Okita Mitsu

Okita Mitsu (沖田 みつ) is Okita Souji's oldest sister and wife of Inoue Rintaro.

In Kaze Hikaru
Mitsu was born in 1832, probably at the Okita household in Edo, to Okita Katsujiro, a lowly bushi, and his wife Nao. She was joined by another sister, Kin, born three years later, and a brother, Okita Souji, born eight years after that.

The birth of a son brought great joy to the Okita household, though unfortunately it was followed only a year later by the death of her father.

With an heir but no income, Mitsu's mother was forced to move the family back to her hometown of Tamagori Hino Village. Nao refused to take money from her parents, saying it would only insult her husband’s memory, and instead rented a shack on the outskirts of the village. A far cry from where they were living, Nao reminded her daughters that they were still respectable children of bushi and must live with dignity. Mitsu took her mother's word seriously, and tried her best to keep Souji in line.

Despite her mother's optimism; however, the family was soon near starvation, and Nao would often skip meals to ensure that Souji ate well (causing Mitsu to worry). The family was, at least they hoped, saved when a young man named Inoue Rintaro proposed to Mitsu, who was then only 14. Though Nao protested due to her daughter’s tender age, Mitsu accepted his offer, saying that the Okita household needed a master. Unfortunately, Rintaro did not improve the family’s circumstances; the couple was happy nevertheless.

A few years later, Rintaro was able to negotiate a marriage for Kin, and in the spring of 1852, she left for Edo to be married to a nobleman named Nakano Yoshihide. Soon after, her mother became severely ill with rheumatism, something she had hidden from the family for a long time. Souji broke down in tears and apologized to his mother for asking her to pick him up, when she was clearly in pain. The expensive medicine, combined with Mitsu’s unexpected pregnancy, put a heavy strain on the family. Realizing that there was not enough food to feed the family, Mitsu and Rintaro eventually decided that Souji would go to a foster home, becoming a servant in a dojo.

In History
Okita Mitsu was born May 26th 1833 and died November 2nd 1907 and was the oldest child and daughter of Okita Katsujiro. Mitsu married Inoue (then Okita, as he was the adopted son of the Okita household) Rintaro in 1846. In order for the marriage to proceed, Mitsu was adopted in name by Kondo Shusuke, who ran the dojo where Okita Souji would later enroll. They had their first child in 1853.

When Soji was suffering from tuberculosis, he stayed with Mitsu and her family in Edo and cared for him until he passed away.