Lady Saigō (1552–89) was the first consort and trusted confidant of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord who unified Japan at the end of the 16th century and then ruled as Shogun. One of her four children became the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. During her relationship with Ieyasu, Lady Saigō influenced his philosophies, choice of allies, and policies as he rose to power, and she thus had an indirect effect on the architecture of the Tokugawa shogunate. Although less is known of her than some other figures of the era, she is generally regarded as the "power behind the throne". Her contributions were considered so significant that she was posthumously inducted to the Senior First Rank of the Imperial Court, the highest honor that the Emperor of Japan could confer. A devout Buddhist, she donated money to temples in Suruga province, where she resided as the consort of Ieyasu, first in Hamamatsu Castle and later in Sunpu Castle. She also established a charitable organization that assisted visually impaired women with no other means of support. Lady Saigō died at a fairly young age, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Although murder was suspected, no culprit was identified.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Saig%C5%8D

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1169:

A strong earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sicily, causing an estimated 15,000 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1169_Sicily_earthquake

1859:

German scholar Constantin von Tischendorf rediscovered the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th century uncial manuscript of the Greek Bible, in Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Sinaiticus

1974:

American newspaper heiress and socialite Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, which she later joined in one of the most well-known cases of Stockholm syndrome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst

2002:

Cancer Research UK, the world's largest independent cancer research charity, was formed from the merger of two competing cancer charities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_Research_UK

2006:

A stampede at the PhilSports Stadium in Pasig City, Metro Manila in the Philippines, killed 78 people and injured about 400. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhilSports_Stadium_stampede

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

blemish: 1. A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot. 2. A moral defect; a character flaw. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blemish

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I know myself as mortal, but this raises the question: "What is I?" Am I an individual, or am I an evolving life stream composed of countless selves? … As one identity, I was born in AD 1902. But as AD twentieth- century man, I am billions of years old. The life I consider as myself has existed though past eons with unbroken continuity. Individuals are custodians of the life stream — temporal manifestations of far greater being, forming from and returning to their essence like so many dreams. --Charles Lindbergh https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh