Emperor Uda

Emperor Uda

¶Emperor Uda's personal name was Sadami. He was the seventh son of Emperor Kōkō (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. On consideration, the character for "seven" may be missing a preceding character for "ten" — that is, "seventeenth" — a reading found in the Ōji-den, the Biographies of Imperial Princes. The Yotsugi Monogatari, moreover, calls the emperor "Saburō," the third son, and his two elder brothers "Tarō" and "Jirō," the first and second sons. Examining the Kōin Shōunroku, it appears that Princess Hanshi bore Koretada, Koresada, and the emperor. As Hanshi was Emperor Kōkō's principal consort, the sons she bore were simply numbered Tarō, Jirō, and Saburō in birth order, without counting the emperor's other sons by lesser consorts). His mother was the Empress Dowager of Tōin.

¶He was born on the fifth day of the fifth month of the ninth year of Jōgan (867), the day Mizunoto-u (Note: following the back-notes of the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki).

¶During the Gangyō era he underwent his genpuku, coming-of-age ceremony (Note: following the back-notes of the Ōkagami and the Gukanshō), and was appointed Jijū, Chamberlain (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Rekidai Kōki); at the time he was known as Ōji-jijū, the Princely Chamberlain (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Yotsugi Monogatari, and the Gukanshō). In the eighth year of Gangyō he was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki).

¶In the eighth month of the third year of Ninna (887), Emperor Kōkō fell ill. The Daijō Daijin, Mototsune (Fujiwara-no-Mototsune), came to the palace and memorialized, requesting that the imperial succession be settled. The emperor replied, "I leave the matter entirely to your judgment, lord." Mototsune requested that the emperor, then Imperial Prince Sadami, be established as heir. The emperor rejoiced greatly and at once summoned him (Note: following the Gukanshō. The Yotsugi Monogatari relates that before Emperor Kōkō's own accession, he had asked his several sons, "Should I ever come to the throne, what would each of you wish for? Speak your ambitions." Tarō answered that he wished to become Dazai no Daini, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazai, and govern the ten provinces of the western sea. Jirō said he wished to guard the eastern frontier and have charge of fifteen provinces. The emperor said nothing. Saburō, after a pause, said, "I wish to dwell in the Tōgū and succeed to the imperial throne." The emperor was pleased, it is said. On consideration, however, at a time when Emperor Kōkō had not yet himself acceded to the throne, he could hardly have harbored any wish to reign; that he should have asked his sons to declare such a wish is unlikely to be true. Moreover, the exchange bears a marked resemblance to the old story of Emperor Suinin settling the succession by the portent of a dream, and was probably a later accretion. This account is accordingly not adopted here). Taking Mototsune's hand in his left hand and the emperor's hand in his right, he wept and said, "The minister's aid and support have been profound; you must never forget it" (Note: following the Kanpyō Gyoki as quoted in the Gukanshō). He then issued an edict making him an imperial prince. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoto-u, he was made Crown Prince. On this same day Emperor Kōkō died (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). The Crown Prince received the throne, senso, at the Sen'yōden (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the back-notes of the Ōkagami; for the Sen'yōden, following the Bishamondō Shozō-ki. The Kugyō Bunin, the Kōnendai Ryakki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki all describe this as juzen, receiving the abdicated throne, but this is mistaken). The Daijō Daijin, Mototsune; the Minister of the Left, Minamoto-no-Tōru; the Minister of the Right and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards, Minamoto-no-Masaru; and the Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo, all retained their posts unchanged (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). On the twenty-eighth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, Mototsune, acting on an imperial command, had the Major Controller of the Left, Tachibana-no-Hiromi; the Middle Controller of the Left, Fujiwara-no-Ariho; the Provisional Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Tokihira; and the Assistant Captain of the Left Gate Guards, Fujiwara-no-Takatsune, attend in the palace hall. On the second day of the ninth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, Emperor Kōkō was buried. In winter, on the fifth day of the tenth month, the day Kinoto-mi, one hundred monks were invited into the palace to recite the Daihannyakyō by alternate recitation for three days. That night there was an earthquake. On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoe-inu, monks were summoned to perform rites for seven days. On the second day of the eleventh month, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, Izu province presented a map of Niijima island (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoe-inu, the emperor ascended the throne at the Daigokuden. He was twenty-one years of age at the time (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kōnendai Ryakki). His mother, Princess Hanshi, was honored with the title of Kōtaifujin, Empress-Mother (Note: following the back-notes of the Ōkagami and the entry for the second year of Kashō in the Chūyūki). On this day, a yellow dragon appeared in the northwest (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the twenty-first day, the day Kanoe-tora, an edict declared, "Let all matters of government, great and small, be referred to the Daijō Daijin, Mototsune, as kanpaku" (Note: following the text of the proclamation of the fifth month of the fourth year of Ninna in the Fusō Ryakki, and the Kugyō Bunin. The Gukanshō gives the date as the nineteenth, and the Rekidai Kōki as the twenty-ninth). The office of kanpaku begins from this (Note: following the Ranshōshō and the Sekkanshō).

¶In the fourth year of Ninna, the year Tsuchinoe-saru (888), in spring, on the nineteenth day of the second month, the day Hinoto-i, a special edict ranked the kanpaku Mototsune with the Sangū, the three empresses (Note: the Fusō Ryakki gives the twenty-second day; the Kugyō Bunin and the back-notes of the Ōkagami are followed here). In summer, in the fourth month, Sanuki province suffered a drought (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, an edict ordered Kose-no-Kanaoka to paint, on the sliding doors of the south eaves of the palace, portraits of those distinguished in poetry since the Kōnin era (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki. On consideration, the Teiō Hennenki places this in the fourth year of Kanpyō). In winter, on the ninth day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, Fujiwara-no-Onshi was made consort, nyōgo (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoto-mi, the Minister of the Right and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards, Minamoto-no-Masaru, died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). On the twenty-eighth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, the purification rite, gokei, was performed (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki and the Kōnendai Ryakki; the Fusō Ryakki and the Ichidai Yōki give the twenty-seventh day). On the twenty-second day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoto-u, the Daijōsai was performed (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōdai Ryakki. On consideration, the Fusō Ryakki gives the twenty-third day, but this is mistaken).

¶In the first year of Kanpyō, the year Tsuchinoto-tori (889), in spring, on the sixteenth day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo, was made Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and the Middle Counsellor, Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, was made concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). On the twentieth day of the second month, the day Mizunoe-uma, an edict reduced the emperor's regular meals by one quarter (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). On the sixth day of the third month, the day Hinoe-saru, Princess Naoko was chosen by divination as Kamo Priestess (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In summer, on the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the era name was changed (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Kōdaiki). On the twenty-eighth day of the fifth month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, the shrine building at Iwashimizu shook. In autumn, in the seventh month, because of the long rains and flooding since the sixth month, many starved to death in both the capital and Naniwa (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the eleventh day of the ninth month, the day Kanoe-ne, the regular offerings were suspended on account of ritual impurity, and the great purification rite was performed at the Kenrei Gate (Note: following the Saikyūshō). On the twenty-fourth day, the day Mizunoto-ushi, the Hokke Hakkō, eight lectures on the Lotus Sutra, were held at Kashōji temple (Note: following the Shinkokushi as quoted in the Shinpitsu Go-hakkō-ki). This month, winged ants swarmed over the Kinugasa-no-Murasakino area under the charge of the Enchishi, the Office of Gardens and Ponds. In winter, on the ninth day of the tenth month, the day Hinoto-u, the emperor received instruction in the Book of Changes from the scholar Yoshibuchi-no-Chikanari (Note: following the Denshi Kashū). On the twenty-first day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the special Kamo festival was held for the first time (Note: following the Ōkagami and its back-notes, quoting the Kanpyō Gyoki). On the sixth day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoto-i, a rainbow appeared at the Left Palace Guards post and pierced the sky (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki. On consideration, this work places "the sixth day, Mizunoto-i" in the tenth month, but the sexagenary date does not agree with that month. The entry below for the twenty-fourth day, the day Kanoto-mi, concerning the Hachiman oracle, is however placed in the twelfth month by the Teiō Hennenki, and the first day of that twelfth month was Tsuchinoe-uma, which agrees with the sexagenary sequence. It therefore appears that this work's reading of "tenth month" has lost a character naming the true month. This has accordingly been corrected here). On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kinoto-tori, the imperial prince Koreki was made shinnō, a prince of the blood (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the back-notes of the Ōkagami). This year, Princess Motoko was chosen by divination as Ise Priestess (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kijoshō). The Kanpyō Taihō coins were cast (Note: following the Shūgaishō).

¶In the second year, the year Kanoe-inu (890), in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the emperor paid reverence to Heaven, Earth, the four directions, his own guardian star, and the imperial mausolea (Note: following the Nenjū Gyōji Hishō and the Ononomiya Nenjū Gyōji. On consideration, the Kuji Kongen places this in the first year. The origin of this rite of the Shihōhai, obeisance to the four directions, is not entirely clear, but it probably began here; since it later became a fixed annual ceremony, however, it will not be recorded again hereafter). In winter, on the nineteenth day of the twelfth month, the day Kanoe-ne, the Daijō Daijin, Mototsune, resigned as kanpaku, and an edict granted his request (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō and the Kugyō Bunin).

¶In the third year, the year Kanoto-i (891), in spring, on the thirteenth day of the first month, the day Kinoe-ne, the Daijō Daijin, Mototsune, died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Gukanshō). On the nineteenth day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, offerings were presented to Ise, Hachiman, Kamo, Matsunoo, Hirano, Kasuga, and Ōharano, and the emperor moved from the Tōgū to the inner palace (Note: following the Saikyūshō). On the nineteenth day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the Major Counsellor, Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo, was made Minister of the Right (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). On the last day of the month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, a guest star, kakusei — a comet — appeared in the east (Note: the Ichidai Yōki places this in the previous year, but it is here placed according to the sexagenary date, following the entry for the second year of Kangi in the Meigetsuki). In autumn, on the third day of the eighth month, the day Kanoe-tatsu, the rank of the Surishiki, the Office of Palace Repairs, was fixed, placing it on a level with the Chūgūshiki, the Office of the Empress's Household. On the eleventh day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, it was forbidden for the kōryō, the overseers of the provinces, to defraud the government of goods, and it was likewise forbidden for those whose registered domicile was the capital, as well as the descendants of princes of lesser rank and of vassal houses, to settle outside the capital region through ties formed by marriage in pursuit of their livelihood. It was further forbidden for commoners outside the capital region to enter falsely onto the household registers of the capital and its home provinces (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). In winter, on the thirteenth day of the tenth month, the day Kanoe-tora, Imperial Prince Saichū died (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). On the last day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoto-mi, the emperor's elder brothers, the Middle Counsellor Minamoto-no-Koretada and the Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards Minamoto-no-Koresada, were made shinnō, princes of the blood (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki; that Koresada was made a prince follows the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki. The Ichidai Yōki places the matter of Koresada in the fifth year, but this is probably mistaken).

¶In the fourth year, the year Mizunoe-ne (892), in spring, on the twenty-second day of the third month, the day Hinoe-tora, an edict ordered the provinces of the five home provinces and seven circuits to present offerings to the deities of their domains, and to have the Daihannyakyō recited by alternate recitation for three days at the provincial temples and jōgakuji, officially recognized temples, to drive away pestilence (Note: following the Tōdaiji Yōroku). In summer, on the sixteenth day of the fifth month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the deer and birds of the Shinsen'en were released on Mount Hiei (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). In the sixth month, there was a great flood in Ise province (Note: following the Ise Hōheishi Zatsurei). This winter, heavy snow fell in the capital, reaching a depth of three shaku (Note: following the entry for the first year of Tengyō in the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶In the fifth year, the year Mizunoto-ushi (893), in spring, on the twenty-second day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-inu, Fujiwara-no-Inshi was made consort (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the back-notes of the Ōkagami). On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoe-tora, Tachibana-no-Gishi was made consort (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). On the twenty-second day of the second month, the day Kanoto-u, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo, resigned as Captain of the Left Palace Guards; the Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, was made Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and the Middle Counsellor, Fujiwara-no-Tokihira, was made concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). On the second day of the third month, the day Kanoto-ushi, an edict ordered the governors of the provinces of the capital region to inspect the Toshigoi, Tsukinami, and Niiname festivals and other rites, and to correct any irreverence among the shrine priests (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). This month, the imperial princess Kunshi was chosen by divination as Kamo Priestess (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In summer, on the fourteenth day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, Imperial Prince Atsugimi, later Emperor Daigo, was made Crown Prince (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki. One account in the Fusō Ryakki, as well as the Kanke Bunsō, give the second day; the Kugyō Bunin gives the thirteenth day). The Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards, Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, was made Tōgū no Fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). On the third day of the intercalary fifth month, the day Kanoe-uma — Silla pirates had earlier made repeated raids, and on this day an edict was sent down to the Dazaifu: "The urgent task at present lies in farming. The season must not be lost. To carry out both chastisement and cultivation together is the art of a good commander. As soon as this edict arrives, see that it is carried out" (Note: following the entry for the third year of Kannin in the Shōyūki). In autumn, on the nineteenth day of the seventh month, the day Kinoto-tori, those who had fled from Mutsu and Dewa to serve in the households of princes and ministers, as well as those living as wanderers in the capital region, were once again sought out and sent back to their native villages. In winter, on the twenty-first day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoto-tori, it was forbidden for those seeking appointment as district officials in the provinces to hold concurrent posts within or outside the capital, and forbidden for them to be appointed to the posts of keirei, household stewards, or below, in princely households (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku).

¶In the sixth year, the year Kinoe-tora (894), in spring, in the second month, a comet appeared (Note: following the entry for the eighteenth year of Engi in the Fusō Ryakki). In summer, in the fifth month, an envoy from Tang China arrived (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In autumn, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, the day Hinoe-ne, it was forbidden for the various cloistered residences, princely households, offices, and noble houses to compel the hire of boats, carts, men, and horses for travel (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku; one text of the Sandaikyaku gives the twenty-sixth day). On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoe-uma, one hundred and fifty ryō of placer gold were bestowed on the monk Chūkan, then residing in Tang China (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). On the twenty-first day of the eighth month, the day Kanoe-inu, a doshi, crossbow instructor, was stationed in Noto (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kinoe-tora (Note: this work gives the twenty-first day, but it is here corrected by calculation back from the day Kinoe-ne, given for the ninth month below), the Sangi, Sugawara-no-Michizane, was made ambassador to Tang China, and the Junior Controller of the Right, Ki-no-Haseo, was made vice-ambassador. The mission was, however, soon abandoned. On the fifth day of the ninth month, the day Kinoe-ne, a report came from Tsushima that ships of Silla raiders had come (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On this day, the emperor went in procession to the Daigokuden and presented offerings to Ise and the other shrines (Note: following the Saikyūshō). On the ninth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, a courier of the Dazaifu reported that Silla was invading the border (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the eleventh day, the day Kanoe-uma, the regular offerings were suspended on account of ritual impurity (Note: following the Saikyūshō). On the thirteenth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, additional crossbow instructors were stationed at the Dazaifu (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the nineteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, a courier of the Dazaifu reported, "The Governor, Funya-no-Yoshitomo, fought the raiders of Silla and won a great victory over them, capturing three commanders, eleven lieutenant commanders, and more than three hundred soldiers" (Note: following the Hokuzanshō; this work places the report on the ninth day). On this day, the beacon-fire watch of Izumo and Oki was reinstated (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the twenty-third day, the day Mizunoe-uma, offerings were presented at the imperial mausolea, announcing the defeat of the raiders (Note: following the Saikyūki). In winter, on the fifth day of the tenth month, the day Kinoe-uma, the Kebiishi-chō, the Bureaus of the Imperial Police of the Left and Right, were ordered to decide their cases day by day (Note: following the Seiji Yōryaku). On the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, district officials were made to relinquish any concurrent post as a palace guard. A further edict ordered the capital region and the provinces of Ōmi, Kii, and others to correct the negligence of their governors and to be diligent in matters of ritual observance (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the last day of the month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the Kebiishi, Imperial Police, were ordered to patrol Ōi, Yodo, Yamazaki, and Ōtsu once every ten days (Note: following the Seiji Yōryaku). It was forbidden for the common people of the provinces to call themselves retainers of princes and ministers and disturb their districts (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku).

¶In the seventh year, the year Kinoto-u (895), in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the New Year's felicitations were cancelled on account of rain and snow (Note: following the Saikyūki and the Nihon Kiryaku's annals of Emperor Daigo). On the twenty-fourth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, Imperial Prince Shūryō, of Second Rank, died (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Sonpi Bunmyaku; his Second Rank follows the Shoku Nihon Kōki. The Ichidai Yōki gives the twenty-third day, and this work itself gives his rank as Third, not Second). On the twenty-first day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, an edict declared: "Of late the prisons are full of convicts, and judgment of their offenses is still slow. Some whose crimes are light remain long in confinement; others whose crimes are grave in fact remain only under a life sentence. By the principle proper to prison officials, this ought not to be so. For this reason, on the fifth day of the tenth month last year, We ordered the Kebiishi-chō of the Left and Right to settle the state of their daily judgments. Yet they remain slow and dilatory, and have not complied. Henceforth, in accordance with the earlier edict, let the cases handled be reported day by day." A further edict declared: "While prisoners are held in confinement awaiting judgment, it is hard for them to preserve their lives. This arises precisely from the officers' effort to discharge their duties in full. Henceforth, when the Fifth Rank and below — the jō and sakan — number four in full complement, their duties should be divided among them; it is not necessary that all attend together, and the Left and Right offices should take turns" (Note: following the Seiji Yōryaku). On the third day of the third month, the day Kanoe-saru, the emperor made a progress to the Shinsen'en (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the twenty-third day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, an edict declared: "That the households of princes and ministers should put out their private wealth at interest and seek profit from loans to the people was forbidden in the ninth year of Tenpyō. We hear that in recent years this prohibition has not been observed, and that the people's livelihood has come to be harmed by it. Because of this, taxes are hard to collect, and the chō and yō, tribute and labor taxes, remain unpaid. Nothing injures the people and harms government more than this. Yet the provincial governors indulge and excuse it, and have never yet corrected it. How can the way proper to officials be allowed to remain so? This practice must be wholly forbidden and reformed. Should there be any who transgress, let their goods be confiscated and the offense punished, entirely according to the earlier statute" (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). In summer, on the fifteenth day of the fifth month, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, an envoy from Tang China came to court (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In autumn, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the day Kanoe-uma, the imperial prince Atsumi was made shinnō (Note: following the back-notes of the Ōkagami). On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the Minister of the Left, Minamoto-no-Tōru, died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). In winter, on the seventh day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, it was forbidden for former provincial governors of Fifth Rank and above who, though their term had ended, had not yet received their geyu, certificate of clearance, to remain in their former province or to leave the capital region without authorization. On the third day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoto-tori, it was again forbidden for those of Fifth Rank and above, and for sonnō, princes of collateral lines, to leave the capital region (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). This year, the Hyōgo, Arsenal, sounded of itself; the Dazaifu reported a strange omen involving birds; and in Settsu province a calf was born with two heads. Balhae sent envoys to court bearing tribute (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō).

¶In the eighth year, the year Hinoe-tatsu (896), in spring, on the sixth day of the intercalary first month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the emperor made a progress to the Urin-in at Kitano and held the Ne-no-hi Banquet, the Banquet of the Day of the Rat. The Crown Prince and the imperial princes attended him (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, the kadono-neriji, guards of the gate watch, of the Left and Right were ordered to inspect the sick at the Seyakuin, the Dispensary, and at the Eastern and Western Hidenin, charitable infirmaries, once every ten days (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku and the Fusō Ryakki). This month, the emperor made a progress to the residence of the Kamo Priestess (Note: following the entry for the first year of Chōshō in the Chūyūki). In summer, on the second day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, it was forbidden for the various cloistered residences, princely households, and the houses of princes and ministers to take up suits over fields, dwellings, and property at the solicitation of commoners (Note: following the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). In autumn, on the thirteenth day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, forty-six prisoners held in confinement were pardoned (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo, was made Minister of the Left, and the Major Counsellor, Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, was made Minister of the Right (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). On the twenty-second day of the ninth month, the day Kanoe-ne, the Empress Dowager, of the Fujiwara clan, relinquished her rank as Empress Dowager, and the monk Zen'yū was exiled to Izu (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In winter, on the third day of the tenth month, the day Kanoe-inu, the emperor made a progress to the Suzaku-in, and stopped at the residence of the Naishi-no-Kami, the Senior Handmaid, Fujiwara-no-Shukushi (Note: following the Saikyūki). This month, an edict declared: "The Dazaifu has memorialized that an auspicious cloud appeared in Satsuma province. The officials in charge, having examined it, reported it to Us as a response to the harmony brought by government and a sign of virtue reaching to the imperial mausolea. We, on reflecting upon this memorial, are alarmed, and on hearing of this auspicious sign, are fearful. It is now nine years since We ascended the throne. There have been floods, droughts, and pestilence, as well as soldiers and brigands; how could these rightly be set beside words claiming that government is harmonious and virtue has arrived? Ruler and ministers share a single charge. We ought to feel shame, and you, Our ministers, likewise ought to feel shame. Let this be restrained and stopped; there must be no unwarranted celebration." A further edict declared: "On the twentieth day of the second month of the fifth year of Ninna, We resolved to follow strict economy in Our regular meals, and the office in charge, following precedent, reduced them by one quarter. In Our heart We did not pile concern upon concern, nor thought upon thought; We wished only, by this accumulation of trifles no greater than dust or dew, to bring about a harmony of due observance. Yet unexpectedly floods, droughts, military disturbance, and pestilence have arisen repeatedly, year after year. The chō and yō owed by the provinces have fallen short, and the stipends of the hundred officials have gone unpaid. Above, We do not resent Heaven; below, We do not blame the people. It is Our own want of virtue alone that has brought this about. Now let a further third be cut from Our meals, and let half of the nenryō zōmotsu, the annual miscellaneous goods, be newly reduced as well. Let all other expenditures be divided and halved. We cannot bear to see the people suffering cold and poverty. We no longer have the means to plan for enriching the realm; We can only share hardship and ease together with Our poor people. Let this be proclaimed within and without, that Our intent may be known" (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, the Minister of the Left, Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo, retired from office (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin. On consideration, the Fusō Ryakki places this in the first year of Shōtai, but this is mistaken). This month, Sugawara-no-Enshi, of Junior Fourth Rank Lower, was made consort (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). This year, a great epidemic raged at the Dazaifu (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō).

¶In the ninth year, the year Hinoto-mi (897), in summer, on the eighth day of the sixth month, the day Mizunoe-ne, the Minister of the Right and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards and Tutor to the Crown Prince, Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). On the nineteenth day, the day Mizunoto-i, the Middle Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Tokihira, was made Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and the Middle Counsellor, Sugawara-no-Michizane, was made Provisional Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In autumn, on the third day of the seventh month, the day Hinoe-ne, the Crown Prince underwent his genpuku at the Seiryōden (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Rekidai Kōki, the back-notes of the Ōkagami, and the Teiō Hennenki; that it was held at the Seiryōden follows the Teiō Hennenki and the back-notes of the Ōkagami. On consideration, the Gaiki Nikki, quoted in the annals of Emperor Daigo in the Fusō Ryakki, likewise places this on this day, agreeing with the other sources. The annals of Emperor Uda, however, together with the Ōkagami and the Ichidai Yōki, give the nineteenth day of the first month of the seventh year, and the Gukanshō gives the ninth day of the tenth month; both are mistaken). On this same day, the emperor yielded the throne to the Crown Prince (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Kugyō Bunin. On consideration, one account in the Fusō Ryakki and in the Ninnaji Goden gives the fifth day, but this is mistaken). An edict ordered the Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Tokihira, and the Provisional Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Sugawara-no-Michizane, to assist the shōshu, the young new sovereign, and to take part in deciding matters of government (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). The emperor himself composed a document, setting out point by point the wisdom and folly to be found among his subjects and the people, and the gains and losses of statecraft, as a warning to the sovereign who would succeed him. He wrote: "Make rewards and punishments clear, and do not be led astray by love or hatred. Employ your heart with fairness, and do not be swayed by likes and dislikes. Be careful to govern your feelings of joy and anger, and do not let them show in your countenance. In matters of governance, consult those of sound judgment, and seek the Way in the Six Classics. The Captain of the Left, Fujiwara-no-Ason [Tokihira], is the descendant of a meritorious minister, and though young in years, is already thoroughly versed in the principles of government; let the new sovereign hold him in esteem. The Captain of the Right, Sugawara-no-Ason [Michizane], is a great scholar, deeply versed in affairs of state, and does not shrink from speaking frankly. When We earlier established the Crown Prince, We consulted with this minister alone in reaching Our decision. Again, when We wished to yield the throne but had not yet been able to carry it out, this minister said, 'If the matter is left to linger, unforeseen trouble will arise.' It was this that made Our resolve as firm as metal and stone. This minister is not only a loyal servant to Us, but a meritorious one to the new sovereign as well; let the new sovereign hold him in esteem. Suenaga is deeply versed in official business, and Haseo is widely learned in the classics; both are men of great capacity. Employ them without reserve" (Note: following the Kanpyō Yuikai).

¶When Emperor Daigo received the abdicated throne, Emperor Uda was honored with the title of Daijō Tennō, Retired Emperor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). He sent letters declining the title again and again, but his request was not granted. He was called the Later Retired Emperor, to distinguish him from the Retired Emperor Yōzei. In the eighth month, he moved his residence to the Higashi Sanjō-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶In the second month of the first year of Shōtai (898), he moved to the Suzaku-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku), and was called the Retired Emperor of the Suzaku-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kanke Bunsō). In the tenth month, he frequently went hunting about the capital region. The Governor of Hitachi, Imperial Prince Sadakazu, and the Provisional Major Counsellor, Sugawara-no-Michizane, among others, attended him. Setting out for Miyataki, he lodged at Michizane's mountain villa in Takechi district, and at length reached Miyataki. He also went to the shore at Sumiyoshi, passing through Mount Tatsuta into Kawachi (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Teiō Hennenki), and from there took a boat to Kōhoku, and visited the Sumiyoshi Shrine. The assembled courtiers presented waka poems in his honor (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the intercalary month, he returned to the Suzaku-in (Note: the Fusō Ryakki and the Teiō Hennenki place this in the eleventh month, but it is here corrected according to the Nihon Kiryaku). He frequently summoned men of letters, held banquets, and had them compose poetry, and also had the Hakuryōden built at the Suzaku-in. The Retired Emperor deeply revered the Buddhist Law, and wished to shave his head and enter religious life. In the tenth month of the second year, he again declined his honorific title (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kanke Bunsō), and asked to be called simply "the Suzaku-in," but the emperor did not grant this request (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). This month, he took the tonsure at Ninnaji temple (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ninnaji Goden). His Buddhist name was Kūri, and his kanjō, consecration, name was Kongōkaku (Note: the Ninnaji Goden states that his Buddhist name was Kūri, later changed to Kongōkaku; this follows the account attributed to Emperor Toba in the Taiki). He received the Three Refuges and Ten Precepts from the monk Yakushin (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). In the eleventh month, he received full ordination at Tōdaiji temple (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Ninnaji Goden). He repeatedly sent letters declining his honorific title (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the back-notes of the Ōkagami), and the emperor at length agreed, and he was called Hōō, the Cloistered Emperor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). In the seventh month of the third year, he made a progress to Mount Kinpu (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the tenth month, he made a progress to Mount Kōya (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ninnaji Goden).

¶In the eighth month of the first year of Engi (901), the Hokke Hakkō was held at Ninnaji temple (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the third month of the fourth year, he built an apartment, muro, at Ninnaji, and was called in the world the Omuro (Note: following the Ninnaji Goden). This year he climbed Mount Hiei, and said to the monk Zōmyō, "As a child I used to roam this mountain, and cherished a wish in my heart to leave the world and live here, but I was never able to fulfill it. Having already received the Śrāvaka Precepts from Yakushin, I now wish to receive the Bodhisattva Precepts from you as well, master, and so fulfill my long-held vow." He accordingly had a hall built at Senkō-in. In the fourth month of the fifth year, he received the Precepts of Repentance from Zōmyō, and further received the great rites of the Taizōkai and Kongōkai, the Womb Realm and Diamond Realm (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the seventh month, he sent a letter declining his fuko, allotted households (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Honchō Monzui). In the ninth month, he again made a progress to Mount Kinpu (Note: the Ninnaji Goden gives the eighth month, but the Nihon Kiryaku is followed here). In the tenth month of the seventh year, he made a progress to Kumano (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). When the Cloistered Emperor had originally shaved his head, his close attendant Tachibana-no-Yoshitoshi had likewise shaved his head and took the name Kanren. After the Cloistered Emperor had left the world, he often made progresses to Mount Hiei and to Isonokami, but on each occasion he wished not to be recognized, and always dismissed his retinue of guards, allowing only Kanren alone to attend him. Whenever the emperor at some time ordered a close attendant to accompany the Cloistered Emperor, the Cloistered Emperor would always avoid him and set out in secret (Note: following the Yamato Monogatari). The Cloistered Emperor resided at the Uda-in, the Teiji-in, and the Rokujō-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku), and the Naka-no-Rokujō-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Shūgaishō).

¶In the first year of Jōhei (931), on the nineteenth day of the seventh month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, he died at Ninnaji temple. He was sixty-five years of age (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, the back-notes of the Ōkagami, and the Ichidai Yōki). In his final testament he commanded, "Wrap the coffin in a mat, and bind it with kudzu vine" (Note: following the Ribu-ō-ki as quoted in the Zoku Kojidan). Officials of burial, sōshi, were appointed but the building of an imperial mausoleum was halted; a kokki, death-day observance, was established and he was included among those honored with the Nosaki offerings, and the various offices and provinces were made to observe mourning and wear plain mourning dress (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). He was cremated at Ōuchiyama (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). He was called the Uda-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Honchō Monzui, and the Rekidai Kōki), and also the Teiji-in (Note: following the Gosen Wakashū and the Ise Kashū). The practice by which a Son of Heaven is called "In" and his honorific posthumous title is omitted begins from this (Note: on consideration, after leaving the throne the emperor resided at the Suzaku-in and the Naka-no-Rokujō-in, and so was at first called Rokujō-in Daijō Tennō, and also Suzaku-in Daijō Tennō. He later asked to relinquish his honorific title and be called simply "Suzaku-in," and Emperor Daigo granted this. Later still he was called Teiji-in and Uda-in, each name taken from the place where he then resided. As no posthumous title was conferred after his death, the name he had borne in life was accordingly retained, and he was called such-and-such "In." In the case of Emperor Yōzei, he had not relinquished his honorific title during his lifetime; but as his death came after this emperor's, the precedent set here was followed nonetheless, and he too was called Yōzei-in. Of those after this emperor who died while still on the throne — for instance the two emperors Daigo and Murakami — the title "Emperor So-and-so" is used. Of those who left the throne to reside in a separate cloistered residence — for instance Emperor Suzaku — the title "So-and-so In" is used. And from Emperor Reizei onward, whether a sovereign died on the throne or after abdicating, he is uniformly called "So-and-so In," with no honorific title attached, and this at length became the enduring custom).

¶The emperor once ordered a painter to depict, on the sliding doors of the Shishinden, the portraits of famous ministers from the Yin and Zhou dynasties onward; these came to be called the Kenjō-no-shōji, the Sliding Doors of the Sages and Worthies (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). At the very beginning of his reign, he said to the kanpaku Mototsune, "I lack the capacity to oversee and govern the four seas. I wish to leave the throne without delay." Mototsune argued that this would not do, and government was accordingly entrusted to him as before. After Mototsune's death, the emperor took charge of the business of government himself (Note: following the Gukanshō). In later ages, whenever people speak of good government, they invariably praise the reigns of Engi and Tenryaku. Yet in this emperor's own reign there was, if anything, something of the spirit of effortless, non-active rule found in antiquity (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki). The emperor once said, "From my childhood I have not eaten the flesh of living things, and my heart has long turned to the Buddhist faith." At eight or nine years of age he climbed Mount Hiei and came to admire the ways of monks, and from then on he was always wandering among the various temples. At seventeen, he asked his mother, the Empress-Mother, for permission to leave the world. His mother said, "Very well. But it would not be too late to do so after you have had some further experience of worldly affairs." Three or four months later he asked again, but was still not permitted. Four months after that, the previous emperor, Kōkō, ascended the throne, and in the end he was never able to leave the world (Note: following the Kanpyō Gyoki as quoted in the Fusō Ryakki. On consideration, the Fusō Ryakki states that his admiration for the ways of monks led him to devote himself to religious practice from the age of eight or nine; the Genkō Shakusho has also been drawn on here). He further said, "From my childhood, I vowed in my heart never to harm a living creature. Since my accession, although I have been fond of falconry, I have never sought to indulge greedily in the catch, but have taken pleasure only in its air of quiet solitude. On calm reflection, however, even this is a form of worldly attachment" (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). After taking the tonsure, he took the monk Yakushin as his teacher, and received consecration, kanjō, at Tōji temple. The emperor thereafter transmitted the Dharma to Ninnaji temple, and the Omuro lineage of Ninnaji has honored him as its founding patriarch (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki).