Nene

Nene was the principal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a man who would later become one of the three great unifiers of Japan. As his wife, Nene is most famous for being one of his closest aides and confidantes. The daughter of a samurai, she had many familial connections that netted peasantborn Hideyoshi several retainers. Nene was known to have been an intelligent woman who, at times, advised Hideyoshi on matters of governance by sending him letters. When Hideyoshi repealed the tax exemptions he had granted to the residents living in his headquarters at Nagahama, Nene appealed to him to reinstate the exemptions, and he did. It is also recorded that Hideyoshi frequently wrote letters to Nene to tell her about how his campaigns were going.