Imperial Consorts VI

Princess Kishi

¶Emperor Suzaku's Nyōgo, Consort, Princess Kishi, was a daughter of Crown Prince Mongen (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Chūyūki's entry for the fifth year of Daiji). She was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In the seventh year of Jōhei (937) she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). In the fourth year of Tenryaku (950) she bore Imperial Princess Shōshi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Chūyūki's entry for the fifth year of Daiji; the Tenryaku fourth-year date follows the Ruijū Fusenshō). She was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). Soon afterwards she died and was called the Ō-Nyōgo, the Princess Consort (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari. The year of Kishi's death is not clear. Imperial Princess Shōshi died in the first year of Chōhō (999) at the age of fifty, which would place her birth in the fourth year of Tenryaku. Yet this text says Kishi died when Shōshi was three years old; reckoning from that, Kishi would seem to have died in the sixth year of Tenryaku (952), but as there is no other clear evidence, this view is not adopted).

Fujiwara-no-Keishi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Keishi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Saneyori, Dajō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki). She was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In the fourth year of Tengyō (941) she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki), and in the tenth month of the fifth year of Tenryaku (951) she died (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Rishi-ō-ki).

¶[Emperor Murakami]

Empress Fujiwara (Anshi)

¶Emperor Murakami's Empress Fujiwara was named Anshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Morosuke, Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami). She was taken into the household while the emperor was still an Imperial Prince. When he was Crown Prince (as the heir who was the emperor's younger brother), she received Junior Fifth Rank Upper as the Crown Prince's consort. When the emperor ascended the throne she became Nyōgo and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower, and after repeated promotions reached Junior Third Rank. In the fourth year of Tenryaku (950) she was advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Murakami Gyoki as quoted in the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the fourth month of the first year of Tentoku (957) a banquet was held at the Higyōsha to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of her father Morosuke. The emperor himself attended, enjoyed the music, and bestowed gifts on each guest according to his station (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the tenth month of the second year (958) she became Empress (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Murakami Gyoki as quoted in the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the fourth year (960), on account of mourning for her father, she withdrew to live in the residence of her elder brother Koretada (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the fourth month of the first year of Kōhō (964) she gave birth to Senshi at the Tonomoryō, the Palace Grounds Office. A few days later she died, at the age of thirty-eight (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Murakami Gyoki as quoted in the Ōkagami Uragaki. The Fusō Ryakki gives thirty-five, which is mistaken). She was buried in the southeastern fields of Otagi district (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku; one account in this text places it to the northwest of Kagura-ga-oka), and the tomb was called Naka-Uji-no-misasagi. A memorial service on the anniversary of her death was established at Saiji temple, and she was included among those to whom the Nusaki offerings were made (Note: following the Gōke Shidai). The Empress bore Emperor Reizei, Emperor Enyū, Imperial Prince Tamehira, Imperial Princess Shōshi, Imperial Princess Fushi, Imperial Princess Shishi, and Imperial Princess Senshi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Ōkagami, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Chūyūki's entry for the fifth year of Daiji). At first the Empress bore only daughters and had no son. Morosuke prayed to the deity of Kashima, and before long Emperor Reizei was born (Note: following the Kujō-dono-ki as quoted in the entry for the seventh year of Chōgen in the Sakeiki). When Emperor Reizei ascended the throne, Fujiwara-no-Moriko, of Junior Third Rank, the Empress's mother, was posthumously granted Senior First Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku), and the Empress was honored retroactively as Empress Dowager. When Emperor Enyū received the abdication and took the throne, she was posthumously granted the title of Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki).

¶The Empress was exceedingly generous toward her brothers and understood well the feelings of others, so the consorts, the court ladies, and the women of the household all won her goodwill. When she died, the court and the country alike mourned and lamented her. The emperor often asked her about affairs of government, and she worked diligently to correct and support him, relieving the people's sufferings and fulfilling their wishes. The emperor in turn held her in awe, and there was nothing she said that he did not follow. By nature, however, she was rather jealous. Once the Nyōgo Fujiwara-no-Hōshi newly won the emperor's favor and lived in the Higyōsha, adjoining the Kokiden where the Empress lived. The Empress made a hole in the wall and peeped at Hōshi, and found her appearance beyond compare in its beauty. Her jealousy blazed all the more fiercely, and she broke pieces of earthenware and hurled them through the hole. The emperor happened to see this and was greatly angered; thinking that the Empress's brothers had made her do it, he rebuked Koretada and the others and sent them back to their own residences. The Empress was filled with resentment and rage, went to the emperor, and begged him to forgive Koretada and the others. The emperor refused and tried to leave, but the Empress caught hold of his robe and held him back, and the emperor had no choice but to yield. After the Empress died, the emperor's favor toward Hōshi also faded; thinking of the Empress, he is said to have deeply regretted how coldly he had treated her (Note: following the Ōkagami).

Fujiwara-no-Nobuko

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Nobuko was the second daughter of Fujiwara-no-Saneyori, Dajō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku; the Ichidai Yōki and the Rekidai Kōki call her the third daughter). She was taken into the household while the emperor was still Crown Prince, and became Nyōgo when he ascended the throne (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Tenryaku (947) she conceived, but fell ill with smallpox and miscarried, and she died at the Higashi-Sanjō mansion at the age of fifteen (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She was called the Kokiden Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku; the Sonpi Bunmyaku calls her the Shijō Miyasundokoro). At her funeral an envoy was sent and she was posthumously granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki).

Princess Kishi (Yoshiko)

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Princess Kishi was a daughter of Prince Shigeakira, Shikibu-kyō, Minister of Ceremonial (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Saigū-ki). In the sixth year of Jōhei (936) she became Saiō, High Priestess of Ise, and in the eighth year of Tengyō (945), meeting with mourning for her mother, she left the office (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the first year of Tenryaku (947) she entered the inner palace (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Ōkagami Uragaki), and in the third year (949) she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). In the fifth year (951) she was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower, and in the second year of Ōwa (962) she was advanced to Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). She bore Imperial Princess Kishi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and also one imperial son, who died young (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the first year of Kanna (985) she died, at the age of fifty-seven (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was called the Saigū-no-Nyōgo, the Ise Priestess Consort (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Kōin Shōunroku), and also the Jōkyōden Nyōgo (Note: following the Ōkagami). The Princess excelled especially at waka poetry (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). Once, when she was living at her villa in Nagaoka, the emperor sent her a poem as a kind inquiry, and the Princess answered with a poem in reply. People of the time whispered, "Might she not have designs on the rank of Empress?" Ashamed, the Princess is said to have scraped away and discarded the draft (Note: following the Jikkinshō).

Princess Sōshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Princess Sōshi was a daughter of Prince Yoakira, Nakatsukasa-kyō, Minister of Central Affairs (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). She was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper and in the fourth year of Tenryaku (950) became Nyōgo (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). She bore Imperial Prince Tomohira and Imperial Princess Rakushi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). When the emperor died she became a nun, and in the seventh month of the fifth year of Kankō (1008) she died (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). She was seventy-eight years old (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). She was called the Reikeiden Nyōgo (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Fujiwara-no-Hōshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Hōshi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Morotada, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the second year of Tentoku (958) she became Nyōgo. She bore Imperial Prince Masahira and Imperial Prince Nagahira (Note: following the Kōin Keizu and the Ichidai Yōki). Her appearance was beyond compare in its radiance, and her hair was so thick and long that when she rode in a carriage it still trailed beneath the pillar of the blinds (Note: following the Ōkagami). While she was still at her parents' house she had studied the koto and calligraphy and had committed the Kokinshū to memory. The emperor tested her himself, using go stones as counters, and had her recite the whole collection; she made not a single error, and the emperor was greatly impressed (Note: following the Ōkagami; the Makura no Sōshi was also consulted). The emperor played the sō, the thirteen-stringed koto, with great skill, and Hōshi mastered every detail of his technique (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year (959) she was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kyūreki), and later advanced to Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). The emperor favored her deeply, and for this she was envied by the Empress (Anshi). In her later years his favor waned somewhat (Note: following the Ōkagami). In the seventh month of the fourth year of Kōhō (967) she died (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Sankaiki's entry for the second year of Jishō). She was called the Senyōden Nyōgo (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Makura no Sōshi).

Minamoto-no-Kazuko

¶The Kōi, Lady of the Wardrobe, Minamoto-no-Kazuko was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Koreakira, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). She was possessed of considerable talent and discernment. One day the emperor composed a poem. It was a riddle in hidden words, and he put it before the court ladies to test them, but none could solve it (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Jikkinshō). Some even assumed they were being summoned and came to him in full dress. Only Kazuko grasped its meaning, and she presented the emperor with kun'ekō, incense for perfuming robes. The emperor praised her quick wit (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Jikkinshō. Uraki observes that the poem, which speaks of the barrier at Ōsaka where travelers come and go and says that whoever comes seeking will not be sent back, hides its meaning in the first and last syllables of each line, which read "blend a little incense"). Kazuko urged the emperor to have Minamoto-no-Shitagō and others read the Man'yōshū aloud and explain it (Note: following the Jikkinshō). She bore Imperial Princess Rishi and Imperial Princess Seishi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Eiga Monogatari). She was called the Hirohata Miyasundokoro (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Jikkinshō, and the Kōin Keizu. The Hōbutsushū says that she later married Fujiwara-no-Akimitsu, Sadaijin, but according to the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu, it was Seishi who married Akimitsu).

Fujiwara-no-Sukehime

¶The Kōi, Lady of the Wardrobe, Fujiwara-no-Sukehime was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Motokata, Dainagon, Major Counsellor (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Kōin Keizu; the Kōin Shōunroku writes Sukehime as "Motoko"). She became Kōi (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kōin Shōunroku; the Eiga Monogatari calls her sometimes Nyōgo and sometimes Miyasundokoro). She bore Imperial Prince Hirohira (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Eiga Monogatari) and Imperial Princess Shūshi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). At that time the emperor had no heir yet, and when Prince Hirohira was born Sukehime and Motokata secretly rejoiced, believing this prince would become Crown Prince. But before long Emperor Reizei was born and was soon installed in the Eastern Palace. Father and daughter were utterly dismayed, and Motokata at last died in grief (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). People said that Emperor Reizei's affliction of madness, Emperor Kazan's entering the religious life, and Emperor Sanjō's loss of sight were all the curse of Motokata (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki). When the emperor died, Sukehime became a nun (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

Fujiwara-no-Masahi

¶The Kōi, Lady of the Wardrobe, Fujiwara-no-Masahi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Arihira, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). She was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She bore Imperial Prince Munehira, Imperial Prince Akihira, and Imperial Princess Yasuko (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Kōin Keizu, and the Eiga Monogatari). Masahi had not originally received any special favor, but because she had many children, the emperor's kindness toward her never faded from first to last (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the seventh month of the fourth year of Kōhō (967) she died (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She was called the Azechi Miyasundokoro (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Fujiwara-no-Tōshi

¶The Naishi-no-kami, Principal Handmaid, Fujiwara-no-Tōshi was a full younger sister of the Empress (Anshi) (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). At first she was the second wife of Prince Shigeakira, the emperor's elder brother, and through the Empress's connection she came and went in the palace. The emperor saw her, felt drawn to her, and asked the Empress to arrange matters, and the two became intimate. At first the Empress concealed this (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Ōkagami). Later the emperor summoned Tōshi to the palace again and again, and the Empress gradually grew displeased. When Prince Shigeakira died, the emperor was secretly glad and wished to take her in, but held back out of consideration for the Empress. Barely a month after the Empress died, the emperor was sending Tōshi letter after letter. Tōshi, wary of what the world would say, would not obey the summons, but the emperor commanded Koretada and the others to press her, and ordered the Kura-ryō, the Bureau of the Treasury, to supply the expenses. At last she was brought into the Tōkaden and favored exclusively. The other consorts and ladies almost never appeared before the emperor. The court ladies who had served the Empress and Prince Shigeakira all felt resentment and anger, and whispered, "The death of the Empress and the death of the Prince were caused by her curses." The emperor was constantly at play with Tōshi, so that he would not leave the bedchamber even at midday. He had governed his reign admirably, but at this time affairs of state fell into considerable neglect, and the court and country lamented it. Fujiwara-no-Saneyori sighed and said, "His Majesty's virtue was worthy of being handed down to later ages, yet it has been marred by this. What a pity." The emperor wished to make Tōshi Empress, but because she had borne children before, he could not formally install her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). When Emperor Enyū received the abdication and took the throne, she was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: the Nihon Kiryaku gives Junior Fifth Rank Upper, but here the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Ichidai Yōki are followed) and became Naishi-no-kami (Note: the Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari say she became Naishi-no-kami during Emperor Murakami's lifetime, but here the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki are followed). In the first year of Tenroku (970) she was granted Junior Third Rank, and in the first year of Ten'en (973) she was advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the third year (975) she died (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was called the Jōganden Naishi-no-kami (Note: following the Ōkagami. The genealogy in the Eiga Monogatari says she was called the Tōkaden Naishi-no-kami; which is correct cannot be known).

¶[Emperor Reizei]

Empress Shōshi

¶Emperor Reizei's Empress was named Shōshi and was a daughter of Emperor Suzaku (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the fourth year of Tenryaku (950) she became an Imperial Princess, at the age of one (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō). In the first year of Ōwa (961), she held the kōrei, the coming-of-age ceremony of the hairpin, at the Jōkyōden and was granted Third Order. The emperor wrote the rank certificate with his own hand and bestowed it on her (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She had lost her mother when very young and was Emperor Suzaku's only daughter, so his love for her was exceptionally deep and he constantly wished to see her installed as Empress. For an imperial princess to be made Empress had no precedent in recent times (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). But Emperor Suzaku had no son, so he longed to hand his line down at least through his daughter, and as he lay dying he composed a poem pouring out his feelings (Note: following the Ōkagami). Emperor Murakami knew of this. When the Crown Prince (Emperor Reizei) came of age, every family wished to send a daughter into the palace, but Emperor Murakami issued a special edict that Shōshi should be the one to enter (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). When Emperor Reizei ascended the throne, she was installed as Empress (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Eiga Monogatari). The emperor suffered from a disorder of the mind, and the Empress often withdrew to live in a separate palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Ten'en (973) she became Empress Dowager (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Kanna (985) the Empress Dowager built the Kannon-in on Mount Hiei and went there herself to hold its dedication service (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki; Mount Hiei is according to the Ryakki). In the second year (986) she became Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). In the twelfth month of the first year of Chōhō (999) she died at the Sanjō residence of Tachibana-no-Michisada, Gon-no-daijō, Provisional Senior Secretary (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She was fifty years old (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Fusō Ryakki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki; the Nihon Kiryaku gives fifty-five, which is mistaken). She was called the Sanjō Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and also the Kannon-in Empress Dowager (Note: following the Chūyūki's entry for the second year of Daiji). She wrote out her own testament, giving detailed instructions for all that followed and ordering that everything be done in simplicity and frugality. She was buried at the Kannon-in (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Fusō Ryakki).

Empress Fujiwara (Kaishi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Kaishi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Koretada, Dajō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ōkagami, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Anna (968) she entered the palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the fourth year of Kōhō (967) she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki) and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the second year of Ten'en (974) she was advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the fourth month of the third year (975) she died, at the age of thirty-one (Note: the Nihon Kiryaku gives thirty, but here the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Rekidai Kōki are followed). She bore Emperor Kazan, Imperial Princess Sōshi, and Imperial Princess Sonshi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Kōin Shōunroku). When Emperor Kazan ascended the throne, she was honored retroactively as Empress Dowager, and her memorial services and tomb were all conducted according to the old precedents (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Chūyūki's entry for the second year of Kajō). When the Empress died, Emperor Kazan was still very young, and the Empress's mother, Princess Keishi, raised him with the utmost devotion. When Emperor Kazan ascended the throne, he issued this edict: "When Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, Zang'er, his maternal grandmother, received a fief; this is a custom of the remote past and a fine precedent recorded in earlier histories. My maternal grandmother, of the royal house, Princess Keishi, has kept the rites in her heart and shown the model of a woman's conduct. In my childhood I lost my mother early, but my grandmother looked on me as her own child. I have not yet repaid my debt to her as I would to a parent of my own flesh. I therefore grant her three hundred households of land, together with the annual nomination of rank, one third of the posts at court and in the provinces, and other favors, as a modest provision for her livelihood, to extend as well to those who serve her" (Note: following the Honchō Monzui).

Empress Fujiwara (Chōshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Chōshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kaneie, Kanpaku, Regent (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Eiga Monogatari, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Anna (968) she entered the palace and became Mikushige-dono, the Keeper of the Wardrobe (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places her entry into the palace after Emperor Kazan's abdication, which is mistaken). She became Nyōgo at the same time as her aunt Fushi (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki; the Nihon Kiryaku gives Junior Fourth Rank Upper). At that time Kaneie was still only Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, and a daughter's becoming Nyōgo before her father had entered the ranks of the kugyō began with this case (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). She bore Emperor Sanjō, Imperial Prince Tametaka, Imperial Prince Atsumichi, and Imperial Princess Mitsuko (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). In the first month of the fifth year of Tengen (982), her brothers had gathered to keep the vigil of the Kōshin night, and the Nyōgo, leaning on an armrest, fell asleep; the dawn came and she did not wake, and when they went to look she had already stopped breathing (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). From then on this family did not let its women keep the Kōshin vigil (Note: following the Kojidan). When Emperor Sanjō ascended the throne, she was honored retroactively as Empress Dowager (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Chūyūki's entry for the second year of Kajō), and he issued an edict saying: "The teaching of the Supreme Virtue and Essential Way speaks of the long transmission of the way of filial piety. The words on which the Three Commentaries agree lie in honoring a mother's virtue. Truly I know that nothing in the foundation of benevolence and righteousness is greater than filial piety. Alas, how sorrowful. My late mother was parted from me, from her tender love, while I was still a child. I listened with grief to the tales of the aged, and only when I grew up did I come to know that sorrow, and I feel keenly the thoughts of days gone by. The years have grown old, yet my longing is ever new. In former days she did not live to assist the realm from within the palace, but now, among the pines of her tomb, I would let the dignity of the pepper-scented chambers of an empress be changed. Therefore I make Fujiwara, my birth mother, Empress Dowager. Her memorial services and tomb shall all follow the old precedents" (Note: following the Shōyūki).

Fujiwara-no-Fushi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Fushi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Morosuke, Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki). She was a full younger sister of Murakami's Empress (Anshi) (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). While the emperor was still in the Eastern Palace she was taken into his household as Miyasundokoro (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the first year of Anna (968) she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku) and advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the fifth year of Tengen (982) she became Naishi-no-kami and rose to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). During the Kanna era she reached Senior Third Rank. In the first year of Eiso (989) she became a nun (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki).

¶[Emperor Enyū]

Empress Fujiwara (Kōshi)

¶Emperor Enyū's Empress Fujiwara was named Kōshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kanemichi, Kanpaku, Regent (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the first year of Ten'en (973) she entered the palace (Note: the Eiga Monogatari gives the second year of Tenroku, but here the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki are followed) and soon became Nyōgo (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In the seventh month she was installed as Empress (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Chūyūki's entry for the fifth year of Daiji). In the sixth month of the second year of Tengen (979) she died at the Horikawa-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ichidai Yōki). She was thirty-three years old (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was called the Horikawa Chūgū, the Horikawa Empress Consort. As a small child she was not loved by her father. Grieving over this, she once went on foot to the Inari shrine and made her prayer. Later, when Kanemichi wished to send a daughter into the palace, there was no daughter older than she, and so it is said that she came to be chosen (Note: following the Ōkagami).

Empress Fujiwara (Junshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Junshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yoritada, Kanpaku, Regent (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Tengen (978) she was summoned into the inner palace (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki; the Eiga Monogatari gives the second year of Tengen, which is mistaken). She was permitted to ride in a palanquin as though she were a Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki), lived in the Jōkyōden (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku), and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Chūyūki's entry for the fifth year of Daiji). In intelligence and appearance the Empress did not match Higashi-Sanjō-in (Fujiwara-no-Senshi), but the emperor, for Yoritada's sake, lavished special favor on her. When the Horikawa Chūgū (Kōshi) died, Yoritada hoped that Junshi would be raised to the rank of Empress. But she had no child, and moreover Higashi-Sanjō-in had just borne Emperor Ichijō, so for fear of what the world would say he could not bring himself to ask. The emperor, by nature gentle and deeply kind, wished to please Yoritada and said, "Umetsubo (Fujiwara-no-Senshi) has a child, so in due course she will surely receive her proper title naturally. Let us first install the daughter of Lord Yoritada" (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the third month of the fifth year (982) she was installed as Empress (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki) and was called Chūgū (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Chūyūki's entry for the fifth year of Daiji). People of the time, because she had no children, called her the "Subara-no-kisaki," the Barren Empress (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Shōryaku (990), when the Chūgū (Fujiwara-no-Senshi) was installed as Empress, her title was changed to Kōgō (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki). In the third year of Chōtoku (997) she took the precepts and became a nun (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki; the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki place it in the fourth year). In the second year of Chōhō (1000) she became Empress Dowager (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki). When Emperor Sanjō ascended the throne, she became Grand Empress Dowager. In the sixth month of the first year of Kannin (1017) she died, at the age of sixty-one (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was called the Shijō-no-miya (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Fusō Ryakki. The Kijo-shō says she was called the Tōhokuin, but as this appears nowhere else it is not adopted). By her testament, the wearing of mourning dress and the rite of wailing were suspended. She was buried at Hannyaji (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

Empress Fujiwara (Senshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Senshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kaneie, Kanpaku, Regent (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Nyōin Shōden). In the first year of Tengen (978) she entered the Gyōkasha (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places this before Junshi's entry into the palace, but here the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki are followed). She was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki) and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). Naturally candid and docile, she enjoyed the greatest favor. The emperor, for the sake of the Kanpaku Yoritada, treated the Shijō Chūgū (Junshi) with respect, but his heart always leaned toward Senshi. In the third year (980) she withdrew to Kaneie's residence and gave birth to Emperor Ichijō. The emperor wished to visit her himself but, out of regard for Yoritada, could not. At that time the rear palace had no Empress, and Kaneie reasoned that because Senshi had a child she would surely be installed. But when the Shijō Chūgū was installed, Kaneie was greatly displeased. The emperor summoned Senshi again and again, but Kaneie had her decline. In the fifth year (982), on the day of Emperor Ichijō's chakko, the ceremony of first donning hakama, Senshi entered the palace for the first time, and left three days later. In the end, throughout the reign of Emperor Enyū, Senshi was never able to attain the formal rank of Empress (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the second year of Kanna (986) she was advanced to Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). When Emperor Ichijō ascended the throne she was honored as Empress Dowager (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Eiga Monogatari). Once, when the Shijō Chūgū was installed and, with the ceremony fully prepared, entered the palace, her younger brother Kintō accompanied her. As the procession passed in front of Kaneie's Higashi-Sanjō mansion, Kintō reined in his horse and said, "When will the Nyōgo of this house ever take part in such a ceremony?" Senshi and Kaneie heard this and bore a grudge. Later, on the day Senshi received the title of Empress Dowager and entered the palace, Kintō happened to be in attendance, and the Ben-no-Naishi called out to him from her carriage, "How is the Barren Empress these days?" Kintō was deeply ashamed and is said to have lost heart (Note: following the Ōkagami). In the first month of the first year of Eien (987), Emperor Ichijō visited his mother at the Higashi-Sanjō mansion and granted ranks to the officers of her household and to the stewards of Kaneie's house (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the second month, by imperial edict, Senshi's mother Tokihime was posthumously granted Senior First Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). Once, when Tokihime was young, she went out to Nijō Avenue to divine her future fortunes and listened to the words of passersby, and an old woman said to Tokihime, "Your daughter will surely prosper and come to renown, and there is nothing she will not accomplish. Like this avenue, she will flourish broad and long." It is said that it turned out just as she had said (Note: following the Ōkagami). When Emperor Ichijō was still young, at the Gokei, the rite of purification, and on visits to Iwashimizu and Kamo, the Empress Dowager always rode in the same carriage with him (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari). In the second year of Shōryaku (991), when she fell ill, Emperor Ichijō visited her himself. She cut her hair, the Empress Dowager's Household Office was abolished, and she took the name Higashi-Sanjō-in, but her annual nominations of officials and ranks and her fief households were kept as before (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places this in the third year, but here the Fusō Ryakki and the Nihon Kiryaku are followed). That she was ranked equal to a Retired Emperor and called Nyōin, Lady of the Retired Court, began here (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Gukanshō). Revered as mother of the realm, the Empress was honored beyond all comparison; her brothers all served at court, and much of government was decided by her will. Just when the Kanpaku Michikane died, she wished Dainagon Michinaga to succeed to the post. The emperor would not agree, and the Empress, weeping, said, "What an aged mother says is for the sake of the country and of Your Majesty, yet you will not accept it. From now on, your mother will say nothing more about government." The emperor had no choice but to yield. The Empress at once summoned Minamoto-no-Toshikata, Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, had him convey the edict, and had the Nairan, the order to examine documents before the throne, sent down to Michinaga (Note: following the Gukanshō). In the third year of Chōtoku (997) the Empress again fell ill. The emperor proclaimed a general amnesty throughout the realm to pray for her recovery (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). The Empress built the Jitokuji, and when it was completed in the eighth month of the first year of Chōhō (999), it was celebrated on the model of the Gosaie, the Imperial Assembly (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Hyakuren-shō). She also built the Gedatsuji on Mount Hiei (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the tenth month of the third year (1001), the emperor, together with the Chūgū, made a procession to Michinaga's Jōtōmon mansion, held a banquet to celebrate the Empress's fortieth birthday, and had the various temples pray for her long life. In the intercalary twelfth month the Empress's illness grew grave (Note: the Nihon Kiryaku says the Empress cut her hair and became a nun, but since the Kiryaku's entry for the second year of Shōryaku already records that she became a nun, this is not adopted here). It was proposed to summon physicians to attend her, but she would not consent. The emperor was greatly distressed, offered every kind of prayer, and proclaimed a general amnesty. Because a vengeful spirit was said to be at work, she was moved to the residence of Fujiwara-no-Yukinari (Note: the Eiga Monogatari says she was moved to the house of Taira-no-Koremasa). Soon afterward she died, at the age of forty (Note: the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari were consulted; the Ōkagami Uragaki gives forty-one as her age at death, which is mistaken). She was buried at Toribeno. By her testament, no memorial anniversary service and no tomb were to be established, and the wearing of mourning dress and the rite of wailing were also suspended (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). The emperor was grievously saddened, so that water would not pass his throat, and himself copied Buddhist sutras to pray for her repose (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). On each anniversary of her death, the Hokke Hakkō, the eight-part lecture on the Lotus Sutra, was held at the Jitokuji (Note: following the Nenjū Gyōji).

Imperial Princess Sonshi

¶Imperial Princess Sonshi was the second daughter of Emperor Reizei. In the fourth year of Kōhō (967) she became an Imperial Princess (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Anna (968) she became the Saiin, High Priestess of Kamo, and in the third year of Ten'en (975), meeting with mourning for her mother (Kaishi), she left the office (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Saiin-ki). In the third year of Tengen (980) she was summoned into the Reikeiden (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Saiin-ki). She was then fifteen years old (Note: following the Honchō Monzui; the Eiga Monogatari places her entry into the palace before the second year of Jōgen, which is mistaken). Before long there was a fire in the palace, and the world called Sonshi the "Hi-no-miya," the Princess of Fire (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari). In the fourth year (981) she was granted Second Order (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Saiin-ki). In the fifth year (982) she cut her own hair. The circumstances were kept secret and none knew the reason (Note: following the Shōyūki; a note in this text says she was the Jōkyōden Nyōgo, but this appears nowhere else and the view is not clear). In the first year of Kanna (985) she took the precepts and became a nun (Note: following the Honchō Monzui). In the fifth month she died, at the age of twenty (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Saiin-ki).

¶[Emperor Kazan]

Fujiwara-no-Shishi

¶Emperor Kazan's Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Shishi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Tamemitsu, Dajō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami; various books write "Shi" with a different character, but here the Sonpi Bunmyaku is followed). In the second year of Eikan (984) she entered the inner palace (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places Shishi's entry later than the other Nyōgo, but here the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki are followed). She became Nyōgo and lived in the Kokiden (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari), and her favor was the greatest in the rear palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). By custom a Nyōgo could not conduct suhō, esoteric Buddhist rites, within the palace, but Shishi alone was specially permitted to have them performed in the Keihōbō (Note: following the Shōyūki). The other Nyōgo all envied her, and spoke together in secret, saying, "Such favor we have never heard of since ancient times. Good fortune like this cannot last long." Before long Shishi conceived, and when the third month had passed, it was the time by custom to withdraw from the palace, but the emperor could not bear to let her go. In the fifth month she at last withdrew to Tamemitsu's residence, but she fell ill and could not eat, and grew thinner each day. Messengers from the emperor came one after another and did not cease through the night; if any was late in reporting, his name was struck from the Tenjō register. He also assigned many monks to perform suhō and pray for her. Whenever rare fruit was presented, he always sent it to Shishi. The emperor still could not give up his longing and called her into the palace, and constantly lay beside her, at times not even eating. After keeping her for eight days, he let Tamemitsu take her away at the latter's urgent request. Her illness grew worse and worse, and the emperor himself fell into disorder in his daily life because of it (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the seventh month of the first year of Kanna (985) she died before giving birth (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was called the Kokiden Nyōgo (Note: following the Shōyūki). She was specially posthumously granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). On this account the Sumai no Sechie, the sumo festival, was suspended (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). From then on the emperor devoted himself to the Buddhist Law and came deeply to loathe worldly ties, so that the consorts rarely came into his presence (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). He kept Shishi's letters safe and never let them out of his keeping. Even when he left the palace to enter the religious life at Kazanji, he happened to forget them, and went back midway to fetch them. Such, it is said, was the depth of his infatuation (Note: following the Ōkagami).

Fujiwara-no-Yōshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Yōshi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Asateru, Sakonoe-no-taishō, General of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the second year of Eikan (984) she entered the palace and lived in the Reikeiden (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Ōkagami Uragaki; the Eiga Monogatari places this in the first year of Kanna, which is mistaken). She became Nyōgo (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Ichidai Yōki) and was called the Horikawa Nyōgo (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Asateru had inherited every keepsake and rare furnishing of his father Kanemichi and of the Horikawa Chūgū (Kōshi) and kept them stored in his house, so Yōshi's trousseau was extremely rich (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). Having entered the palace, she monopolized the emperor's favor for only about a month, and after that was wholly neglected. Yōshi, unable to settle her mind, withdrew from the palace and returned to her father's house, and the emperor in the end never even asked after her (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari). Asateru was deeply ashamed and did not dare to appear at court. At that time, within the palace, those who envied her favor secretly plotted, so that the emperor could not pass through the watadono, the covered corridors, and Yōshi in turn could not come into his presence. For this reason, it is said, she at last had to leave the palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Fujiwara-no-Shishi (Yoritada's Daughter)

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Shishi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yoritada, Kanpaku, Regent, and a full younger sister of the Shijō Chūgū (Junshi) (Note: following the Ōkagami). In the second year of Eikan (984) she entered and lived in the Jōkyōden (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Eiga Monogatari; the Jōkyōden is according to the Shōyūki). She became Nyōgo on the same day as Yōshi (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Ichidai Yōki; the Nihon Kiryaku places this in the first year of Kanna, which is mistaken). On account of Yoritada, her glory surpassed that of others. Yoritada, too, used to say, "The one who rises to the rank of Empress will surely be my daughter." The emperor was fickle by nature, and no consort who won his favor kept it for long, but Shishi alone, though she received no special favor, had his kindness unchanged from first to last (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). After Emperor Kazan abdicated, Shishi lived together with the Chūgū at the Shijō-no-miya. In the sixth month of the eighth year of Chōgen (1035) she died (Note: following the Sakeiki).

Princess Enshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Princess Enshi (Note: the Ōkagami Uragaki calls her Princess Kyōshi, but here the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku are followed) was a daughter of Imperial Prince Tamehira (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Kanna (985) she entered the palace and became Nyōgo (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places Enshi's entry before Yōshi's, but here the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki are followed). At first she was greatly favored, but before long she was neglected. When Shishi died, the emperor wished to summon Enshi again, but she pretended illness and did not dare to come (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). After Emperor Kazan abdicated, she married Fujiwara-no-Sanesuke (Note: following the Ōkagami). In the seventh month of the fourth year of Chōtoku (998) she died (Note: the Nihon Kiryaku gives the ninth month, but here the Shōyūki's entry for the seventh month of the first year of Chōhō is followed). She was twenty-seven (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

Taira-no-Heishi

¶Taira-no-Heishi was a daughter of Sukettada, Wakasa-no-kami, Governor of Wakasa. Her mother was called Nakatsukasa and was a daughter of the emperor's wet nurse. Emperor Kazan gradually wearied of religious practice, left Kazanji, took up residence at the Tōin, and summoned Nakatsukasa and lay with her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). She bore Imperial Prince Kiyohito (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and two imperial princesses (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). He also lay with Heishi, who bore Imperial Prince Akitoshi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and two imperial princesses. For this reason people called Prince Kiyohito the "Hahabara-no-miya," the Prince of the Mother's Womb, and Prince Akitoshi the "Mebara-no-miya," the Prince of the Daughter's Womb. As he lay dying the emperor said, "I do not wish to die alone. Before long I shall surely take my daughters with me." Nakatsukasa and Heishi were both distressed and fearful. That year, it is said, the princesses all died young in succession (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶[Emperor Ichijō]

Empress Fujiwara (Teishi)

¶Emperor Ichijō's Empress Fujiwara was named Teishi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Michitaka, Kanpaku, Regent (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the first year of Shōryaku (990) she entered the palace and soon became Nyōgo (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Ichidai Yōki). The Empress was then fifteen, four years older than the emperor (Note: the Eiga Monogatari makes her sixteen, and the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Ichidai Yōki make her fourteen, but here, reckoning back from the year of her death, the Ōkagami is followed). In the tenth month she was installed as Chūgū (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Gekki Nikki, the Fusō Ryakki, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Kugyō Bunin. The Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari both give the first day of the sixth month as the day of her installation, but probably the edict had already been issued by then, and it was because of the death of her father Kaneie that the formal installation took place only in the tenth month). The Empress's mother, of the Takashina clan, came from a family of low standing and had gone through many experiences in palace service. The Empress followed her example and treated those below her with humility. At that time Michitaka held power, and no household of the kugyō sent a daughter into the palace, so the Empress monopolized the emperor's favor. In the spring of the second year of Chōtoku (996) she conceived (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and withdrew to the Nijō mansion (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the fourth month her elder brother Korechika and her brother Takaie were convicted of crimes and sent into exile. The Empress was deeply grieved and troubled (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the fifth month she cut her hair with her own hands and became a nun. In the sixth month the Nijō mansion burned, and to escape it she moved to the residence of Takashina-no-Akinobu, Master of the Right Capital Office (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). Soon she moved to the residence of Taira-no-Koremasa, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the twelfth month she bore Imperial Princess Shūshi (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari). When the emperor heard of this, he secretly sent the Ukon-no-Naishi to see how she fared. The emperor longed to see the princess and repeatedly commanded the Empress to come into the palace, but the Empress would not obey the edict. The Empress's maternal grandfather, Takashina-no-Naritada, urged her, saying, "I have had an auspicious dream. You must enter the palace at once." In the sixth month of the third year (997) the Empress took the princess and went to live in the Shiki-no-zōshi. The emperor still thought this too far away and had her moved to another hall. He went there every night, and his favor was unchanged from before (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Chōhō (999) the Empress conceived again. In the eighth month she left the palace and moved to the residence of Taira-no-Narimasa, former Governor of Tajima. The Empress's uncle Michinaga had been on bad terms with the Empress's father and brother from the start. On this day Michinaga deliberately invited the assembled ministers to go on an outing at his residence in Uji, so that when the Empress's palanquin was to set out there was no one to attend it, and she was delayed for some time. Such was the humiliation she suffered (Note: following the Shōyūki). In the eleventh month she bore Imperial Prince Atsuyasu (Note: the Eiga Monogatari says that in the sixth month of the third year of Chōtoku the Empress entered the palace and conceived, withdrew two months later, and bore Atsuyasu in the third month of the fourth year, and that on this account Korechika and Takaie were pardoned, but this does not fit when one reckons back from the year of Atsuyasu's death. Here the Shōyūki and the Nihon Kiryaku are followed). At that time the emperor had no heir yet; he was overjoyed and wished to see the child, but out of regard for Michinaga could not (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the second year (1000), Jōtōmon-in (Fujiwara-no-Shōshi) was installed as Chūgū, and the Empress's title was changed to Kōgō (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, the Ichidai Yōki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). Just when the Chūgū had withdrawn to Michinaga's residence, the emperor, taking advantage of her absence, wished to summon Prince Atsuyasu to see him. The Chūgū and Michinaga both encouraged this. The emperor was delighted and summoned the Empress and her two children into the palace. The Empress said, "Once I withdrew and had no intention of entering the palace. But now I have answered the edict only because I wished to come once into the light of day and entrust this prince to you," and her words were deeply sorrowful. The emperor consoled her. Before long the Empress conceived again (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and withdrew to the residence of Taira-no-Narimasa (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku), but she fell ill from melancholy. Korechika was distressed, had suhō performed, and sought help, but the eminent monks of the day all feared Michinaga and none would come (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the twelfth month she bore Imperial Princess Bishi. A few days later she died, at the age of twenty-five (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She was buried at Toribeno (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). During her illness the Empress composed poems to express her feelings, and also wrote out instructions for what should follow and tied them to a kichō, a curtain-stand. Korechika carried out the funeral in accordance with her wishes (Note: the Konjaku Monogatari, the Jikkinshō, and the Eiga Monogatari were consulted). The Empress's maternal younger sister was called Mikushige-dono, and the Empress had entrusted the raising of Prince Atsuyasu to her. After the Empress's death, Mikushige-dono took the prince into the palace, received the emperor's favor, and conceived. Korechika and Takaie secretly rejoiced and prayed for her good fortune, but she died before giving birth (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Chūgū Fujiwara (Shōshi)

¶The Chūgū Fujiwara was named Shōshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Michinaga, Sesshō, Regent (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Ichidai Yōki). The Empress was beautiful in appearance, plump and radiant, her glow like that of a ground-cherry, and her hair was longer than her height by some two shaku. Michinaga cherished her and constantly wished that her station might become exalted (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Chōhō (999) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki) and entered the palace and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Ichidai Yōki). She lived in the Higyōsha, and her several dozen attendants had all been chosen for the talents and beauty of their day. Her furnishings and objects of delight were rare and exquisite in the extreme, and the world called her the "Radiant Fujitsubo." The emperor looked at her booklets, at the paintings of Kose-no-Hirotaka, and at the calligraphy of Fujiwara-no-Yukinari, and said playfully, "Such splendid things melt men's hearts. I shall be tempted to neglect my duties." The Empress was then twelve. The emperor said, "The Nyōgo is still so young, and I am like an old man; I am embarrassed even before myself." When the emperor played the flute, the attendants all gathered to watch, but the Empress alone did not. The emperor asked, "Why does the Nyōgo not watch?" She answered, "A flute is only to be listened to. Why must one watch?" Such was her quick wit, and the depth of his favor was the greatest in the rear palace. Higashi-Sanjō-in (Senshi) also favored her especially. In the second month of the second year (1000) she withdrew to Michinaga's Tsuchimikado mansion (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). She was installed as Chūgū (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Ichidai Yōki; the Eiga Monogatari gives the third month for her installation, which is mistaken) and entered and lived in the Higyōsha (Note: the Ryakki says that on the twenty-third day of the seventh month the Chūgū moved from the Tsuchimikado mansion to the Horikawa mansion of Minamoto-no-Noritada and lived in the Higyōsha, but as the circumstances before and after are unclear, this is not adopted). In the fifth year of Kankō (1008) she conceived and withdrew to the Tsuchimikado mansion. In the ninth month she bore Emperor Go-Ichijō. In the tenth month the emperor made a procession to the mansion, and music was played and the banquet was lavish (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). Ranks were granted to the Empress's mother, of the Minamoto clan, to her brothers Yorimichi and Norimichi, and to the officials of the Chūgū's Household and the stewards of Michinaga's house (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). Michinaga once boasted, "In having the Empress as my child I have nothing to be ashamed of. In having me as her father, I suppose the Empress too has nothing to be dissatisfied about. And so the Empress's mother has obtained a good husband, which is also an honor." (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the eleventh month the Empress entered the palace together with Emperor Go-Ichijō. In the twelfth month of the following year she gave birth to Emperor Go-Suzaku at the Tsuchimikado mansion (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari). Earlier, when the Empress (Teishi) died, the emperor had entrusted Prince Atsuyasu to the Chūgū to be raised. In the eighth year (1011) the emperor abdicated in favor of Emperor Sanjō and made Emperor Go-Ichijō Crown Prince. The Empress had known from the start that the emperor's heart was with Prince Atsuyasu, but for fear of Michinaga had said nothing. Divining his wishes, she secretly said to Michinaga, "The prince is the elder, so it would be fitting to make him Crown Prince. His Majesty's thoughts must surely have reached this as well; to discard one and install the other is surely to rely on the strength of maternal relatives. To deal with this now, the prince should be installed first. The Crown Prince is still young, and if heaven wills it, it will not be too late later." Michinaga replied, "I understand well. But since it has already been settled in His Majesty's mind, there can be no argument now about right and wrong. I too am old and have little time left, and my earnest wish, this old man's, is to look up in my own lifetime on the glory of the emperor's reign." The Empress said nothing more. The Empress had entered the palace more than ten years before; his favor was deep and intimate, and there was not the slightest suspicion between them. When the emperor died, she grieved and mourned deeply, withdrew to the Biwadono, and cherished and raised Prince Atsuyasu and Imperial Princess Shūshi, and her kindness toward them never waned (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the second month of the first year of Chōwa (1012) she became Empress Dowager (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Imakagami, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Kannin (1017), the Crown Prince resigned his position, and Michinaga, intending to make Emperor Go-Suzaku Crown Prince, consulted her secretly. The Empress Dowager said, "In the past, the reason the Shikibukyō-no-miya (Prince Atsuyasu) was not installed was the wish of the late emperor (Ichijō), and it could not be opposed. Now is the time to put that prince forward. Then the late emperor's intention would be fulfilled and the prince's feelings satisfied." Michinaga answered, "The Shikibukyō-no-miya is wise, but he has no support from maternal relatives," and the matter finally came to nothing (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first month of the second year (1018) she became Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Imakagami, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the twelfth month Prince Atsuyasu died. The Empress was deeply grieved and sent funeral gifts to help with the mourning (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year of Manju (1026) she cut her hair and took the precepts, and her Dharma name was Seijōkaku. She was given the title Jōtōmon-in (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Imakagami, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Nyōin Shōden), and the Nyōin title of "in" began from this (Note: following the Imakagami, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Nyōin Shōden). The officials of the Grand Empress Dowager's Household were made the Bettō, Hōgandai, and Sakandai of the In, and her annual nominations of officials, annual nominations of rank, fief households, seasonal garments, and meals from the Imperial Kitchen were all kept as before (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Sakeiki). In the fourth year of Chōgen (1031) the Empress made a pilgrimage to Iwashimizu, and further to the Sumiyoshi shrine and Tennōji; the Kanpaku and ministers below him attended her, and the ceremonial guards, carriages, horses, and attire reached the utmost splendor (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year of Chōryaku (1039) she became a nun and took the precepts again from the monk Myōson (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Ōkagami Uragaki). Earlier she had built a hall in the northeast corner of the Hōjōji and called it the Tōhokuin. In the first year of Chōkyū (1040) Emperor Go-Suzaku visited the Empress at the Tōhokuin (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the second year of Kantoku (1045) the emperor died. The Empress suffered great grief and, wishing to live in seclusion, moved to Yorimichi's Shirakawa villa and gave the Kyōgoku mansion to the Chūgū. After Emperor Go-Reizei took the throne, the reverence shown her did not wane, and visits from court officials came without cease. But the villa was remote and strange things happened there, and the Empress and her attendants fell ill and some died. Yorimichi repeatedly asked her to move elsewhere, but she would not listen. After a time she became frequently ill and moved to the Shijō residence of a certain Mimasaka-no-kami, Governor of Mimasaka (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the fifth year of Eishō (1050) the emperor first visited the Empress at the Tōhokuin. He granted fief households and ranks to the monk Myōson of the Hōjōji and others. In the seventh year (1052), while she was living at the Rokujō-in, she fell unwell. The emperor visited and inquired after her and proclaimed a general amnesty (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). After this she mostly lived at the Tōhokuin and was called the Ō-Nyōin, the Great Lady of the Retired Court, to distinguish her from Yōmeimon-in and Nijō-in (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the tenth month of the first year of Jōhō (1074) she died in the Amida hall of the Hōjōji. She was eighty-seven (Note: the Nyōin Shōden gives eighty-six, and the Tamefusa-ki, which it cites, gives eighty-five, but here, reckoning the sexagenary year of her birth, the Fusō Ryakki, the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Kojidan are followed). She was cremated at the Ōtani Hon-in (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Ōkagami Uragaki). Through the reigns of successive emperors the Empress was revered as mother, and she had both good fortune and long life together. In later ages, when people speak of consorts who were exalted and prosperous, they name Shōshi as the foremost (Note: following the Shasekishū).

Fujiwara-no-Gishi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Gishi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kinsue, Dajō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the second year of Chōtoku (996) she entered the inner palace (Note: the Eiga Monogatari says it was the winter of the first year, after Motoko's entry, but here the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki are followed) and soon became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). In the second year of Chōhō (1000) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki), and in the second year of Kankō (1005) she was advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Hōjōji Sesshōki and the Ichidai Yōki). In the third year of Manju (1026) she became a nun (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). In the intercalary seventh month of the first year of Tengi (1053) she died, at the age of eighty (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki; the year of her death was reckoned back from this text's statement that she became a nun at fifty-three). She was called the Kokiden Nyōgo (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Hōjōji Sesshōki).

Fujiwara-no-Motoko

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Motoko was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Akimitsu, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the second year of Chōtoku (996) she entered and lived in the Jōkyōden (Note: the Eiga Monogatari gives the winter of the first year, but here the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki are followed) and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki). She was called the Jōkyōden Nyōgo (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Hōjōji Sesshōki). Akimitsu had long meant to send his daughter into the palace but had been unable to because of the Empress (Teishi). When Michitaka died, Korechika was demoted, and the Empress left the palace, Gishi entered the palace, and Motoko too was among those chosen. Having entered, she received favor. At that time the emperor had no heir yet, and Higashi-Sanjō-in always said, "I shall honor only the one who bears a prince." In the winter of the third year, Motoko suffered a swelling of the belly, was thought to be with child, and withdrew to Akimitsu's residence; but when she passed in front of the Kokiden in her palanquin, the women inside the hall pushed aside the blinds and crowded to watch, and through the blinds her belly could be seen swollen. Her attendant saw this and said, "Only the blinds are pregnant," and the onlookers were astonished and appalled. Motoko went back to her father's house, but passed the expected month without giving birth. Akimitsu had Motoko go in person to Kōryūji to pray and shut herself in for several days, and she came to a state as if the birth were near. But before long only water came out and she recovered, and Motoko was greatly ashamed and never entered the palace again. The world made a song of it and mocked her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the second year of Chōhō (1000) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Hōjōji Sesshōki and the Ōkagami Uragaki; the Ichidai Yōki gives the third year of Chōtoku, which is mistaken), and in the second year of Kankō (1005) she was advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Hōjōji Sesshōki, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki). After the emperor died, she had a secret affair with Minamoto-no-Yorisada, Sangi, Counsellor (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ichidai Yōki). Akimitsu was furious and himself cut Motoko's hair and drove her out. Motoko took refuge at the house of the monk Jissei, the son of her wet nurse. Yorisada came often, and in the end Motoko let her hair grow again and bore children (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Fujiwara-no-Sonshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Sonshi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Michikane, Kanpaku, Regent. Michikane had a secret liaison with the emperor's wet nurse, Fujiwara-no-Shigeko, and she bore Sonshi (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ichidai Yōki). She was not loved by Michikane and grew up relying on her mother's family. After Michikane died, Shigeko asked to send Sonshi into the palace, and Michinaga helped with the preparations (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the fourth year of Chōtoku (998) she entered the palace (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places this in the second year, but here the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki are followed) and became Mikushige-dono no Bettō. In the fifth year (999) she was granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki), and in the second year of Chōhō (1000) she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). In the first year of Kankō (1004) she was advanced to Junior Fourth Rank Upper, and in the second year (1005) she became Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Ichidai Yōki). In the seventh year (1010) she became Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). After the emperor died she became the wife of Fujiwara-no-Michitō, Ōkura-kyō, Minister of the Treasury (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Ōkagami).