Hosokawa Tama

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Hosokawa Tama (細川 珠; 1563 – 1600), born Akechi Tama (明智たま) and also known by her later baptismal name Hosokawa Gracia (細川ガラシャ) or under the pseudoymn, The Silver Queen, was a member of the Akechi clan and the Japanese Rite of the Templar Order during the late 16th century. The daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide, she was married to Hosokawa Fujitaka's son Tadaoki. As a political pawn, she was forced to serve the Templars to strengthen the ties between them and the Shinbakufu, which her father was a member of.

During her work for the Templars, Tama used her father-in-law's connection to take charge of the silver trade in Tamba under the orders of the leader of the Japanese Rite, the Portuguese Templar Nuno Caro. To ensure her compliance, Caro took her younger brother Mitsuyoshi as his prisoner.

When the Kakushiba ikki member Yasuke confronted her, Tama ultimately agreed to help him in his mission to kill Caro in exchange for Mitsuyoshi's freedom. After Yasuke rescued Mitsuyoshi, Tama informed him of Caro's location before leaving with her brother and deserting the Templars.

Biography

Serving the Templars

By 1582, Tama witnessed the Templars influence her father Mitsuhide to commit treason against Oda Nobunaga. As a precaution and a gesture of good faith, Tama and her brother Mitsuyoshi were sent to Tada in Tamba under Nuno Caro's discretion before Mitsuhide's attack against Nobunaga at Honnō-ji temple. Although promised to be retrieved, Tama soon heard about her father's downfall in the battle of Yamazaki and death at the hands of the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke. This left Tama and Mitsuyoshi as the last surviving members of their family.

Tama was soon forced to join the Templar Order after Caro took her brother hostage. Her responsibility was to oversee the production of silver from the Tada Silver Mine to finance the Order's operations. However, the mines began to dry up while Caro became more insistent on the demand for silver. Afraid, Tama pushed the workers harder despite knowing her time was limited.

Meeting Yasuke and defection

One evening in Tada, Tama was watching over the mines when she was approached by two of Caro's men. They relayed Caro's disappointment about the late shipment of silver but left upon Yasuke's arrival. Meeting the samurai, Tama told him to talk privately as "their" eyes were everywhere. Leading him to her private estate, she quickly stirred him tea while Yasuke asked for information on Caro.

Tama asked what he wanted with him, to which Yasuke responded that he intended to kill the man. However, Yasuke soon fell ill and realized he had been poisoned by Tama. Immobilized, Yasuke saw Caro arrive and tried to act but failed. When Caro revealed that Yasuke and Naoe were Mitsuhide's killers, Tama asked to personally deal with the samurai to avenge her father. After Caro handed Tama one of his pistols to finish the job, Yasuke fell unconscious.

Waking up in another building, Yasuke confronted Tama, who held him at gunpoint. Tama asked the samurai if he really planned to eliminate Caro and, after Yasuke reassured her of his intentions, Tama let him go. She then told him about her brother being held prisoner at Kameyama Castle and asked him to save Mitsuyoshi. Yasuke accepted and Tama offered to come along and help him infiltrate the castle, but the samurai turned down the idea, believing that Tama would suffer the consequences if she was seen helping him.

After Yasuke successfully rescued Mitsuyoshi and retrieved the Akechi clan's katana from one of Caro's soldiers, Baltazar, he went to the Atago Shrine to meet Tama like she had instructed him to do. Upon seeing Mitsuyoshi, Tama embraced her brother and told him that they would be leaving "this cursed place". While Mitsuyoshi took their family's katana to the shrine, Tama thanked Yasuke for his help. Talking about how much death and war had surrounded her family, Tama admitted that the thought of killing Yasuke had crossed her mind, but she had a change of heart upon realizing that he sought only justice, not power. Before leaving, Tama informed Yasuke of Caro's whereabouts: Takeda Castle.

Personality and traits

Hosokawa Tama displayed a reasonable and forgiving nature, despite her personal grievances. Having been forced into servitude to the Templars, Tama held no love for them or their cause, especially as she struggled to meet Nuno Caro's increasing demands. Consequently, when an opportunity to escape the Order's influence and eliminate Caro presented itself, she readily offered to help Yasuke despite the samurai's role in her father's death.

Tama's devotion to her family, particularly her younger brother Mitsuyoshi, revealed a compassionate and protective side. She feared for his safety and sought to rescue him from the Templars' captivity. A Christian, Tama openly displayed her faith by wearing a cross necklace.

Gallery

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  Hosokawa Tama

Behind the scenes

Hosokawa Tama is a historical character introduced in the 2025 video game Assassin's Creed: Shadows.

Historically, after Mitsuhide's downfall and death, Tama became the last survivor of the Akechi clan. Married to Hosokawa Tadaoki, she later converted to Christianity after her father's treason led to her seclusion. She eventually died as a result of the conflict between Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu, with the former attempting to abduct her. However, accounts differ on the manner of her death. One account claims that she was killed by her family retainer Ogasawara Shōsai, who then committed seppuku after setting their residence ablaze; another suggests that Tadaoki ordered their servants to kill Tama if her honor was threatened.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Shadows