大奥

Wikipedia has an article on:

Ōoku

Wikipedia

Japanese

Etymology

ō + oku, literally "great interior".

Pronunciation

• IPA: [oːoku]

Noun

大奥 (hiragana おおおく, romaji ōoku)

1. (historical) The inner chamber (inner quarters) of the Edo Castle where the shōgun's consort, concubines, and ladies in waiting resided. Other than the shōgun, no other men were permitted entrance. Male children were raised in Ooku until the age of 7 at which time they had to move out and reside in other parts of the castle.

Derived terms

• 大奥様: lady of the house