Who Is Lady Dota (Tsuchida Gozen)?
Mother of Nobunaga and Kanjuro
Dota Gozen
Lady Dota was the mother of Oda Nobunaga and his younger brother Kanjuro (Nobukatsu). The Shinchō Kōki refers to her only as "the Honored Mother"; "Dota Gozen" is a name from later periods. One theory reads the name as "Tsuchida," and little is known about her origins or youth.
When Kanjuro's side loses the Battle of Ino in 1556, she sends a messenger to Nobunaga to plead for his brother's life. Nobunaga agrees and pardons Kanjuro, Shibata Gonroku, and others. After the second planned rebellion, she joins Shibata in urging Kanjuro to go to Kiyosu and visit Nobunaga, who is said to be ill. That visit leads to her son's death.
The Shinchō Kōki does not say whether she knew Nobunaga was faking illness to lure his brother. Even so, its brief lines bring out the image of a mother caught between two warring sons.
