| The second miserable woman is Princess Toochi (Toochi-no-himemiko),
who belonged to the Japanese Imperial Family, living for unfruitful love,
just like Princess Diana.
Princess Toochi was a daughter of Prince Oama (Oama-no-miko). Her mother was Nukata-no-ookimi, who was well-known for her wonderful poems and love affairs. She was very beautiful. She got married with Prince Otomo (Otomo-no-miko), who was a son of Emperor Tenji. Emperor Tenji was an older brother of Prince Oama and he was then the most powerful among the Imperial family. She had a baby named Kadono. After Emperor Tenji's death, Prince Otomo became Emperor Kobun and Toochi Empress. However, her father Prince Oama began to attack Emperor Kobun in 672 (Battle of Jinshin) and finally the emperor died on the battlefield. Toochi was very depressed because she lost her husband because of her father. Prince Oama, who became Emperor Temmu after the battle, had another child named Prince Takechi (Takechi-no-miko). His mother was different from Toochi's. Toochi fell in love with him. But the new love wasn't successful. Emperor Temmu didn't want the two to be close because it would cause some political problems to him, so he told her to enter a Shinto convent as a nun that was never going to contact with any male person. She answered yes, although it was against her will. In the morning of her entering the convent, according to an official document, she suddenly fell ill and died. Some people say that, in fact, she killed herself in despair. Nobody knows exactly what happened with her and why she chose death. She is enshrined as a goddess of marriage at Himegamisha Shrine in Nara, which was established in 1981 near Shin-Yakushiji Temple. |
