Princess Kazunomiya Chikako

Princess Kazunomiya Chikako (和宮 親子内親王, Kazu-no-miya Chikako naishinnō), renamed Lady Seikan'in no miya after she took the tonsure, (July 3, 1846 - September 2, 1877) was the eighth and youngest daughter of Emperor Ninkō and his concubine, Hashimoto Tsuneko - renamed Kangyouin (観行院) after she took the tonsure. She was the younger half-sister of Emperor Kōmei. A few months after her birth, Emperor Ninko died suddenly. In 1861, Kazunomiya was engaged to Prince Arisugawa Taruhito (有栖川宮熾仁親王). Nonetheless, the engagement was broken due to her marriage to Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi, as part of the Movement to Unite Court and Bakufu.

In 1862, Kazunomiya, her mother Kangyouin, and her chief attendant Niwata Tsuguko moved to Edo Castle with a handful of attendants. Because she was an imperial princess, she expected to retain the customs of the Kyoto Imperial palace, despite the fact that she married into the Tokugawa family. Thus, she had a very bad relationship with her mother-in-law, Lady Tenshoin. She also failed to bear Shogun Iemochi's heir. Following the death of Kangyouin in 1865, Kazunomiya lost her main support. It is believed she got along well with her husband, but his death in 1866 put an end to their very short marriage. Kazunomiya took the tonsure and became a Buddhist nun, and thus was re-named Lady Seikan'in no Miya (静寛院宮) . After her chief attendant Lady Niwata died in 1867, life became even more difficult for Lady Seikanin. It became worse since her elder brother, Emperor Komei, had died the same year.

During the Meiji Restoration, Seikanin and her mother-in-law, Tenshoin helped negotiate for the peaceful surrender of Edo Castle. If they had not done so, they both (along with the rest of the Tokugawa family) would have most likely been massacred. After the shogunal surrender, Seikanin briefly returned to Kyoto. But upon Emperor Meiji's move to Tokyo (the former Edo), joined him in going there. She did not arrive back in Tokyo until 1874. Upon doing so, Seikanin took up residence in the home of Katsu Kaishu. She eventually died in 1877 of beriberi, at the young age of 31.

Her grave is at Zōjō-ji, in Minato, Tokyo.

Source: Wikipedia