Sesshōmaru's mother

 is an Inu daiyōkai and former mate to the Inu no Taishō, by whom she bore Sesshōmaru. She can transform into a giant dog demon, though she generally retains her human appearance. She holds the Meidō Stone, which was given to her by the Inu no Taishō. He told her that if Sesshōmaru were ever to approach her seeking information about the Tenseiga, she should use the meidō stone to test his abilities and not feel fear or sadness if it put his life in danger. She would later also use the stone to revive Rin for a second time.

Personality
In demeanor she seems similar to Sesshōmaru, albeit with a certain playfulness, and probably influenced his initial attitude towards humans; observing Rin and Kohaku following Sesshōmaru, she inquires casually if he is planning to eat them. Observing Sesshōmaru's trial after activating the Meidō Stone, she seems at best only casually concerned about the possibility of his death, and after he refuses the escape route she offers, she seems mildly offended, complaining that, unlike his father, he "completely lacks any charm."



However, she does feel concern for her son's well-being, as seen when she brings Rin back to life using the Meidō Stone after witnessing his reaction to her death, and later when she questions Jaken in whether or not Sesshōmaru was happy now that Rin was brought back.

Although she is a daiyōkai, she is shown to have a good heart, chiding Sesshōmaru for seeking to perfect the Tenseiga as a weapon of destruction rather than a weapon of healing. She also lectures him about the qualities of the wielder of the Tenseiga, emphasizing the need for compassion, love and a pure heart. This could mean that she bears no ill-grudge towards her deceased mate; rather, she still nurses deep feelings towards him. She also lives in a large castle in the sky.

Outfit
She wears a purple and white kimono with green and yellow butterfly designs on it, and wears a dark blue outer wrap that has a fur pelt (or might possibly be her own Mokomoko), which wraps around her chest. At the end of her outer wrap there also has another fur pelt. In addition, she wears a light blue necklace with an amulet of the Meidō Stone

Powers and Abilities

 * Dogform: Like her son and deceased mate, she is able to transform into a huge dog which gives her an incredible increase in strength considering her size. In this form she can fly.
 * Meido stone: With the stone she is able to open and close portals to hell itself. She is also able to summon creatures from hell to do her bidding. Furthermore, she's able to snatch souls from hell to revive someone as seen when she revived Rin.
 * Wisdom: She understands that death is not something that can be easily overcome or controlled by one's whim. By showing him that death is immutable, she helps Sesshōmaru understand the value of life and sacrifice. This is an important lesson for Sesshōmaru who has always little valued the lives of others and, upon obtaining the sword Tenseiga, assumed that he could conquer death itself. In showing him that life is fragile and that those he cares for need to be protected, his mother helps him take the final step in his maturation, a prerequisite for him becoming a great demon on his own, and obtaining the sword Bakusaiga.

Relationships

 * Inu no Taishō: She was the first partner of the Great Dog Demon. Not much is known about their relationship beyond the fact that they had Sesshomaru together before he met Izayoi. It can be indicated that she still does love her former mate deeply and still thinks highly of him as she mentions him quite a few times when Sesshomaru's group meets her and seems to value the lessons that he left her to teach to their son.


 * Sesshōmaru: She was the demon who gave birth to him and eventually taught him about the value of life. She is shown to be quite the authority figure and is not afraid to scold him if she feels that he acts childish and too full of pride without regards to respecting life itself. Despite her harsh nature towards him she truly does love her son and wants what best for him, this act is shown when she resurrects Rin a second time to make Sesshomaru happy.

Trivia

 * Even though Rumiko Takahashi never officially gave her a name, fans have nicknamed her "Inu Kimi" or "InuKimi".
 * Jaken refers to her as the "Lady Mother". In Japanese this term is "Gobodō-sama" (御母堂様), a respectful term to address another person's mother.
 * It has been said that she wears the boa as a tail, in which she is able to transform into her Demon dog form. However, people of high ranking wore fur pelts in feudal Japan to show their status.
 * It would be revealed later on that Tenseiga was actually a piece of Tessaiga that broke off from it. Meaning that after Tessaiga was made and Tenseiga broke from it, he went to see his former mate and talked to her about the lessons that he had laid out for their son. This indicates that the two Inu Daiyokais were still on good speaking terms with each other after he married Izayoi.
 * It is never revealed if Sesshomaru's mother ever met InuYasha's mother or if she bears any ill grudges towards the mortal woman. But it could be theorized that she finds human and demon relationships to be quite odd and confusing.