Princess Kazu - Marriage

Marriage

In 1851, Kazunomiya was engaged to Prince Arisugawa Taruhito (有栖川宮熾仁親王). However, this engagement was subsequently broken when the Imperial court needed someone for a political marriage with the Tokugawa Shogunate. Such a marriage had been arranged by the rōjū Andō Nobumasa and Kuze Hirochika in order to foster reconciliation between the Imperial court and the Shogunate, but the original candidate for the marriage died in 1861. Subsequently, the Shogunate petitioned the court for a royal marriage between Princess Kazu and Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi.

Initially, Princess Kazu refused, and her brother Emperor Komei declined the Shogunate request stating that Kazu was already engaged and did not want to leave Kyoto, and that, like any woman in Japan, his own sister could not be compelled to marry anyone she did not wish to marry, even by Imperial order. However, the proposal was taken up enthusiastically by a number of people, including Princess Kazu's mother and uncle as well as several prominent kuge at the Imperial court, who persuaded both the Emperor and Princess Kazu to acquiesce to the request. Eventually Emperor Komei was persuaded to accept the proposal if, in return, the Shogunate would repudiate the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States, and return to the previous isolationist policy.

It was then resolved that if Princess Kazu continued to refuse to accept the marriage, Emperor Komei would abdicate, another member of the Imperial family would be chosen instead, and that Princess Kazu would have to become a nun. Under pressure from her family, unwilling to be responsible for Emperor Komei's abdication and threatened with the monastery, Princess Kazu finally agreed, but gave several conditions including demands that her lifestyle in Edo would remain the same as in Kyoto and that she would be able to return to Kyoto on the anniversaries of her father's death. Emperor Komei would also add the conditions that the Shogunate must deliver on its promises on foreign affairs, work out a strategy to improve the livelihood of artisans unable to compete with cheap foreign imports, and that Princess Kazu's conditions must be met. Emperor Komei would then make his sister a naishinno.

In 1862, Kazunomiya, her mother Kangyouin, and her chief attendant Niwata Tsuguko moved to Edo Castle with a number of attendants. Due to concerns over attacks by those against the Tokugawa Shogunate's policies, security forces from dozens of hans were mobilised to protect the procession. In addition, rumours that the support in the court for Princess Kazu's unprecedented marriage was the result of Tokugawa bribery and scheme to hold an Imperial Princess hostage led Emperor Komei to send Iwakura Tomomi to safeguard the court's interests. Iwakura would force the Shogun to put a vow of loyalty to paper before returning to Kyoto.

The marriage ceremony was held on 11 February 1862. This ceremony differed from that of all previous Tokugawa Shoguns: having been made a naishinno by her brother before leaving Kyoto, Kazu now outranked her husband as well as her mother-in-law, Tenshoin. Furthermore, Princess Kazu retained the customs of the Imperial palace, which caused considerable friction with Lady Tenshoin. However, she apparently enjoyed such a good relationship with her husband that they are usually called the closest couple out of all the Tokugawa Shoguns, and Iemochi never took a concubine. Eventually Tenshoin would reconcile with Princess Kazu, and the bakufu submitted to her order to address her as "Kazu-no-Miya-sama", as opposed to the traditional "Midai-sama".