 | This Biography & Later recordsmay lendundue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. The specific problem is: Heavy focus on the Ikeda clan's movements and political connections than on the figure. Too many "maybe she was there" with Sen's alleged presence without concrete evidence or reliable sources to support it. Please helpimprove it by rewriting it in abalanced fashion that contextualises different points of view.(November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ikeda Sen | |
|---|---|
池田せん | |
 Crest of theIkeda clan | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1560s |
| Died | (1599-09-09)September 9, 1599 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Spouse | Mori Nagayoshi Nakamura Kazuuji |
| Children | Nakamura Kazutada |
| Parent |
|
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Dharma names | Anyōin (若御前) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Oda clan Toyotomi clan Tokugawa clan |
| Unit |  Ikeda clan |
| Commands | Commander of a female Teppō unit |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Yamazaki Battle of Shizugatake Battle of Komaki and Nagakute Battle of Gifu Castle |
Ikeda Sen (池田 せん; birth unknown – 9 September 1599),[1] or Anyōin (安養院),[1] was a late-Sengoku periodonna-musha. She was the daughter ofIkeda Tsuneoki and the older sister ofIkeda Terumasa.Mori Nagayoshi (older brother ofMori Ranmaru) was her first husband. She was a woman trained in martial arts and was commander of a unit that consisted of 200 femalemusketeers (Teppō unit)[2]
Despite having little historical record about her life, Ikeda Sen is described as a female samurai who participated in notable military campaigns and received 10,000koku, being afemale lord or a possibledaimyo.[3]
When the Sekigahara Campaign began in the fall of 1600, Ikeda Sen was said[by whom?] to have led her squad of women musketeers in other battles in which the Ikeda family participated, including theBattle of Yamazaki and theBattle of Sekigahara. If the speculation that she was present in the Sekigahara Campaign is true, she probably participated in theBattle of Gifu Castle alongside her brother andFukushima Masanori.[2]
According to Edo's initial manuscript, ''Tōdaiki'' (当代記) or "The Present Chronicles", which recorded income from therice wages of several warriors, Ikeda Sen received 10,000koku. She had land in her own right, her fiefdoms with a recipe equivalent to 10,000 koku, it is considerably high for a warrior, making Sen a possibledaimyo. Because there is little detail about this, Ikeda Sen's life and fate is uncertain.[3]
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Ikeda Sen's grandmother, Yōtoku-in (養徳院), was thewet nurse (foster mother) ofOda Nobunaga, a majordaimyo. Yōtoku-in's position as Nobunaga's foster mother, exacerbated the wealth of theIkeda clan and its political influence.
Sen's father, Ikeda Tsuneoki, servedOda Nobuhide, Oda Nobunaga, andToyotomi Hideyoshi. He was one of the elders ofKiyosu Castle, and later became the lord ofInuyama andOgaki Castles. Her younger brother, Ikeda Terumasa would become the lord ofYoshida Castle inMikawa province.
Sen's brother, Terumasa, was offered a powerful political marriage, he marriedTokugawa Tokuhime, the daughter ofTokugawa Ieyasu, and would become known as the''Shogun of the West'' after building the remainingHimeji castle.
Ikeda Sen's first husband,Mori Nagayoshi, was also a famous samurai serving the Oda family. Nagayoshi served the Oda shortly after inheriting the Mori clan and became famous for his monstrous strength and ferocity. His reputation with his fellow retainers varies between a foul mannered ruffian to a man of refined penmanship. His younger brother was Nobunaga's closest page,Mori Ranmaru.