Warabihime (蕨姫)

Warabihime (year of birth and death unknown) was a woman who lived during the late Heian period. She was the daughter of TAIRA no Tokitada, who was a member of the Taira clan. Her real name is unknown. "Sonpi Bunmyaku" (Bloodlines of Noble and Base) states that she was a mistress of MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune. The tradition of Noto Province (present-day Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture) has it that she was called Warabihime.

After the Taira clan was defeated in the Battle of Dan no ura on May 2, 1185, his father Tokitada was captured by the army of MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune and sent to Heian-kyo (the ancient capital of Japan in current Kyoto) as a captive. In an attempt to retrieve a confidential document seized by Yoshitsune, he planned to offer his daughter to Yoshitsune. Instead of his 18-year-old daughter of the present wife, with whom he was unwilling to part, he made his 23-year-old (28-year-old according to "Genpei Seisui ki" (Rise and Fall of the Minamoto and the Taira clans)) daughter called Warabihime, who was a daughter of his former wife, a wife of Yoshitsune. Entreated by Warabihime, Yoshitsune returned the document unopened, which Tokitada immediately burned.
('Humi no Sata' (Occurrence of the letter) section of "Heike Monogatari" (The tale of the Heike))

A record (an article dated September 2 in the first year of the Bunji era) in "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East) states that Tokitada, who was to be exiled on June 26, was still living in Kyoto because he had become the father-in-law of Yoshitsune, and that this aroused the displeasure of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo, who was an older brother of Yoshitsune. After Tokitada was exiled to Noto Province on October 25, Warabihime was never heard of again. There are many traditional stories saying that Yoshitsune and his followers visited the place of the exiled Tokitada, who was the father of Warabihime, on their flight from the capital.

[Original Japanese]