Midaidokoro
Encyclopedia
The midaidokoro was the official wife of the Shogun
. During the Edo period, she resided in the Ōoku of Edo Castle
and sometimes wielded considerable political power behind the scenes.
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
. During the Edo period, she resided in the Ōoku of Edo Castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
and sometimes wielded considerable political power behind the scenes.