Nao

Nao is the mother of Okita Souji.

History
At an unspecified time in the past, Nao married a lowly bushi, Okita Katsujiro, and together they lived well in the Okita household in Azabu, Edo. Two daughters, Mitsu and Kin, were soon born to them, but the family desperately needed a male heir. Eight years after their youngest daughter was born, the family was blessed with a son. Okita Soujiro (later Souji) was born in 1844. The birth of a son brought great joy to the Okita household, though their joy was short lived, as Katsujiro passed away only a year later.

With an heir but no income, Nao 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.

Despite her 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, Nao 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, it was decided that Souji would go to a foster home, becoming a servant in a dojo.