oichi and Nagamasa Azai, and the sister of Yodo-dono and Oeyo. Alongside her sisters, she was active in the political intrigues of her day. Ohatsu's close family ties to both the Toyotomi clan and the Tokugawa clan uniquely positioned her to serve as a conduit between the rivals. She acted as a liaison until 1615 in the siege of Osaka, when the Tokugawa eliminated the Toyotomi.

Toyotomi Hidekatsu (豊臣 秀勝, 1569 – October 14, 1592) was Toyotomi Hideyoshi's nephew (later adopted) and a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was the lord of Gifu Castle between 1591-1592.

He was the second son of Hideyoshi's sister, Tomo, with Miyoshi Kazumichi. His childhood name was Kokichi and given that he is often confused with Hashiba Hidekatsu (fourth son of the Oda Nobunaga and also adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi), historians refer to him as Kokichi Hidekatsu for convenience. He married Oeyo, daughter of Oichi and Azai Nagamasa and the sister of Yodo-dono.

Tamahime (珠姫) or Tama (1599-1622) was a Japanese noble lady, member of the aristocrat Tokugawa family during the Edo period. She was the second daughter of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, and her mother was Oeyo, both important figures who stabilized and ruled the Tokugawa shogunate. She was also the wife of Maeda Toshitsune, the 2nd daimyō of Kaga Domain.

The Ōoku (大奥, "great interior") was historically the women's quarters of Edo Castle, the section where the women connected to the reigning shōgun resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful daimyō, such as the Satsuma Domain, were also referred to by this term.

During the reign of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, Ōoku was established in Edo Castle as a women's room where his official wife (御台所, Midaidokoro), 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.