Matsu

Matsu Maeda (前田まつ, Maeda Matsu) is the wife of Toshiie. Known for her intellect and strong will, she nurtured her husband's success and gave birth to 8 children.

Role in Games
Initially a lady samurai bodyguard in Samurai Warriors 2, Matsu is an unseen character who shares a close friendship with Nene and is fondly spoken about by Toshiie.

She appears in Nobunaga no Yabou DS 2 as a recruitable officer who excels in every task other than battle. 100man-nin no Nobunaga no Yabou reuses her portrait from Taiko Risshiden V.

Players can unlock Matsu in Kessen III by using the Enjoy Disc from the game's Treasure Box set.

Historical Information
Omatsu no Kata (1547 - 1617) was born to the Shinohara family in Owari Province. Raised by her uncle Toshiharu, she married his son Toshiie at the age of 12. From their union sprang 2 sons (Toshinaga, Toshimasa) and 6 daughters (Kō, Shō, Maahime, Gōhime, Yome, Chiyohime).

Matsu was said to be good friends with Nene and Hideyoshi's mother, Naka. When Toshiie sided with Katsuie at Shizugatake, she personally went to consolidate mercy for her husband, sparing him from Hideyoshi's wrath. A year afterwards, Suemori Castle was under attack by Narimasa Sassa; Matsu supposedly used sarcasm to nag the frugal Toshiie into buying new weapons for his army. As a result, Narimasa's forces were outmatched and forced to surrender. She was later incensed by the Taiko's numerous affairs with women and abandoned the palace dwellings in contempt. To appease her, Hideyoshi promised her own office and she returned. Well-versed in literature, she was said to have colloquially staged poetry contests with Lady Yodo.

When Toshiie passed away, Matsu became a Buddhist nun and changed her name to Hoshu-In (芳春院). She later went to the Tokugawa as a hostage in 1600 to assuage Ieyasu's suspicions towards the Maeda clan. After living in Edo for 15 long years, she was free to leave while Toshiie's former concubine Chiyo took her place. She eventually died at Kanazawa Castle. Her namesake is used for the Maeda's ancestral temple.