Imperial Consorts II

Tsuno-hime, Kōbunin (Imperial Consort)

¶Tsuno-hime, the Kōbunin, imperial consort of Emperor Hanzei, was a daughter of Kogoto (Note: the Kojiki gives Kogoto as Wani-no-Kogoto-no-Omi). In the eighth month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became Kōbunin (Note: the Kōin Shōunroku gives her as empress, but this is mistaken). She bore Princess Kahi-no-hime and Princess Tsubura (following the Nihon Shoki).

Otohime

¶Oto-hime was a younger sister of Tsuno-hime. She bore Princess Takara and Prince Takabe (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Hanzei]

Empress Oshisaka-no-Ōnakatsu-hime

¶Empress Oshisaka-no-Ōnakatsu-hime, consort of Emperor Ingyō, was a daughter of Prince Wakanuke-futamata. When the emperor was still a prince, he took her into his household as his consort. She bore Crown Prince Kinashi-no-Karu, Princess Nakata-no-Ōiratsume, Prince Sakai-no-Kurohiko, Emperor Ankō, Princess Karu-no-Ōiratsume, Prince Yatsuri-no-Shirohiko, Emperor Yūryaku, Princess Tajima-tachibana-no-Ōiratsume, and Princess Sakami. When Emperor Hanzei died, the assembled ministers deliberated and urged Ingyō to ascend the throne, but he firmly declined. The consort, aware that the ministers were anxious and fearful, happened to be holding up a basin of water for the emperor's hands in his presence, and addressed him: "Your Majesty is being modest, but the Heavenly Throne has stood empty for a long time, and the ministers and officials do not know what to do. I beg that Your Majesty grant the wishes of all." The emperor turned his back and gave no answer. Fearful, the consort withdrew. After some time, in the bitter cold of the last month of winter (the twelfth lunar month), ice formed even upon her arms as she stood there, and she was close to freezing to death. The emperor saw this in alarm, lifted her up, and said: "To succeed to the throne is a grave matter, and not to be undertaken lightly. But what the ministers desire is plainly in accord with reason; how could I go on refusing?" The consort withdrew and told the ministers: "The prince will heed your request. Present the regalia (jifu, the seals of imperial succession) at once." That very day the ministers bore the regalia forward and presented them with repeated obeisances. Thus the emperor at last ascended the throne. In the second month of the following year the consort was installed as empress, and the Osakabe, the Osaka Clan Corporation, was established (Note: the Kojiki states that the Kawabe was established as the name-bearing estate (minashiro) of the empress's younger sister, Tainaka-tsu-hime). The emperor also had the empress send to him her younger sister, Sotooshi-no-Iratsume, and built a palace for her at Fujiwara, where he lodged her. On the very night that the empress gave birth to Emperor Yūryaku, the emperor visited Sotooshi-no-Iratsume for the first time. When the empress heard of it she was greatly aggrieved and said: "Since I put up my hair, I have served in the palace. Now I lie in childbed, with life and death uncertain, and yet on this of all nights you cross over to Fujiwara. What can this mean?" She sought to set fire to the place and burn herself to death. The emperor, hearing of it, was greatly alarmed; saying, "The fault was mine," he consoled and admonished her, and she gave up the attempt. When Emperor Ankō took the throne, she was honored with the title of Empress Dowager. Once, when Emperor Yūryaku was hunting at Mimase and had taken a great deal of game, he turned to the ministers and asked: "Which is the greater pleasure of the hunting ground: to have the cooks dress the game, or to dress it oneself?" The ministers were unable to answer at once. The emperor, angered, drew his sword and cut down his charioteer, then hurried his carriage back to the palace. The Empress Dowager, fearing and grieving at this, sent the Yamato uneme (court attendant) Hi-hime to meet the carriage and offer wine. The emperor took a liking to Hi-hime, led her by the hand into the inner palace, and said to the Empress Dowager: "Today I took much game in the hunt, and thinking that we might all dress it ourselves and make a feast of the field, I put a question to the ministers, but not one could answer. So I became angry." The Empress Dowager soothed him, saying: "It seems to me that Your Majesty, having the hunting ground in mind, meant to establish the Shishihitobe, the Meat-Preparers' Corporation, but the ministers did not perceive this and so found it hard to reply. It is not too late even now. Let me make the beginning. Kashiwade-no-Omi Nagano is skilled at making shishi-namasu, a dish of sliced raw meat, and he may well be presented to you." The emperor knelt and said: "It is well said. What the rustics say, that 'the noble understand one another's hearts,' is exactly this." Seeing the emperor's pleasure, the Empress Dowager further recommended the cooks Usagida-no-Mitobe and Masakida-no-Takama and others, and all were made members of the Shishihitobe. Later Ako, the Yamato no Kuni-no-miyatsuko (provincial governor), presented Sahoko-tori-wake, and from that time the omi, the muraji, the tomo-no-miyatsuko, and the kuni-no-miyatsuko successively followed this example and presented members.

¶Earlier, when the empress was still living at her mother's family home, she was once playing alone in the garden. The Tsuge no Kuni-no-miyatsuko, riding on horseback, peered over the hedge and said jokingly: "Are you governing the country well?" He asked her for a stalk of aragi (an orchid). The empress plucked it and gave it to him, and asked what it was for. The governor answered: "I am going into the mountains to drive off horseflies." The empress hated his contemptuous and slighting manner and thought: "I shall never forget this man's face." After she had risen to high rank, she enumerated his offense and was about to have him put to death. The governor knocked his head on the ground and begged pardon: "My offense truly deserves ten thousand deaths. But at that time, how could I have known that Your Majesty would come to your present station?" The empress pardoned him, but reduced his hereditary title to that of inagi (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Sotooshi-no-Iratsume

¶Sotooshi-no-Iratsume, also called Oto-hime, was a younger sister of the empress. Her form and features were of unsurpassed beauty, and the radiance of her complexion was such that it shone through her clothing; for this reason people of the time called her Sotooshi-no-Iratsume, "she whose beauty shines through her garments." The emperor heard of her beauty and wished to summon her. In the twelfth month of the seventh year of Ingyō's reign a banquet was held in a newly built hall. The emperor himself played the koto, and the empress rose and danced. According to the custom of the time, at every banquet, when the dance was ended, the master of the feast would say, "Present a maiden," and this was the courteous form. The empress perceived that the emperor had had her play the koto in order that she might offer up Oto-hime, and when her dance was over she deliberately omitted the customary words. The emperor asked the empress: "Why do you omit the usual courtesy?" The empress danced again, and when she had finished she said: "I present a maiden." The emperor asked: "Who is the maiden?" The empress, having no choice, answered: "My younger sister, named Oto-hime." The emperor was pleased. The next day he sent a messenger to summon her. At that time the princess was living with her mother at Sakata in Ōmi, and, in fear of the empress, she would not come. The messenger went back and forth seven times, yet she still did not come. The emperor therefore commanded the attendant (toneri) Nakatomi-no-Ikatsu: "If you can bring Oto-hime back, I shall surely reward you handsomely." When Ikatsu reached Sakata, the princess said: "I have no intention of disobeying the emperor's command, only I fear going against the empress's feelings. I will not go, even if it costs me my life." Ikatsu said: "The emperor commanded me, 'You must bring her back, or you will be punished.' If I return and cannot escape death, I would rather lie down in this courtyard and die," and he would not be moved from the spot. From the first, Ikatsu had brought dried rice wrapped in his robe and ate it in secret. He lay in the middle of the courtyard for seven days, and would accept no food or drink that the princess offered him. The princess thought: "I have already failed to heed the emperor's command, and if I now let a loyal retainer die, that will only add to my guilt." She resolved to set out with Ikatsu. Arriving at Kasuga in Yamato, they rested by the Ichii, and she herself poured wine to refresh Ikatsu from the journey. That same day they entered the capital. Ikatsu lodged the princess at the house of Ako in Yamato, then went to court and reported what had happened. The emperor was delighted and moved, and gave Ikatsu special praise and reward. The empress, learning that the princess had reached the capital, was not at ease. The emperor, wary of her feelings, did not bring the princess into the palace, but built a palace at Fujiwara and had her live there. In the second month of the following year, the emperor secretly made a journey to Fujiwara to visit her. The princess, not knowing of it, longed for the emperor and composed a poem, in which she said that this was the evening on which her beloved was due to come, for the spider's doings on the bamboo root made it plain tonight. The emperor, moved by this, answered with a poem of his own, in which he spoke of loosening the cords of her brocade garments and sleeping with her not many nights but only this one. When the empress heard of it she was greatly resentful. The princess grew still more wary, and asked leave to live far away from the palace. The emperor then built a further palace at Chinu in Kawachi and had her move there. Under the pretext of hunting, he made frequent visits to Chinu. The empress said: "I am not in the least jealous of Your Majesty's frequent journeys to Chinu. I am only concerned lest the common people suffer on account of them." Hearing this, the emperor somewhat curtailed his later journeys. While the princess was still at Fujiwara, the emperor said to Ōtomo-no-Muroya: "I have obtained a beautiful maiden and cherish her deeply. I wish her name to be handed down to later ages." Muroya, receiving this word, imposed a levy upon the kuni-no-miyatsuko of the provinces and had the Fujiwarabe established (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Kojiki states that Oshisaka-no-Ōnakatsu-hime-no-mikoto bore Karu-no-Ōiratsume, who was also called Sotooshi-no-Iratsume, and who was of exceptional beauty, her radiance showing through her clothing. On consideration, the sense of the main text is that Princess Karu was a child of the empress while Sotooshi-hime was the empress's younger sister, but the Kojiki's account leaves the reason unclear. The Kojiki also records among the empress's younger sisters a Fujiwara-no-Kotofushi-no-Iratsume. Considering that Sotooshi-hime lived at Fujiwara, this Kotofushi-no-Iratsume may be Sotooshi-hime herself. It is recorded here provisionally, for reference).

¶[Emperor Ankō]

Empress Nakashi-hime

¶Empress Nakashi-hime, consort of Emperor Ankō (Note: the character for shi is sometimes written as iso), was also called Princess Nagata-no-Ōiratsume, and was a daughter of Emperor Richū. She was first married to Prince Ōkusaka and bore Prince Mayowa. In the first year of the emperor's reign, on the slander of Ne-no-Omi, Prince Ōkusaka was put to death, and the emperor summoned her and took her as his consort. In the first month of the second year she was installed as empress (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Yūryaku]

Empress Kusaka-no-Hatabi

¶Empress Kusaka-no-Hatabi, consort of Emperor Yūryaku, was first the empress of Emperor Richū. After Emperor Richū's death she had taken refuge with her maternal elder brother, Prince Ōkusaka. Emperor Ankō wished to take her as his own consort, and sent Ne-no-Omi to convey his wish. Prince Ōkusaka accepted the command gladly and gave Ne-no-Omi the Oshiki no Tamakazura, a jeweled headdress, as a token. But Ne-no-Omi concealed the headdress and did not present it, and falsely reported: "The prince has disobeyed the command." Emperor Ankō was greatly angered and put the prince to death; he summoned Nakashi-hime and took her as his consort, and gave Hatabi-hime to himself as a consort in marriage. In the third month of the first year of Emperor Yūryaku's reign she was installed as empress. In the fifth year, when the emperor hunted at Katsuragi, the empress accompanied him. A wild boar charged out. The emperor ordered an attendant (toneri) to shoot it as it came and then to spear it, but the attendant was terrified and lost color. The boar leapt in to gore him, and the emperor trampled it to death. When the hunt was over, the emperor wished to put the attendant to death. The empress remonstrated: "People far and near will all say, 'His Majesty so indulges in hunting that he kills a man for the sake of a beast; surely this is not right.'" The emperor was pleased and heeded her; riding in the carriage with the empress he said: "Hunters take game, but I alone return having gained a good word. How delightful!" and at last pardoned the attendant. In the fourteenth year, the emperor ordered Ne-no-Omi to entertain the Kurebito (people from Wu) at Takanukihara in Isonokami, and sent an attendant to observe. The attendant returned and warmly praised the beauty of the jeweled headdress worn by Ne-no-Omi. The emperor wished to see it, and ordered the omi and muraji: "Without changing his ornaments, bring him just as he is before the hall." The empress, seeing the headdress, wept softly. When the emperor asked the reason, the empress answered: "What Ne-no-Omi is wearing is what my elder brother presented, when he received the edict of Emperor Anaho (Emperor Ankō) and was to send me up to Your Majesty. I cannot help but suspect, and so tears came unbidden." The emperor was greatly angered and questioned Ne-no-Omi, who confessed his guilt. When the emperor was about to have him beheaded, Ne-no-Omi fled to Hine, built an inagi, a fortress of rice-sheaves, and resisted the imperial army. The army attacked and killed him, and his descendants were divided in two. One half was assigned as the people of the Ōkusakabe, attached to the empress's household fief; the other half was given to the Chinu no Agatanushi, to be treated as descendants of one who had acted against righteousness. Ne-no-Omi's son, Ono-no-Omi, privately told others: "The emperor's fortress is not strong, but my father's fortress was strong." The emperor heard this and hated him; he sent men to investigate, and as it proved to be just as had been said, he too was put to death (following the Nihon Shoki).

Katsuragi-no-Kara-hime

¶Katsuragi-no-Kara-hime, a consort, was a daughter of the Ōomi Katsuragi-no-Tsubura. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Emperor Seinei and Princess Wakatarashi-hime. When Emperor Seinei took the throne, she was honored with the title of Grand Empress Dowager (Kōtaifujin) (following the Nihon Shoki).

Kibi-no-Waka-hime

¶Kibi-no-Waka-hime, a consort, was first married to Kibi-no-Tasa and bore Eki-mi and Oto-kimi. In the seventh year of the emperor's reign, when Tasa was in attendance at court, he praised his wife's beauty at length among his colleagues, saying: "Even among the beauties of the realm, none surpasses my wife. Her beauty is rare in the world, the foremost of the age." The emperor, overhearing this, was moved by it; he therefore appointed Tasa as governor of Mimana to send him far away, and took Waka-hime for himself as a consort. She bore Prince Iwaki and Prince Hoshikawa-no-Wakamiya. When the emperor died, Waka-hime secretly urged Prince Hoshikawa to rebel. The plot was discovered and failed, and Waka-hime, the two princes, and Eki-mi, a son of Tasa, were all burned to death (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: according to the note to the entry for the seventh year of Emperor Yūryaku in the Nihon Shoki, Tasa's wife was named Ke-hime and was a daughter of Tamada-no-Sukune. On the other hand, in the passage in the first-year entry that lists in succession the empresses and consorts he took, she is given as Waka-hime, daughter of Kibi-no-Kamitsumichi-no-Omi, with a note saying "one book gives her as a daughter of Kibi-no-Kuboya-no-Omi." The names Waka-hime and Ke-hime already differ, and the fathers' names do not agree, so for the present it is not recorded whose daughter she was).

Onagi-mi

¶Onagi-mi, a consort, was a daughter of Wani-no-Fukame of Kasuga. She first served as an uneme (court attendant), but was summoned by the emperor and lay with him, and from that single night she conceived. She bore Empress Kasuga-no-Ōiratsume. The emperor doubted this and would not acknowledge the child as his. The Ōmuraji Mononobe-no-Me, once attending at the emperor's side, saw the princess walking in the courtyard and exclaimed: "What a beautiful maiden! Whose daughter is she?" When the emperor asked, "Why do you ask this?" he answered: "As I look at this maiden, her manner of walking and bearing greatly resemble Your Majesty's." The emperor said: "All who see this girl say what you say. But her mother conceived in a single night. For that reason I cannot help but doubt." Me answered: "I have heard that a woman may conceive merely from a loincloth touching her skin. How much more so when they shared a bed the whole night; what reason is there for doubt?" The emperor thought this reasonable, and so made the girl a princess and made Onagi-mi a consort (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Kenzō]

Empress Naniwa-no-Ono

¶Empress Naniwa-no-Ono, consort of Emperor Kenzō, was a granddaughter of Prince Iwaki and a daughter of Prince Oka-no-Wakugo (following the note in the Nihon Shoki; the Kojiki gives her as a daughter of Prince Iwaki). In the first month of the first year of the emperor's reign she was installed as empress (following the Nihon Shoki). In the days when Emperor Ninken had not yet taken the throne and was lying in obscurity, he once attended a banquet where a melon was to be cut. The emperor (Kenzō) took up a small knife and ordered the empress to hand it over; the empress, standing, gave it to the Crown Prince (Ninken). Again, when serving wine, she summoned the Crown Prince while standing (following the note in the Nihon Shoki). In the ninth month of the second year of Emperor Ninken, the empress, fearing the discourtesy she had once shown, took her own life (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Ninken]

Empress Kasuga-no-Ōiratsume

¶Empress Kasuga-no-Ōiratsume, consort of Emperor Ninken, was also called Princess Takahashi (Note: the alternative name follows the note in the Nihon Shoki). She was a daughter of Emperor Yūryaku. When the emperor was still crown prince, he took her as his consort. In the second month of the first year she was installed as empress. She bore Princess Takahashi-no-Ōiratsume, Empress Asazuma, Empress Tashiraka, Princess Kusuhi, Empress Tachibana-no-Naka, Emperor Buretsu, and Princess Mawaka (following the Nihon Shoki).

Araki-mi-no-Iratsume

¶Araki-mi-no-Iratsume was a daughter of Wani-no-Hitsume (Note: one variant recorded in a note to the Nihon Shoki gives her as Ōarako-no-Iratsume, a daughter of Wani-no-Hifure). She was chosen to enter the inner palace and bore Empress Kasuga-no-Yamada (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Buretsu]

Empress Kasuga-no-Iratsume

¶Empress Kasuga-no-Iratsume, consort of Emperor Buretsu: her father is not known in detail. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she was installed as empress (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Keitai]

Empress Tashiraka

¶Empress Tashiraka, consort of Emperor Keitai, was a daughter of Emperor Ninken. Her mother was Empress Kasuga-no-Ōiratsume. In the second month of the first year of the emperor's reign, the Ōmuraji Ōtomo-no-Kanamura memorialized: "I have heard that when former sovereigns governed the world, unless the protective screen of the realm was firm they could not pacify all under heaven, and unless the inner palace were properly instructed they could not carry on the imperial line. Formerly, Emperor Shiraka (Emperor Seinei) had no heir, and he left a charge to my grandfather Muroya that in each province three kinds of Shirakabe, the Shiraka Clan Corporations, should be established, so that his name be preserved to later ages. I beg that Your Majesty take Princess Tashiraka as empress, send the Jingihaku and others to pray for the prosperity of the imperial line, and so answer the wishes of the people." The emperor accepted this counsel. In the third month she was installed as empress. She bore Emperor Kinmei. When Emperor Kinmei took the throne, she was honored with the title of Grand Empress Dowager (Kōtaigō) (following the Nihon Shoki). After her death she was buried at Fusumada in Yamanobe District of Yamato (following the Engishiki).

Menoko-hime

¶Menoko-hime, a consort, also called Shikobe, was a daughter of Owari-no-Kusaka. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Emperor Ankan and Emperor Senka (following the Nihon Shoki).

Wakako-hime

¶Wakako-hime, a consort, was a younger sister of Mio-no-Tsunoori-no-Kimi. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Prince Ōiratsuko and Princess Izumo (following the Nihon Shoki).

Hiro-hime

¶Hiro-hime, a consort (Note: the Kojiki gives her as Kuro-hime), was a daughter of Prince Sakata-no-Ōmata. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Princess Kamusaki, Princess Mamuta, and Princess Umakuta (following the Nihon Shoki).

Oumi-no-Iratsume

¶Oumi-no-Iratsume, a consort, was a daughter of Prince Okinaga-no-Mate. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Princess Sasage (following the Nihon Shoki).

Seki-hime

¶Seki-hime, a consort, was a daughter of Mamuta-no-Omochi (Note: one variant in this work writes the character for "daughter" as "younger sister"). In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Princess Mamuta-no-Ōiratsume, Princess Shirasaka-no-Ikuhi-hime, and Princess Ono-no-Wakairatsume (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Kojiki makes no mention of Seki-hime, gives the two princesses Shirasaka and Ono as children born to Kuro-hime, and does not record the two princesses Umakuta and Mamuta-no-Ōiratsume).

Yamato-hime

¶Yamato-hime, a consort, was a daughter of Mio-no-Katahi (Note: the Kojiki gives her as a younger sister). In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Princess Ōiratsuko, Prince Maroko, Prince Mimi, and Princess Akahi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Hae-hime

¶Hae-hime, a consort, was a daughter of Wani-no-Kawachi (Note: for Wani, the Kojiki gives Abe). In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Princess Wakaaya-hime, Princess Tsubura-no-Iratsume, and Prince Atsu (following the Nihon Shoki).

Hiro-hime

¶Hiro-hime, a consort, was a daughter of Prince Ne. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Prince Usagi and Prince Naka (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Ankan]

Empress Kasuga-no-Yamada

¶Empress Kasuga-no-Yamada, consort of Emperor Ankan, was a daughter of Emperor Ninken (following the Nihon Shoki). She was first called Princess Yamada-no-Ōiratsume, and also Princess Akami (following the note in the Nihon Shoki). When the emperor was still crown prince, he took her as his consort. One day, when the empress had not come out of her chamber though the sun was high, the emperor found this strange and went in to see; the empress was lying on her bed, weeping. When he asked the reason, she answered: "Even birds and insects build nests in trees and dig holes in the earth, and love and protect their young. That a human being should have no child is the greatest of sorrows. Now the Crown Prince has as yet no heir, and my name will pass away without trace. How can I help but grieve?" The emperor was moved by this and reported it to Emperor Keitai; by imperial edict the Sofu no Miyake, the Sofu imperial estate, was granted, so that the consort's name might be made known to later ages. In the third month of the first year of his reign she was installed as empress. In the fourth month, Kashiwade-no-Ōmaro, the Naizen-no-kami (Master of the Palace Table), acting on an imperial order, sent a messenger to Ijimi to seek pearls. But Wakugo and others, the Ijimi no Kuni-no-miyatsuko, were late in coming to the capital and did not present the pearls by the appointed time. Ōmaro sought to arrest and punish them. Wakugo and his men, in fear, fled and hid in the empress's palace. They even entered the inner sleeping quarters, and the empress, seeing them, was startled and ran out, stumbling and falling to the ground. Wakugo and the others apologized repeatedly for having entered without leave, and begged to present the Ijimi no Miyake, the Ijimi imperial estate, to the empress in atonement for their offense. In this way the Ijimi no Miyake was established. In the seventh month, an edict sent envoys to choose good fields and establish a miyake for the empress. When Emperor Senka died, Emperor Kinmei ordered the ministers to ask the empress to decide matters of state, but the empress declined and would not comply. When she died, she was jointly interred with the emperor at the Takaya no Okanoe no Misasagi at Furuichi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Sade-hime

¶Sade-hime, a consort, was a daughter of the Ōomi Kose-no-Ohito. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. In the tenth month she was granted the Ohari-da no Miyake and the tabe, field-tillers, of the various provinces (following the Nihon Shoki).

Kakari-hime

¶Kakari-hime, a consort, was a younger sister of Sade-hime. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. In the tenth month she was granted the Sakurai no Miyake (Note: one variant recorded in a note to this work says that the Chinuyama no Miyake was granted in addition), and the tabe of the various provinces (following the Nihon Shoki).

Yaka-hime

¶Yaka-hime, a consort, was a daughter of the Ōmuraji Mononobe-no-Itabi. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. In the tenth month she was granted the Naniwa no Miyake and the kuwayobora, hoe-bearing laborers, of the various districts (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Senka]

Empress Tachibana-no-Naka

¶Empress Tachibana-no-Naka, consort of Emperor Senka (Note: the Ninken chronicle in this work gives her as Princess Tachibana. The Senka chronicle, as well as the Kojiki and the Kōin Shōunroku, all have the character "naka." That is followed here), was a daughter of Emperor Ninken. Her mother was Empress Kasuga-no-Ōiratsume. When the emperor was still a prince, he took her as his consort. In the third month of the first year she was installed as empress. She bore Empress Ishi-hime, Princess Oishi-hime, Princess Kura-no-Wakaaya-hime, and Prince Kamitsu-ueha. After her death she was jointly interred at the Tsukisaka-no-ue no Misasagi at Musa (following the Nihon Shoki).

Ōshikōchi-no-Wakako-hime

¶Ōshikōchi-no-Wakako-hime, a consort, bore Prince Honō (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Kinmei]

Empress Ishi-hime

¶Empress Ishi-hime, consort of Emperor Kinmei, was a daughter of Emperor Senka. The emperor first took her as his principal consort, and upon his accession installed her as empress. She bore Prince Yata-no-Tamakatsu-no-Ōe, Emperor Bidatsu, and Princess Kasanui. When Emperor Bidatsu took the throne, she was honored with the title of Grand Empress Dowager (following the Nihon Shoki).

Kura-no-Wakaaya-hime

¶Kura-no-Wakaaya-hime, a consort, was a younger sister of the empress by the same mother. In the third month of the second year of the emperor's reign she entered the palace. She bore Prince Isonokami (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Kojiki states that he took Oishi-hime, a younger sister of Empress Ishi-hime, and she bore Prince Isonokami; it contains no statement that Kura-no-Wakaaya-hime bore Prince Isonokami).

Princess Hikage

¶Princess Hikage, a consort, was likewise a younger sister of the empress by the same mother. In the third month of the second year of the emperor's reign she entered the palace. She bore Prince Kura (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Kojiki states that Arako bore Prince Kura, and makes no mention of Princess Hikage).

Kitashi-hime

¶Kitashi-hime, a consort, was a daughter of the Ōomi Soga-no-Inume. In the third month of the second year of the emperor's reign she entered the palace. She bore Emperor Yōmei, Princess Iwakuma, Prince Atori, Empress Suiko, Prince Maroko, Princess Ōyake, Prince Isonokamibe, Prince Yamashiro, Princess Ōtomo, Prince Sakurai, Princess Katano, Prince Tachibana-moto-no-Waka, and Princess Toneri. Later she became Kōtaifujin, Grand Empress Dowager, and died (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi gives her as empress). In the second month of the twentieth year of Empress Suiko, she was reburied at the Hinokuma no Ōmisasagi. Princes, ministers, and others delivered eulogies (shinobigoto) in the Karu crossroads, and Abe-no-Tori delivered one on the imperial command. The funerary goods offered, mēki (spirit-vessels), mei-i (funerary garments), and the like, amounted in all to fifteen thousand kinds. The princes also delivered eulogies in order of precedence (following the Nihon Shoki).

Oane-no-Kimi

¶Oane-no-Kimi, a consort, was a younger sister of Kitashi-hime by the same mother (Note: the Kojiki gives her as an aunt of Kitashi-hime). She bore Prince Umaraki, Prince Katsuragi, Empress Anahobe-no-Hashihito, Prince Hashibe-no-Anahobe, and Emperor Sushun (following the Nihon Shoki).

Arako

¶Arako, a consort, was a daughter of Kasuga-no-Hitsuma-no-Omi. In the third month of the second year of the emperor's reign she entered the palace. She bore Princess Kasuga-no-Yamada and Prince Tachibana-no-Maro (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Ninken chronicle in this work states that Arakimi-no-Iratsume, a daughter of Wani-no-Hitsuma, a palace attendant, bore Princess Kasuga-no-Yamada. This is similar to the present account, and it seems that one or the other must be in error).

¶[Emperor Bidatsu]

Empress Hiro-hime

¶Empress Hiro-hime, consort of Emperor Bidatsu, was a daughter of Prince Okinaga-no-Mate. In the first month of the fourth year of the emperor's reign she was installed as empress. In the eleventh month she died. She bore Prince Oshisaka-no-Hikohito-no-Ōe, Princess Sakanobori, and Princess Uji-no-Shitsukai (following the Nihon Shoki).

Empress Nukatabe

¶Empress Nukatabe was a daughter of Emperor Kinmei. In the third month of the fifth year of the emperor's reign she was installed as empress. She bore Princess Uji-no-Kaitako, Prince Takeda, Princess Ohari-da, Princess Unomori, Prince Owari, Princess Tamae, and Princess Sakurai-no-Yumihari. When Emperor Sushun died, she herself took the throne. This was Empress Suiko (following the Nihon Shoki).

Omina-gimi

¶Omina-gimi, a Bunin (consort of the second rank), also called Kusuri-gimi-no-Iratsume, was a daughter of Kasuga-no-Naka-tsu-kimi. In the first month of the fourth year of the emperor's reign he took her as Bunin. She bore Prince Naniwa, Prince Kasuga, Princess Kuwata, and Prince Ōmata (following the Nihon Shoki).

Unako

¶Unako, a Bunin, was a daughter of Ōka-no-Okuma of Ise. She first served as an uneme and was summoned by the emperor. She bore Princess Futohime and Princess Nukatehime. In the first month of the fourth year she became Bunin (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Yōmei]

Empress Anahobe-no-Hashihito

¶Empress Anahobe-no-Hashihito, consort of Emperor Yōmei (Note: the Kinmei chronicle in this work gives her as Princess Anahobe. The inscription on the Shaka Buddha in the Golden Hall of Hōryūji calls her Kizen no Ōkisaki, the Great Queen Kizen), was a daughter of Emperor Kinmei (following the Nihon Shoki). In the second month of the thirty-first year of Emperor Kinmei, the emperor (Yōmei) took her as his consort (following the Shōtoku Taishi Denryaku). Upon his accession he installed her as empress. She bore Prince Umayado (Prince Shōtoku), Prince Kume, Prince Eguri, and Prince Mamuta (following the Nihon Shoki). She died in the twelfth month of the twenty-ninth year of Empress Suiko (following the inscription on the Shaka Buddha in the Golden Hall of Hōryūji).

Ishikina

¶Ishikina, a Hin (consort of the third rank) (Note: the Kojiki gives her as Ōtashi-hime), was a daughter of the Ōomi Soga-no-Inume. In the first month of the first year of the emperor's reign she entered the palace as Hin. She bore Prince Tame (following the Nihon Shoki).

Hiroko

¶Hiroko was a daughter of Katsuragi-no-Iwamura (Note: the Teiō Hennenki treats Hiroko as a consort, but the Consorts section of the Ruijū Kokushi does not record her, so this account is not adopted here). She bore Prince Maroko and Princess Sukatehime (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Kojiki states that a woman named Iime-no-ko, a daughter of Tagima-no-Kura-no-Obito-Hiro, bore Prince Tagima and Sugashitsuko-no-Iratsume. On consideration, Prince Tagima is Prince Maroko, and Sugashitsuko-no-Iratsume is Princess Sukatehime).

¶[Emperor Sushun]

Kodeko

¶Kodeko, a consort of Emperor Sushun, was a daughter of Ōtomo-no-Nukate. In the third month of the first year of the emperor's reign she became a consort. She bore Prince Hachi-no-ko and Princess Nishikide (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that Futsu-hime, a daughter of Mononobe-no-Okoshi, became a Bunin of Emperor Sushun and took part in the government of the court. It also says that Futsu-hime married her half-brother Isonokami-no-Niego and bore four children. This account is doubtful and is also not recorded in this work, so it is not adopted here).

¶[Emperor Jomei]

Empress Takara

¶Empress Takara, consort of Emperor Jomei, was a daughter of Prince Chinu. In the first month of the second year of the emperor's reign she was installed as empress. She bore Emperor Tenji, Empress Hashihito, and Emperor Tenmu. When Emperor Jomei died, she herself took the throne. This was Empress Kōgyoku (following the Nihon Shoki).

Hohote-no-Iratsume

¶Hohote-no-Iratsume, a Bunin, was a daughter of the Ōomi Soga-no-Umako. She bore Prince Furuhito (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: both the Kōin Shōunroku and the Teiō Hennenki state that this Bunin further bore Princess Fushiki. These two works also state that Kakushi-no-Iratsume, also called Sasanami-no-Iratsume, a daughter of Awata-no-Suzuko, became Bunin and bore Princess Oshisaka-no-Nishikima. The Kōin Shōunroku and the Ichidai Yōki state that Tasuki-no-Iratsume, a daughter of Soga-no-Emishi, became Bunin and bore Princess Yata. None of these is recorded in the Nihon Shoki, so they are not adopted here).

Kaya-no-Uneme

¶Kaya-no-Uneme (Note: the Ichidai Yōki gives her as Aneko-hime, a Hin, but it is not known on what basis) bore Prince Kaya (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Kōtoku]

Empress Hashihito

¶Empress Hashihito, consort of Emperor Kōtoku, was a daughter of Emperor Jomei. In the seventh month of the first year of Taika she was installed as empress. In the fourth year of Hakuchi (653), the Crown Prince (Prince Naka-no-Ōe) petitioned to move the capital back to the Yamato capital, but this was not granted. The Crown Prince himself escorted the Sumeo-ya-no-mikoto (Empress Kōgyoku) and the empress to the temporary palace at Asuka Kawabe, where they took up residence. In the second month of the year Kinoto-ushi (665) in the reign of Emperor Tenji, she died. Three hundred and thirty persons were ordained as monks (do) on her behalf. In the year Hinoto-u (667), she was jointly interred with Empress Saimei at the Ochi no Okanoe no Misasagi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Otarashi-hime

¶Otarashi-hime, a consort, was a daughter of the Minister of the Left, Abe-no-Kurahashi-maro. She bore Prince Arima (following the Nihon Shoki).

Chi-no-Iratsume

¶Chi-no-Iratsume, a consort, was a daughter of the Minister of the Right, Soga-no-Kurayamada-no-Ishikawa-maro (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Tenji]

Empress Yamato-hime-no-Ōkimi

¶Empress Yamato-hime-no-Ōkimi, consort of Emperor Tenji, was a daughter of Prince Furuhito. When the emperor took the throne, she was installed as empress (following the Nihon Shoki).

Ochi-no-Iratsume

¶Ochi-no-Iratsume, a Hin, also called Miyatsuko-hime (Note: a note in this work says that she was also called Mino-no-Tsuko-no-Iratsume), was a daughter of the Minister of the Right, Soga-no-Kurayamada-no-Ishikawa-maro. She bore Princess Ōta, Empress Jitō, and Prince Takeru (Note: a note in this work records one variant that Ochi-no-Iratsume bore, in order, Prince Takeru, Princess Ōta, and Princess Uno (Empress Jitō), differing from the order in the main text. Another account says that Chinu-no-Iratsume, a daughter of Soga-no-Yamada-maro, bore Princess Ōta and Princess Sarara). In the fifth year of Taika, Ishikawa-maro took his own life following a slander. The emperor had Mononobe-no-Futata-no-Shio cut off his head. The Hin, hearing of it, was overcome with grief and sorrow, and from then on shrank from uttering the word "shio" (salt). Those who attended her avoided it, calling the eating of salt "kitashi" instead. Ochi-no-Iratsume at last died of grief (following the Nihon Shoki).

Mei-no-Iratsume

¶Mei-no-Iratsume, a Hin (Note: a note in this work says that she was also called Sakurai-hime, and that the Shoku Nihongi gives her as the Soga no Hin), was a younger sister of Ochi-no-Iratsume. She bore Princess Minabe and Empress Genmei (following the Nihon Shoki. Note: according to the Kōgyoku chronicle of this work, when Emperor Tenji (then Prince Naka-no-Ōe) plotted to kill Soga-no-Iruka, he sought an alliance by marriage with Ishikawa-maro in order to gain his cooperation, and was to take Ishikawa-maro's eldest daughter as his consort. But on the very day she was to come to court, the eldest daughter was carried off by Musa, a member of her own kin, and Ishikawa-maro was distressed and fearful. A young girl (the second daughter) then offered to take her sister's place. Ishikawa-maro gladly agreed. This young girl is probably one of the two Hin, but it can no longer be established which).

Tachibana-no-Iratsume

¶Tachibana-no-Iratsume, a Hin, was a daughter of the Minister of the Left, Abe-no-Kurahashi-maro. She bore Princess Asuka and Princess Niitabe (following the Nihon Shoki).

Hitachi-no-Iratsume

¶Hitachi-no-Iratsume, a Hin, was a daughter of the Minister of the Left, Soga-no-Akae. She bore Princess Yamabe (following the Nihon Shoki).

Shikobuko-no-Iratsume

¶Shikobuko-no-Iratsume was a daughter of Oshinumi-no-Otatsu. She bore Princess Ōe, Prince Kawashima, and Princess Izumi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Kurohime-no-Iratsume

¶Kurohime-no-Iratsume was a daughter of Kurikuma-no-Tokomaro. She bore Princess Minushi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Koshi-no-Michi-no-Kimi-Iratsume

¶Koshi-no-Michi-no-Kimi-Iratsume bore Prince Shiki, later honored as Emperor Kasuga-no-Miya (following the Nihon Shoki).

Yakako-no-Iratsume

¶Yakako-no-Iratsume was an uneme from Iga. She bore Prince Ōtomo (Emperor Kōbun) (following the Nihon Shoki).

¶[Emperor Kōbun (Prince Ōtomo)]

Princess Tōchi

¶Princess Tōchi, consort of Emperor Kōbun (Prince Ōtomo), was a daughter of Emperor Tenmu (following the Nihon Shoki). She bore Prince Kadono (following the Kaifūsō). When the emperor (Kōbun) levied troops, the princess wrote a letter and sent word of it to Yoshino (following the Mizukagami and the Gukanshō). In the fourth month of the sixth year of Tenmu (677), she died. She was buried at Ako (following the Nihon Shoki).

Mimomo-no-Toji

¶Mimomo-no-Toji was a daughter of the Naidaijin (Inner Minister), Fujiwara-no-Kamatari (following the Kōin Shōunroku). When the emperor (Prince Ōtomo) was still a prince, Kamatari petitioned and presented her to him (following the Kaifūsō). She bore Princess Ichishi (following the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶[Emperor Tenmu]

Empress Uno

¶Empress Uno, consort of Emperor Tenmu, was a daughter of Emperor Tenji. When the emperor was still a prince, he took her as his principal consort. She bore Prince Kusakabe, later honored as Emperor Oka-no-Miya. In the first year of the emperor's reign she was installed as empress. When the emperor died, she succeeded to her husband's position. This was Empress Jitō (following the Nihon Shoki).

Princess Ōta

¶Princess Ōta, a consort, was a daughter of Emperor Tenji. When the emperor was still a prince, he took her as his consort. She bore Princess Ōku and Prince Ōtsu. After her death she was buried before the Ochi no Okanoe no Misasagi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Princess Ōe

¶Princess Ōe, a consort, was a daughter of Emperor Tenji. She bore Prince Naga and Prince Yuge (following the Nihon Shoki). She was granted the rank of Jōkōni (Senior Rank, Second Grade). In the twelfth month of the third year of Emperor Monmu (699), she died (following the Shoku Nihongi).

Princess Niitabe

¶Princess Niitabe, a consort, was a daughter of Emperor Tenji. She bore Prince Toneri, later honored as Emperor Sudō Jinkei (following the Nihon Shoki). In the ninth month of the third year of Emperor Monmu (699), she died (following the Shoku Nihongi).

Hikami-no-Iratsume

¶Hikami-no-Iratsume, a Bunin, was a daughter of the Naidaijin Fujiwara-no-Kamatari. She bore Princess Tajima. In the first month of the tenth year of the emperor's reign (681), she died. She was buried at Ako (following the Nihon Shoki).

Ioe-no-Iratsume

¶Ioe-no-Iratsume, a Bunin, was a younger sister of Hikami-no-Iratsume. She bore Prince Niitabe (following the Nihon Shoki).

Ōnu-no-Iratsume

¶Ōnu-no-Iratsume, a Bunin, was a daughter of the Minister of the Left, Soga-no-Akae. She bore Prince Hozumi, Princess Ki, and Princess Tagata (following the Nihon Shoki). She was raised to the Senior Third Rank and granted an additional one hundred households as fief. In the seventh month of the first year of Jinki (724), she died. By imperial command, envoys were sent to oversee the funeral. An edict was proclaimed at her residence conferring posthumously the Senior Second Rank, and funerary gifts were bestowed (following the Shoku Nihongi).

Princess Nukata

¶Princess Nukata was a daughter of Prince Kagami, and bore Princess Tōchi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Amako-no-Iratsume

¶Amako-no-Iratsume was a daughter of Munakata-no-Tokuzen. She bore Prince Takechi (following the Nihon Shoki).

Kaji-no-Iratsume

¶Kaji-no-Iratsume (Note: this work writes the character kaji with a different graph, but the Ruijū Kokushi is followed here) was a daughter of Shishihito-no-Ōmaro. She bore Prince Oshikabe, Prince Shiki, Princess Hatsusebe, and Princess Taki (following the Nihon Shoki).