Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 4, 2013

Lady Saigō (1552–89) was the first consort and trusted confidant of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord who unified Japan at the end of the 16th century and then ruled as Shogun. One of her four children became the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. During her relationship with Ieyasu, Lady Saigō influenced his philosophies, choice of allies, and policies as he rose to power, and she thus had an indirect effect on the architecture of the Tokugawa shogunate. Although less is known of her than some other figures of the era, she is generally regarded as the "power behind the throne". Her contributions were considered so significant that she was posthumously inducted to the Senior First Rank of the Imperial Court, the highest honor that the Emperor of Japan could confer. A devout Buddhist, she donated money to temples in Suruga province, where she resided as the consort of Ieyasu, first in Hamamatsu Castle and later in Sunpu Castle. She also established a charitable organization that assisted visually impaired women with no other means of support. Lady Saigō died at a fairly young age, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Although murder was suspected, no culprit was identified. (Full article...)

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