Sen

Sen is Hidetada Tokugawa's daughter and the wife of Hideyori Toyotomi. Her marriage was used to ease tensions between Ieyasu and the Toyotomi loyalists, though it ended after the Ōsaka Campaign.

Role in Games
One of the downloadable stages for Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd has Sen be kidnapped by Naomori Sakazaki. The player must team up with Munenori Yagyū to save her.

The Ascension expansion for Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence includes Senhime in the Siege of Ōsaka scenario. Aghast at her grandfather's growing hostility against the Toyotomi, she serves as a soothing presence for the anxious Hideyori. When the Tokugawa forces finally lay siege on Ōsaka, Senhime is able to escape the burning castle thanks to Lady Yodo's insistence.

In Kessen, Princess Sen appears during key cutscenes of both sides. Willing to die with Hideyori, she is saddened by his decision to have her be sent away from Osaka for her own good. Reunited with her grandfather in the Eastern army's ending, she laments for the lives lost and is consoled with the fact that war has ended.

Voice Actors

 * Mariko Kage - Kessen (English-uncredited)
 * Akemi Kanda - Kessen (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "So, they say you have this amazing power."
 * "Really? Sen just wishes we could live in a fluffy, happy world."
 * "F-Fluffy? Ah, well, I suppose. That's why we're working together. Do you think you can help out?"
 * "Okay, old lady."
 * "O-Old lady!? ... She's just a little kid, Kai. Ignore it, ignore it~!"
 * Kai and Senhime; 100man-nin no Sengoku Musou

Historical Information
As the eldest daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada and Oeyo, one of the Three Azai Sisters, Senhime married into the Toyotomi at the tender age of six or seven. Ieyasu arranged the marriage with the late Hideyoshi's consent to bridge both of their clans together, though it was also an attempt to control the Toyotomi. While Senhime was treated well by her husband and Lady Yodo, she was in reality a political hostage.

Although she had given birth to a son by the name of Kunimatsu, her marriage fell apart in 1615 when Ieyasu renewed hostilities with the Toyotomi. Hideyori considered killing Senhime to preserve her honor, but an unnamed vassal convinced him otherwise. Senhime herself left Ōsaka Castle during its siege and took her stepdaughter Naahime to safety. After returning to the Tokugawa, she pleaded for mercy on Hideyori's behalf, though her words went unheeded.

One year later, Ieyasu married Senhime off to Honda Tadatoki, one of Honda Tadakatsu's grandchildren. At the time, the pair moved to Himeji Castle on September 26, 1616 and their dowry was said to have been 100,000 koku worth of cosmetics. The union resulted in two children: a daughter named Katsuhime and a son named Kōchiyo. Unfortunately, their happiness did not last as Kōchiyo died at the age of three and Tadatoki succumbed to tuberculosis five years later.

Having lost a son and husband once more, Senhime moved back to Edo and became a Buddhist nun. She changed her name to Tenju-In and was entrusted with Tokugawa Ietsuna's fosterage. Despite the austere lifestyle of the sisterhood, Tenju-In chose not to sequester herself from society. Instead, she made efforts to provide refuge for abused women by sponsoring Tokeiji and Mantokuji as "divorce convents". So strong was her commitment that she and an older Naahime took steps to protect the ladies of the Hori clan from Katō Akinari. When Tenju-In passed on, her body was buried in Chion-In Temple.

Japanese Folklore
There are two common portrayals of Senhime in Edo folklore; she is either a compassionate woman whose tenderness knows no bounds or a sultry widow with an insatiable appetite for men.

One legend claims that Senhime was lusted after by Sakazaki Naomori, a daimyo from Tsuwano. During the attack on Ōsaka Castle, Ieyasu offered his granddaughter's hand in marriage to any man who could save her. Upon hearing this, Naomori risked his life to rescue Senhime only to be rejected by her due to the burns he had sustained. Unwilling to give up on her, he plotted to capture the maiden for himself, but was exposed and killed for it.