大奧是將軍妻妾居住的後宮。在那裡，許多女性爭寵與奪權。而在家繼將軍時，前將軍的小妾也是當時將軍生母月光院，與前將軍正妻天英院互相爭權。當時的大奧高階女侍繪島，也是月光院的心腹，在一次參拜前將軍墓地歸程時，由於參觀了歌舞伎的表演，並邀約劇中主角而延誤門禁，因此天英院抓住此一機會對大奧展開調查。結果，在此一所謂「繪島事件」中，有1500名人員遭受處分，而繪島也被流放到高遠地。此一「繪島事件」成為了德川時代，大奧最大的政治鬥爭。
The Ooku was the Shogun's inner palace, where his wife and concubines lived. Over there, many women battled for power as well as love. During the reign of Shogun Ietsugu, Lady Gekoin, the previous Shogun's concubine and the current Shogun's mother conflicted with Lady Tenein, the previous Shogun's wife. Once, Ejima, a high-ranking lady in the Ooku and Gekoin's close friend, visited the grave of the previous Shogun but missed the closing of the gates when she returned to the Ooku late because she attended a Kabuki performance and invited the main actor to a reception at a tea house before her return. Tenein seized the opportunity to launch an investigation of the Ooku. In this so-clled "Ejima Affair," ultimately 1500 persons were punished and Ejima was placed in custody at the Takato field. The Ejima affair, thus, became the most serious power struggle in the Ooku during the Edo period.
