Shogun's Principal Consort: A term for the General's legitimate wife.
The former General's legitimate wife is referred to as the "Great Imperial Platform."
At this moment, the woman sitting upright before Ii Naosuke was indeed titled "Empress Dowager Tenshōin," the current Shogun's Principal Consort of the Edo Shogunate—Empress Dowager Tenshōin.
In the Edo Era, known for its extremely strict hierarchy, the position of the Shogunate's legitimate wife was naturally not one for an ordinary woman.
Empress Dowager Tenshōin was the adoptive daughter of the former Daimyo of the powerful Satsuma Domain—with a total koku of 770,000 and possessing military strength that could directly threaten the rule of the Edo Shogunate—Shimazu Hisamitsu.
To enhance Satsuma Domain's influence within the Shogunate, Shimazu Hisamitsu facilitated the marriage between Empress Dowager Tenshōin and the former General, Tokugawa Iedzumi.
