The lady lord on the castle, Tachibana Ginchiyo

Tachibana Ginchiyo was born in Chikugo (part of current Fukuoka) province at the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
She was only child of Tachibana Dosetsu (in other name Bekki Akitsura), the legendary warlord of Otomo family.
Dosetsu had been in charge of Tachibana-yama castle in Chikuzen (part of current Fukuoka) province.
He couldn't get his son, so when he retired, he transferred the headship of the family to Ginchiyo in 1575.
At the times, it was unusual that women became a head of samurai family.
She was only 7 years old at this time.
Also she became the lord of Tachibana-yama castle.
According to legend, Dosetsu doted on her so much and taught her military tactics and military arts.
She was brought up as an independent lady.

When she was 13 years old she married Takahashi Munetora aka Tachibana Muneshige, a son of Takahashi Joun, another legendary warlord of Otomo clan.
Muneshige was adopted to Tachibana family to marry Ginchiyo.

Dousetsu hoped Ginchiyo and Muneshige retained Tachibana family together.
However their relationship was not very good.
As a strong and independent lady, Ginchiyo rarely obeyed to her husband.
Sometimes even she looked down Muneshige.
After Dosetsu died, their relationship grew worse and worse.
Muneshige got the Yanagawa castle in Chikugo province as a reward of war, and he moved to his new castle with Ginchiyo.
However, soon his wife got out of the castle alone.
That is, she chose to live apart from Muneshige finally.
Ginchiyo lived in a residence which was located far outside of the castle, with her waiting maids.

When the Sekigahara war broke out, Muneshige fought in siege of Yanagawa castle.
Yanagawa castle was great for defensive battles.
But Ginchiyo stayed in her residence.
She had fighting skills and tactics that her father told her.
She ordered to local peasants and fishermen to defend coast line.
So, the enemy couldn't invade her domain by seaside.
She survived her war with her armed waiting maids.

Finally the war was over by surrender of Muneshige to the enemy.
Munesige and Ginchiyo lost their domain.
Munesige became a ronin, and Ginchiyo had to live in a house of local peasant.
After 2 years later from the war, in 1602, Ginchiyo died for illness.
She was 34 years old.
Ginchiyo and Muneshige hadn't had any children.

The relationship between the wife and the husband was not good all the time.
But later, Muneshige got a promotion to daimyo in Tokugawa shogunate and came back to Yanagawa castle again.
At the time, he founded a family temple for Ginchiyo in his old domain.