Kazunomiya was an imperial princess and sister to Emperor Komei (reigned 1846-67) who was married to the shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, in 1862 in a political alliance designed to unify imperial court and the shogunate. Kazunomiya traveled from Kyoto to Edo along the Nakasendo in 1861, placing great strain on the resources of the highway. Iemochi died in 1866, leaving his widow to take vows as a nun.
