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.
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History
1620 (Genna 6): Masako entered the palace as a consort of Emperor Go-Mizunoo. Although there was already a concubine for Go-Mizunoo, the marriage to Masako was celebrated with great pomp.
1624: Masako was granted the title of chūgū (中宮), indicating that she was a legitimate wife and therefore an established Empress Consort. She is the first consort to hold this title since the reign of Emperor Go-Hanazono.
1629: When the Emperor Go-Mizunoo abdicated in 1629, Masako took the title and name of Tōfukumon-in (東福門院).
In a rare break with tradition, Masako's daughter, Imperial Princess Onna-Ichi-no-miya Okiko, succeeded her father in her own right as Empress Meishō, albeit at the age of five. After Meishō abdicated at 19, the throne would be successively held by two of her half-brothers, who would reign as Emperor Go-Kōmyō and Emperor Go-Sai respectively. Both had been brought up by Masako as if they were her own sons.