Hosokawa Gracia

Akechi Tama, usually referred to as Hosokawa Gracia (細川ガラシャ, Hosokawa Garasha), (1563 – 25 August 1600) was a member of the aristocratic Akechi family from the Sengoku period.^[1] Gracia is best known for her role in the Battle of Sekigahara; she was considered to be a political hostage to the Western army led by Ishida Mitsunari. She retracted from committing suicide (seppuku) because of her Catholic faith, breaking the code of conduct imposed on women of the samurai class.

She was the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and Tsumaki Hiroko, the wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki, and a convert to Catholicism.^[2]^[3] As the last notable survivor of the Akechi clan, the clan that planned and executed the assassination of Oda Nobunaga, the first "Great Unifier" of Japan, Gracia's death affected both armies. The incident did much damage to Ishida's reputation, which greatly reduced his chances of recruiting more allies, some of whom were also secretly Christians.

^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). "Hosokawa Gracia". Japan Encyclopedia. Translated by Roth, Käthe. Harvard University Press. p. 358. ISBN 9780674017535.
^ Cole, A. Louise (1 December 2021). "The Birth of a Martyr: The Metamorphosis of Hosokawa Tama Gracia". The Sixteenth Century Journal. 52 (4): 857–880. doi:10.1086/SCJ5204002. ISSN 0361-0160.
^ Ward, Haruko Nawata (2009). "Hosokawa Tama Gracia (1563–25 August 1600): Scholar-Teacher". Women Religious Leaders in Japan's Christian Century, 1549-1650. Routledge. pp. 215–236. doi:10.4324/9781315233697-24. ISBN 978-1-315-23369-7.

[1] Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). "Hosokawa Gracia". Japan Encyclopedia. Translated by Roth, Käthe. Harvard University Press. p. 358. ISBN 9780674017535.

[2] Cole, A. Louise (1 December 2021). "The Birth of a Martyr: The Metamorphosis of Hosokawa Tama Gracia". The Sixteenth Century Journal. 52 (4): 857–880. doi:10.1086/SCJ5204002. ISSN 0361-0160.

[3] Ward, Haruko Nawata (2009). "Hosokawa Tama Gracia (1563–25 August 1600): Scholar-Teacher". Women Religious Leaders in Japan's Christian Century, 1549-1650. Routledge. pp. 215–236. doi:10.4324/9781315233697-24. ISBN 978-1-315-23369-7.

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