Taira no Tokuko (Kenreimon-in)

Taira no Tokuko was at the center of one of the most dramatic chapters in Japanese history. Married to Emperor Takakura at 17, she became mother to Emperor Antoku, who took the throne at age two amid the wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans. When the Taira were defeated at the sea battle of Dan no Ura in 1185, she jumped into the water holding her young son. She was pulled out by a rake catching her hair. At 29, she became a nun and entered Jakko-in Temple in Ohara, Kyoto, where she spent the rest of her life. She died in 1213 and is buried on the temple grounds.