「ちりぬべき時知りてこそ世の中の花も花なれ人も人なれ」
"The flowers bloom beautifully because they know when to fall. People, too, should aspire to be like that."
This is the death poem of Hosokawa Gracia (1563 - 1600), a remarkable woman of the Sengoku period. Gracia was the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide, the man who assassinated Oda Nobunaga, and the wife of the Sengoku warlord Hosokawa Tadaoki. Her story, shaped by her father’s betrayal, is impactful and has left a significant mark on history. Many novels have been written about her, and Jesuit missionaries in Japan at the time reported her story back to Europe. Mariko, one of the main characters in the popular TV series “Shogun,” is modeled after Gracia.
While I was looking into her story, I found out that she also inspired a play, and even an opera. It was apparently the first opera ever written in Japanese, by Vincenzo Cimatti (1879 - 1965), a catholic priest who spent his life in Japan. You can actually listen to it on Youtube, just search for “Hosokawa Grazia Opera”.
Just before the Battle of Sekigahara, Gracia faced the threat of being taken hostage by Ishida Mitsunari. Rather than submit, she chose death. As a devout Christian, Gracia considered suicide a grave sin, so she instructed her retainer to thrust a blade through her chest.
Gracia’s death poem teaches us about the transience and beauty of life and the essence of living. Just as flowers are beautiful because they know when to fall, people, too, possess true beauty by discerning their own path in life. Each time we encounter this poem, we are reminded of the importance of recognizing crucial moments in our lives and making firm choices.
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