People of The Sengoku Period in Popular Culture - Hosokawa Gracia

Hosokawa Gracia

As a samurai wife or other invented roles, Hosokawa Gracia frequently appears as a character in Japanese historical fiction, both novels and drama. One website lists her as a character in over 40 stage dramas, movies, TV dramas (etc.) from 1887 to 2006. She is also frequently referred to in popular writing or talks on the history of the period.

• A work that has been translated into English is Ayako Miura's novel, Hosokawa Garasha Fujin (English title: Lady Gracia: a Samurai Wife's Love, Strife and Faith), which follows history fairly closely.
• James Clavell used Gracia as the model for the character of Mariko in his novel Shōgun, which was later adapted for television as a miniseries. Elements of Mariko's story follows Gracia's quite closely, although the manner of her death is different and the two characters do not fundamentally have anything in common.
• A very heavily fictionalized Gracia also appears in Futaro Yamada's novel Makai Tensho, as a sidekick to Amakusa Shirō Tokisada.
• In the video game Kessen, there is a cut-scene depicting Gracia dying heroically because her religion (Christianity) forbade her to commit suicide.
• Gracia is her father Akechi Mitsuhide's replacing general in the eroge Sengoku Rance, after doing two of Mitsuhide's events using Rance's satisfaction points.
• Gracia is among the playable characters included in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends. Her story mode, which differs greatly from historical events, depicts her having run away from home, eager to learn more about the world. She befriends and tags along with Magoichi Saika. She also wields a pair of bracelets sealed with magical powers, conflicting that she has one of the most powerful musou attacks, despite her low stats. In her ending, Saika Magoichi redeems himself and rescues her from Ishida Mitsunari. In a special side story, she saves many legendary Japanese females from Saika Magoichi. In Warriors Orochi 2, she and her father are rescued by Xing Cai and Inahime. In Dream Mode, she fights alongside Guan Ping and Cao Pi in surpassing their fathers in a test.