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大奥 [Ōoku] #6
Ôoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 6
The aging shogun Tsunayoshi must name an heir, but her senile father is blocking the ascendance of the most likely candidate in favor of a young, untried lord. But politics and the shogun’s own unpopularity may soon take the choice out of her hands.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2010
8 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Fumi Yoshinaga
157 books248 followersJapanese: よしなが ふみ
Fumi Yoshinaga (よしなが ふみ Yoshinaga Fumi, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.
Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.
In an interview, she said that "I want to show the people who didn't win, whose dreams didn't come true. It is not possible for everybody to get first prize. I want my readers to understand the happiness that people can get from trying hard, going through the process, and getting frustrated."
Little is known about her personal life. She mentions that her favourite operas are those by Mozart in the author's note of Solfege.
She debuted in 1994 with The Moon and the Sandals, serialized in Hanaoto magazine, but was previously a participant in comic markets.
Of Yoshinaga's many works, several have been licensed internationally. She was also selected and exhibited as one of the "Twenty Major Manga artist Who Contributed to the World of Shōjo Manga (World War II to Present)" for Professor Masami Toku's exhibition, "Shōjo Manga: Girl Power!" at CSU-Chico.
Outside of her work with Japanese publishers, she also self-publishes original doujinshi on a regular basis, most notably for Antique Bakery. Yoshinaga has also drawn fan parodies of Slam Dunk, Rose of Versailles, and Legend of Galactic Heroes.
Fumi Yoshinaga (よしなが ふみ Yoshinaga Fumi, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.
Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.
In an interview, she said that "I want to show the people who didn't win, whose dreams didn't come true. It is not possible for everybody to get first prize. I want my readers to understand the happiness that people can get from trying hard, going through the process, and getting frustrated."
Little is known about her personal life. She mentions that her favourite operas are those by Mozart in the author's note of Solfege.
She debuted in 1994 with The Moon and the Sandals, serialized in Hanaoto magazine, but was previously a participant in comic markets.
Of Yoshinaga's many works, several have been licensed internationally. She was also selected and exhibited as one of the "Twenty Major Manga artist Who Contributed to the World of Shōjo Manga (World War II to Present)" for Professor Masami Toku's exhibition, "Shōjo Manga: Girl Power!" at CSU-Chico.
Outside of her work with Japanese publishers, she also self-publishes original doujinshi on a regular basis, most notably for Antique Bakery. Yoshinaga has also drawn fan parodies of Slam Dunk, Rose of Versailles, and Legend of Galactic Heroes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 23, 2018
I typically don't like multi-generational stories, and this is sort of repetitive in some respects of the kinds of intrigues we've seen before, and (I'm told) roughly parallels Japanese history from an "alt-history" perspective (what if women were in power, and had a harem like Ooku, etc), but it's also clearly a reflection on Japan and gender and power regardless of gender/sexuality…. I continue to like it in spite of the layers of nuanced historical reflection I don't quite understand completely.
February 17, 2016
I continue to really enjoy this manga series set in 17th century Japan, where the Shogun is a woman, and the harem is filled with beautiful boys. There are so many characters in this series, that I sometimes have to remind myself who is who, and what would really help is a family/character tree in the appendix of each book, along with the excellent footnotes. The drama, intrigue, and scheming continue unabated in this volume, with some murder added in for extra flavoring. The art and story continue to be excellent, the old English continues to annoy forsooth, and I cannot wait to see where this series goes next.
May 18, 2022
3/5 It is good and entertaining but it is also hard to follow. All the faces look similar. The difficult Japanese names make it very hard to remember the characters.
February 17, 2025
CW: violence, murder, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, incest, death, child death, miscarriage
Finally, our first canon sapphics ✨
Original review 2020:
Aaaaaahhhhh I love this series it's so good! Alt-history is underrated as a general premise, honestly. Yoshinaga does such an amazing job of creating and illustrating this world.
Finally, our first canon sapphics ✨
Original review 2020:
Aaaaaahhhhh I love this series it's so good! Alt-history is underrated as a general premise, honestly. Yoshinaga does such an amazing job of creating and illustrating this world.
September 8, 2018
Still liking the intrigue and everything. There was an incest plot that meh. Art's real good. I look forward to the next volume!
September 11, 2019
I really see how people call this a soap opera. The drama keeps coming!!
May 30, 2025
Vol. 1 ★★★★☆
Vol. 2 ★★★★☆
Vol. 3 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 4 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 5 ★★★☆☆
Even though I was ambivalent towards Tsunayoshi when she was introduced, I've come to care for her as her story draws to an end. As with many of the characters in the series, her life is so beholden to the whims and expectations of others, whether it's her father or her advisers. As for the new cast of characters, the way Sakyo and Manabe bond over how much they love Ienobu is very endearing to me.
Vol. 2 ★★★★☆
Vol. 3 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 4 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 5 ★★★☆☆
Even though I was ambivalent towards Tsunayoshi when she was introduced, I've come to care for her as her story draws to an end. As with many of the characters in the series, her life is so beholden to the whims and expectations of others, whether it's her father or her advisers. As for the new cast of characters, the way Sakyo and Manabe bond over how much they love Ienobu is very endearing to me.
August 15, 2015
lesbian drama in this vol of ooku!
July 1, 2022
So in this volume we approached the end of the Tsunayoshi arc - and my heart broke which I was not expecting. Volume 4 - 6 form a trilogy of sorts following the stages of life for Tsunayoshi and one which I did not expect to love as much as I did.
Tsunayoshi was an awful person - callous, sybaritic and so lonely in the end. The author did a fabulous job with this character - making her both unlikable (dare I say evil at times) but also making her real character with flaws, personality and angst. Such an excellent job - one I have seen rarely done for women characters especially.
This volume sees Tsunayoshi near the end of her life and due to that we see her loss and her popularity plummets. A number of years have passed since Volume 5 and both she and Emmonosuke are visibly older - and more mellow. Perhaps it was that mellowness that comes with the realisation of your age and history with people that gave the volume this melconhony which I both loved and made me cry.
The first half of the volume dealt with endings - of Tsunayoshi, of Emmonosuke, her Shogunate and others - all of which made me so sad. Excellent job! Even now, reading my notes on the volume makes me tear up.
The latter of the volume picks up the stroy of the 8th Shougun and what is happening with her family. This serves as the political backdrop as we move through the life story of 6th Shogun - Ienobu who had a brief reign and died young at 42. The volume ends with the accession of the 7th Shogun.
A lot the events in the volume are references to actual historical events which I had fun researching. But in addition to those historical references, the series continues to be an engaging story and commentary on the nature of power.
Giving this volume a full 5 stars - was originally going to 4.5 stars because the latter half of the volume is more of a set up which is the bridge for volume 7 and I always find these bridging chapters hard to rate. However, months after I am still thinking of the ending of Tsunayoshi and that mediation of the end of a long regime and transition of power - not through violence but age.
Beautifully done - and looking forward to getting back to the series in July after a month long break.
Tsunayoshi was an awful person - callous, sybaritic and so lonely in the end. The author did a fabulous job with this character - making her both unlikable (dare I say evil at times) but also making her real character with flaws, personality and angst. Such an excellent job - one I have seen rarely done for women characters especially.
This volume sees Tsunayoshi near the end of her life and due to that we see her loss and her popularity plummets. A number of years have passed since Volume 5 and both she and Emmonosuke are visibly older - and more mellow. Perhaps it was that mellowness that comes with the realisation of your age and history with people that gave the volume this melconhony which I both loved and made me cry.
The first half of the volume dealt with endings - of Tsunayoshi, of Emmonosuke, her Shogunate and others - all of which made me so sad. Excellent job! Even now, reading my notes on the volume makes me tear up.
The latter of the volume picks up the stroy of the 8th Shougun and what is happening with her family. This serves as the political backdrop as we move through the life story of 6th Shogun - Ienobu who had a brief reign and died young at 42. The volume ends with the accession of the 7th Shogun.
A lot the events in the volume are references to actual historical events which I had fun researching. But in addition to those historical references, the series continues to be an engaging story and commentary on the nature of power.
Giving this volume a full 5 stars - was originally going to 4.5 stars because the latter half of the volume is more of a set up which is the bridge for volume 7 and I always find these bridging chapters hard to rate. However, months after I am still thinking of the ending of Tsunayoshi and that mediation of the end of a long regime and transition of power - not through violence but age.
Beautifully done - and looking forward to getting back to the series in July after a month long break.
January 13, 2026
Si ya Ōoku era una historia bastante seria con temas profundos y delicados; con este volumen la obra tomó un giro hacia lo duro. Maravilloso tomo. Fue, a pesar de su sencillez, muy brillante en cuánto a los temas tocados y muy claro en cómo los explora. Deseo saber muchísimo más de todos los tomos que me esperan♡
August 30, 2019
The art is great as ever, but the story is getting even more epic but I am finding it a bit tricky to keep track of who is the leader, names and such...
January 27, 2013
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2037339.html[return][return]Yet another in the alternate history series where most Japanese men are wiped out by a mysterious plague, and a chosen few are secluded in the Loku as personal attendants and occasional lovers of the shMgun, who in this version of history is a woman, women having taken over all leadership positions in society.[return][return]This volume crystallised some of the problems I have with the series for me. Because it is set in the Inner Chambers, we basically have a continuing repetition of new shMgun takes power, some internal politicking in the harem, a disputed process for producing and recognising an heir, a dead child or two, then the shMgun dies and we go back to the start of the cycle. It is getting a bit repetitive.[return][return]Also, it is now clear that this is actually meant to be not an alternate history but our own timeline, a secret history of the real reason why Japan chose centuries of isolation. All the history of Japan in the early modern period which we think we know, in other words, is actually about women rather than men. That will create problems when we reach the nineteenth century, but I guess one can go with the flow for now.[return][return]But I think you do need a better knowledge than I have of the "real" course of Japanese history to appreciate this; I suspect that some of the charm of the series must be to see how the author manages to gender-flip some of the dynastic dynamics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries which are presumably well known to those who know anything about that period of Japanese history. Unfortunately I am not among their number, so it leaves me rather baffled.
February 16, 2018
Maemía, esta historia de los últimos días de la shogun Tsunayoshi, destruida por la rigidez y las expectativas de todo el sistema político-social que ella misma encarna, es lo más triste que he leído en mucho tiempo. Una historia, además, en la que Yoshinaga pone toda la carne emocional en el asador, de una forma que sólo se me ocurre definir como brutal, a pesar de su elegante, limpísimo y exquisito trazo. Y pensar que al principio me parecía una dibujante excesivamente fría...
October 16, 2025
So I got my wish from my last review… a lesbian made an appearance… guess what… she only revealed herself to be evil 🥲 Goddammit Fumi Yoshinaga (and then this character basically disappears from the narrative)
I gave four stars when the gay character was being evil in one of the earliest volumes so I’m just rewarding homophobia out here.
Things I do like about this series: Some characters are beautiful and some are ugly, and that doesn’t indicate whether the character is good or not. This story is about power and inheritance, and the tragedy that befalls those who encounter it. Shogun Tsunayoshi is beautiful yet certainly has the capacity for evil; her successor Ienobu is plain yet good, but the narrative focus is primarily on the related tragedies that befall both of them.
Like in real life, beauty is something of a double-edged sword. For the men in particular who are valued for their beauty (part of the patriarchal flip here, as women here are valued for their power) the narrative is primarily interested in the fates of beautiful men who catch the eye of the shogun. Some of these men are good and some are evil. And yet, this attention from power turns into claiming them for the inner chambers and often results in tragedy.
Similarly, I love that the characters are allowed to age. Almost no one vanishes off into the sunset with a spouse and a child, people just live on and their problems worsen because aging causes problems and then they die.
Particularly in this volume, we see the conclusion of Keisho-in, who lived to see the reigns of four different shogun, and he rose from a cheerful lower class youthful side character to the elderly father of the shogun, who causes her significant problems due to paranoias and old grievances. How did we get here? It felt natural as it was happening a step at a time but looking back, his life took him strange directions. Perhaps no one’s life is normal in proximity to such power.
(This stuff is why Fumi Yoshinaga gets four stars. Congrats to her!)
I gave four stars when the gay character was being evil in one of the earliest volumes so I’m just rewarding homophobia out here.
Things I do like about this series: Some characters are beautiful and some are ugly, and that doesn’t indicate whether the character is good or not. This story is about power and inheritance, and the tragedy that befalls those who encounter it. Shogun Tsunayoshi is beautiful yet certainly has the capacity for evil; her successor Ienobu is plain yet good, but the narrative focus is primarily on the related tragedies that befall both of them.
Like in real life, beauty is something of a double-edged sword. For the men in particular who are valued for their beauty (part of the patriarchal flip here, as women here are valued for their power) the narrative is primarily interested in the fates of beautiful men who catch the eye of the shogun. Some of these men are good and some are evil. And yet, this attention from power turns into claiming them for the inner chambers and often results in tragedy.
Similarly, I love that the characters are allowed to age. Almost no one vanishes off into the sunset with a spouse and a child, people just live on and their problems worsen because aging causes problems and then they die.
Particularly in this volume, we see the conclusion of Keisho-in, who lived to see the reigns of four different shogun, and he rose from a cheerful lower class youthful side character to the elderly father of the shogun, who causes her significant problems due to paranoias and old grievances. How did we get here? It felt natural as it was happening a step at a time but looking back, his life took him strange directions. Perhaps no one’s life is normal in proximity to such power.
(This stuff is why Fumi Yoshinaga gets four stars. Congrats to her!)
July 16, 2019
Le tome 6 est peut-être celui qui m'a le moins intéressé pour le moment. Il y a trois histoires principales, bien divisée cette fois-ci, la première fini le règne de la cinquième Shogun (Tsunayoshi) du tome précédent qui avait édicté l'édit de protection des animaux, la seconde introduit le changement et la dernière histoire retourne un peu dans le passé pour présenter une histoire avec des personnages périphériques qui reviendront probablement dans le volume suivant.
Je pense que c'est un tome avec beaucoup d'ambition: changement de régime, meurtre, viol, inceste, prostitution, dévalorisation de la monnaie, catastrophes naturelles, lesbianisme, etc. , mais peu de temps pour les mettre en place et semble être plus précipité que partie intégrante de l'intrigue (on passe vite à autre chose). L'histoire d'amour détonne un peu de par son idéalisme un peu naïf.
C'est sûr qu'on est un peu triste vers la fin de deux Shogunats. À cet effet, je ne divulgâche rien, une petite recherche indique bien l'aspect très courts du règne vu que toutes les périodes semblent refléter celles qui se sont réellement déroulées. Dans l'ensemble toutefois, je suis passé au travers sans que des éléments narratifs ou poétiques attirent particulièrement mon attention, mais ça reste très loin d'être mauvais!
Je pense que c'est un tome avec beaucoup d'ambition: changement de régime, meurtre, viol, inceste, prostitution, dévalorisation de la monnaie, catastrophes naturelles, lesbianisme, etc. , mais peu de temps pour les mettre en place et semble être plus précipité que partie intégrante de l'intrigue (on passe vite à autre chose). L'histoire d'amour détonne un peu de par son idéalisme un peu naïf.
C'est sûr qu'on est un peu triste vers la fin de deux Shogunats. À cet effet, je ne divulgâche rien, une petite recherche indique bien l'aspect très courts du règne vu que toutes les périodes semblent refléter celles qui se sont réellement déroulées. Dans l'ensemble toutefois, je suis passé au travers sans que des éléments narratifs ou poétiques attirent particulièrement mon attention, mais ça reste très loin d'être mauvais!
August 29, 2019
Having a break of two months between this volume and the last made me re-evaluate just what still compels me to continue on with the series with its flaws. It's more than clear by now that the art is not enough to carry the story forward, as it can often be quite difficult to distinguish between characters, and even now, they're all a blur in my head. While relatively slow in pacing, the lives of the characters in the volumes pass us by before we're able to truly form an emotional connection to them, which makes them even more indistinguishable from each other. Most of the characters are tragic, trapped figuratively by responsibility and duty and, literally, by the walls of the inner chambers. They all seem to have some form of a tragic or bittersweet ending.
For now, I just find the series easy to read and I already own the next three volumes. I'll see if I feel like continuing then.
For now, I just find the series easy to read and I already own the next three volumes. I'll see if I feel like continuing then.
April 21, 2024
So many heartbreaking moments in this volume...
The death of Gyokuei and his former master's last words to him: "Twas a long life, Gyokuei. Soon I shall be joining thee on that side so wait for me."
Emonnosuke's confession after SO MANY YEARS and Tokuko finally finding some semblance of peace in his arms (only for him to die the very next die!!): "I have dreamed of this all my life and now I shall not let you go. I love you." And the way he refused to let her talk badly about herself and her body, about feeling useless and shameful?! -> "The purpose of life and of relations between men and women is not merely to plant seeds into the woman's belly to secure a family bloodline."
Tokuko finally allowing herself to grieve her daughter with Denbu "as only her mother and father, nothing more."
Yoshiyasu's devotion and love for her shogun, the way she loved her in silence for decades...
The death of Gyokuei and his former master's last words to him: "Twas a long life, Gyokuei. Soon I shall be joining thee on that side so wait for me."
Emonnosuke's confession after SO MANY YEARS and Tokuko finally finding some semblance of peace in his arms (only for him to die the very next die!!): "I have dreamed of this all my life and now I shall not let you go. I love you." And the way he refused to let her talk badly about herself and her body, about feeling useless and shameful?! -> "The purpose of life and of relations between men and women is not merely to plant seeds into the woman's belly to secure a family bloodline."
Tokuko finally allowing herself to grieve her daughter with Denbu "as only her mother and father, nothing more."
Yoshiyasu's devotion and love for her shogun, the way she loved her in silence for decades...
August 1, 2025
Yoshinaga does well showing the passage of time in both this and her foodie manga What Did You Eat Yesterday?. Things go very quickly in this series, and again we lose not one, but two shōgun over the course of one volume. Despite the brisk pace, the delineation of the characters is quite good, and I've gotten a decent idea of what makes most of the main cast tick before they're inevitably sent offstage due to old age, murder, or illness.
It looks like several decades of the red pox plague have made Japanese society more comfortable with women leading families and designating other women as their heirs. Some people with a wider sense of history anticipate an end to the plague and a return to a masculine-dominated status quo.
It looks like several decades of the red pox plague have made Japanese society more comfortable with women leading families and designating other women as their heirs. Some people with a wider sense of history anticipate an end to the plague and a return to a masculine-dominated status quo.
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June 22, 2022Hints of lesbian somethings??? NEED more WLW in this series they are easily the best part. Just generally the butch women who are more than happy to do men's work and dress as men are keeping me going, but now it seems like Yoshinaga might consider being more explicit, which would be wonderful... even if it's only the high-class exceedingly feminine women of the palace. As others have noted, American readers may be missing out due to our lack of knowledge of the specific events and people Yoshinaga references/parodies here; I found the footnotes in the official English translation immensely helpful.
August 6, 2019
At this point in the series I'm so grateful for both TV Tropes and Wikipedia because I'm borrowing these books from an out-of-town library, one by one, so the huge cast and many many years the story spans are getting pretty tricky to remember. Will definitely have to buy this series one day, because it's still super interesting! Don't want to spoil anything, can only recommend giving the series a try.
December 19, 2019
I really like how the relationship between a Shogun and the governed folks is explored deeper. Also more of political plot intrigue and sexual tension, especially when the whole purpose and point of sex is what is determining what values the society believes in. It also falls into the soap opera pattern of setting up expectations for each character, which makes a lot of the story a fast, easy read.
September 10, 2019
This volume sees the end of Tsunayoshi, and welcomes in the reign of Ienobu. This seems but a small interlude, as it's hinted that Ienobu is unwell, but the new concubine Sakyo is quite an interesting figure too. It's great that the two of them can find some common ground and make the best of their lot in life. Akifusa as well seems quite the loyal lady, wily and scheming too it seems.
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January 31, 2021Tomo estupendo que me ha arrancado alguna que otra lágrima por personajes que al comienzo me generon entre aversión e indiferencia.
Como pretendía la autora, me huelo.
Genial guion, que mejora todavía más con la Wikipedia abierta al lado.
Como pretendía la autora, me huelo.
Genial guion, que mejora todavía más con la Wikipedia abierta al lado.
December 7, 2019
This volume was nicely written, but it was really boring.
March 16, 2021
什麼時後才要到"汝忘了余之容顏嗎"呢？
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April 2, 2022前面說綱吉夜夜召人侍寢，和右衛門佐的那晚綱吉卻說很久沒讓男人看到他的身體，到底是，難道中年綱吉喜歡蓋棉被純聊天（咦）
January 5, 2023
日本史苦手だったが、興味が湧いてくる。
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May 2, 2023[silencio]
July 16, 2023
This one hurt me almost as deep as Arikoto’s story ;-;
June 11, 2024
Continues to be a good story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews