Imperial Consorts VII

Empress Fujiwara (Kenshi)

¶Emperor Sanjō's Empress, of the Fujiwara clan, was named Kenshi. She was the second daughter of the Regent Fujiwara-no-Michinaga and a younger sister, by the same mother, of Jōtōmon'in (Shōshi) (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Kankō (1004) she was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower and became Naishi-no-kami, Principal Handmaid (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). Soon afterwards she was raised to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki), and in the seventh year of Kankō she advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). At this time the emperor was still Crown Prince, and he took Kenshi into his household (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Imakagami, and the Ichidai Yōki. The Eiga Monogatari places this in the sixth year of Kankō, which is mistaken. Moreover, the Nihon Kiryaku carries a doubled entry on Kenshi's entry into the palace under both the third and the seventh years of Kankō; the third-year entry reads "she entered the Crown Prince's household," and the seventh-year entry reads "she first entered the Crown Prince's household." The third-year entry probably records that the day of her entry had been privately fixed, but since its meaning is unclear it is not adopted here).

¶The Empress was beautiful, and her hair was longer than her own height. Michinaga spent some ten years preparing her robes and furnishings, and their splendor surpassed that of the ceremony for Jōtōmon'in's entry into the palace. Before this, the Lady of the Senyōden (Seishi) had held the emperor's favor entirely to herself, but once Kenshi entered the palace the emperor's heart gradually shifted, and he always came to her quarters (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the eighth year of Kankō (1011), when the emperor ascended the throne, she became Nyōgo, Consort (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). At that time the installation of a Chūgū had not yet been settled, and all manner of rumors flew about the world. The emperor sent a waka to the Lady of the Senyōden, confiding that the installation was not going as he wished. He wanted to make Kenshi Empress and repeatedly urged Michinaga to this effect, but Michinaga memorialized: "The Lady of the Senyōden has borne many princes, and she ought to be installed first. As for my own daughter, I beg Your Majesty to wait a little." The emperor was displeased. Michinaga then memorialized again and hastened the issuing of the edict (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the second month of the first year of Chōwa (1012), Kenshi was installed as Chūgū (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). It is said that messengers from the emperor came without cease (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the seventh month of the second year of Chōwa she gave birth to Yōmeimon'in (Imperial Princess Teishi) (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari. Uraki observes that Yōmeimon'in's personal name was Teishi). In the first month of the following year the Empress returned to the palace (Note: the Eiga Monogatari places this in the eleventh month of the second year of Chōwa, but the Nihon Kiryaku is followed here). A little more than a month later a fire broke out in the palace, and the Empress took refuge together with the emperor at the Asadokoro of the Daijōkan (Note: the Eiga Monogatari says she took refuge in the Matsushita-no-zōshi, but the Nihon Kiryaku is followed here); afterwards she moved to the Kyōgoku residence. In the fourth year of Chōwa, when the Imperial Palace was newly rebuilt, the emperor moved into it, but the Empress did not follow him, and later moved to the Ichijō-in. After that she moved to the Biwa residence, but when the Biwa residence was struck by fire, the Empress moved together with the emperor to the Takakura residence, and before long to the Sanjō-in. When the emperor died, the Empress withdrew to the Ichijō residence (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the tenth month of the second year of Kannin (1018) she became Empress Dowager (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the second year of Chian she moved to the Biwa-dono. In the third month of the fourth year of Manju (1027) she fell ill. It happened that Yōmeimon'in was about to enter the palace at that time, and the Empress Dowager, attending to the matter despite her illness, grew still worse (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the ninth month she cut off her hair and became a nun, and died that same day (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari). She was thirty-four (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). She was cremated at Maeno, before Ōmine-ji temple (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku), and her remains were laid to rest at Kowata (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). The world called her "the Biwa Empress Dowager" (Note: following the Imakagami, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Tsurezuregusa). By her testament, the wearing of mourning dress, the ceremony of wailing, and the institutions of the state anniversary and the imperial tomb were all suspended (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

Empress Fujiwara (Seishi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Seishi. She was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Nariyoshi, Dainagon, Major Counsellor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). Emperor Murakami had once taught the sō (the thirteen-string zither) to Nariyoshi, and Seishi received it from him and mastered its secret pieces. When the emperor (Emperor Sanjō) was still Crown Prince, a certain monk was constantly coming and going at the palace; one night he spoke of Seishi, the Prince's heart was moved, and he had the monk convey his wishes. Nariyoshi accepted with great joy. In the second year of Shōryaku she entered the Crown Prince's household and took up residence in the Senyōden (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). She was nineteen at the time. She bore Koichijō-in, Imperial Prince Atsunori, Imperial Prince Atsuhira, Imperial Prince Moroakira, Imperial Princess Tōshi, and Imperial Princess Teishi (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶When the Chūgū (Fujiwara-no-Shōshi) entered the palace, Seishi said to her ladies-in-waiting: "That the course of the world would come to this, I knew well from the start. There is nothing to be surprised at now. I shall only raise my children and turn to the Buddha's Way. Even so, when I think of my children's future, I cannot help but worry" (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶When the emperor ascended the throne she was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku) and became Nyōgo, Consort (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki). She was called the Lady of the Senyōden (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari) and also the Lady of Horikawa (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki).

¶In the second month of the first year of Chōwa, the Chūgū (Kenshi) was installed. The emperor further wished to install Seishi as Empress, but hesitated to say so out of regard for Michinaga. Seishi herself stepped aside and showed no sign of resentment. When Michinaga urged the emperor to install her, the emperor said: "Of late there has been no precedent of a Dainagon's daughter becoming Empress. Would it not invite criticism in the world?" Michinaga replied: "It is only a matter of conferring posthumous office and rank on Nariyoshi. What hindrance could there be?" The emperor approved, and sent an envoy to Nariyoshi's grave to confer on him the posthumous title of Daijō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fourth month Seishi was installed as Empress (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, the Eiga Monogatari, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). Michinaga urged the installation on the emperor under pressure of public criticism, not from his true heart. On that day most of the kugyō, from the ministers downward, were gathered at the Chūgū's (Kenshi's) residence, and though the emperor sent a messenger to summon them, not one of them came. The emperor was angry but could do nothing (Note: following the Shōyūki). Even when the Office of the Empress's Household was established, all avoided it and would not take posts in it. Seishi was deeply dissatisfied, and the emperor pitied her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fifth year of Chōwa the emperor abdicated in favor of Emperor Go-Ichijō and installed Koichijō-in as Crown Prince. In the first year of Kannin the emperor (the Retired Emperor Sanjō) died (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year of Kannin she took the tonsure (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the third month of the second year of Manju she died and was buried at the Saiin (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari). By her testament, the institutions of the state anniversary and the imperial tomb, the wearing of mourning dress, and the ceremony of wailing were all suspended (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

Lady Fujiwara

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, of the Fujiwara clan was a daughter of the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Michitaka and a younger sister, by the same mother, of the Rokujō Empress (Teishi) (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Chōtoku she entered the Crown Prince's household and became Naishi-no-kami (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari). Having received favor, she became Nyōgo (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and was called the Lady of the Shigeisha (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the eighth month of the fourth year of Chōhō she suddenly vomited blood and died, and in the world it was rumored that the Empress had poisoned her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Fujiwara-no-Suishi

¶The Naishi-no-kami, Principal Handmaid, Fujiwara-no-Suishi was the third daughter of the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Kaneie. She became Naishi-no-kami in the second year of Eikan (Note: the Ōkagami Uragaki gives the first year of Eien, but here we rely on the statement in the Ōkagami that "when she became Naishi-no-kami she was eleven years old"). She was outstanding in appearance (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Eien she entered the service of the Crown Prince (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki. The Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari say she entered the palace in the year the emperor came of age, which is mistaken) and took up residence in the Reikeiden (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari. A genealogy says she was called the Lady of the Reikeiden, which is mistaken).

¶She received favor. The emperor was still young, and he played familiarly with Suishi; on a summer day he gave her a piece of ice and said, "If you love me deeply, hold this and wait for my life to end." Suishi held it up in her hands and would not let go until the color of her hands changed (Note: following the Ōkagami). She was granted Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku. The year and month cannot be verified. The Ichidai Yōki says she was granted Senior Second Rank in the first month of the first year of Chōhō, but this is probably an error of the Yōki).

¶Later she had a secret liaison with Minamoto-no-Yorisada, Sangi, Counsellor (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ōkagami, and the Ichidai Yōki), and when the matter came to light she withdrew from the palace. The emperor heard that she was with child and ordered the Regent Michinaga to investigate; it proved to be true. The emperor detested it, but out of consideration for Kaneie he let the matter pass without inquiry (Note: following the Ōkagami). In the second month of the first year of Kankō she died. She was thirty-one (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Ōkagami Uragaki).

¶[Emperor Go-Ichijō]

Empress Fujiwara (Ishi)

¶Emperor Go-Ichijō's Empress, of the Fujiwara clan, was named Ishi. She was the third daughter of the Regent Fujiwara-no-Michinaga (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Eiga Monogatari) and a younger sister, by the same mother, of Jōtōmon'in (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the first year of Chōwa she became Naishi-no-kami and was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki; the entry for the first year of Chōwa follows the Ōkagami Uragaki). In the second year of Kannin she entered the palace and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Ōkagami Uragaki), taking up residence in the Hikeisha (Note: following the Sakeiki and the Imakagami). The emperor was still a child, and he played with the Empress's cosmetic implements as toys, and they passed their days in close and loving harmony (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the tenth month she was installed as Empress and was called Chūgū. Her elder brother Fujiwara-no-Norimichi petitioned the emperor to let him send his own daughter into the palace to bear a child. The emperor was inwardly pleased and yet, out of regard for the Empress, did not permit it. The Empress was of a jealous nature and was nine years older than the emperor. She constantly feared that his favor would pass to another and never relaxed her guard. For this reason neither Genshi, daughter of Imperial Prince Atsuyasu, nor Enshi, daughter of her other brother Yorimune, was ever able to enter the palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the third year of Manju she became pregnant and withdrew from the palace. In the twelfth month she gave birth to Imperial Princess Shōshi (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the first month of the fourth year of Manju she returned to the palace. In this year she suffered the death of Michinaga and withdrew again. In the third month of the first year of Chōgen she returned to the palace (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the second month of the second year of Chōgen she gave birth to Imperial Princess Keishi (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki).

¶In the ninth year of Chōgen the emperor died, and the Empress moved to the Takatsukasa-dono (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the ninth month she contracted smallpox (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari) and took the tonsure as a nun (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). She died at the age of thirty-eight (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari). She was buried at Sakuramoto, north of Onjō-ji (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki). The world called her "Ōchūgū," the Great Chūgū (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki).

¶[Emperor Go-Suzaku]

Empress Teishi

¶Emperor Go-Suzaku's Empress was named Teishi. She was a daughter of Emperor Sanjō. She was born in the seventh month of the second year of Chōwa (1013) at the Jōtōmon residence. She was granted a guardian sword, and this was the first time a sword was given to an imperial princess. The emperor (Emperor Sanjō) came in person, held the Empress in his arms, and took her into the palace to raise her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the tenth month she became an Imperial Princess. In the fourth year of Chōwa she held the ceremony of first donning the hakama (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). She was treated as equal to the Three Empresses (Jun-sangū) (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki), was granted the annual appointments and annual rank-nominations, and had one thousand households added to her original fief (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶In the third year of Chian (1023) she held the ceremony of first donning the mo at the Jōtōmon residence (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Eiga Monogatari; the mention of the Jōtōmon residence follows the Shōyūki). The Grand Empress Dowager herself conducted it. The Empress Dowager gave Teishi a Kokinshū copied by Ki-no-Tsurayuki, a Gosenshū copied by Imperial Prince Kaneakira, and a Man'yōshū copied by Ono-no-Michikaze; these had all passed from the consort of Emperor En'yū to Emperor Ichijō (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). By imperial edict she was granted First Rank (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Ichidai Yōki), and rank was conferred on her wet-nurses (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶The Regent Fujiwara-no-Michinaga cherished Teishi above all others, and when his illness grew grave he left this charge to his sons and younger kinsmen: "I am indebted to the Princess of First Rank, and I will not forget it. You too must understand my heart, and revere and serve her without fail" (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fourth year of Manju she entered the Crown Prince's household (Note: following the Shōyūki, the Nihon Kiryaku, and the Imakagami; the entry for the fourth year of Manju follows the Shōyūki and the Nihon Kiryaku) and became Miyasudokoro (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Imakagami). She bore Emperor Go-Sanjō, Imperial Princess Ryōshi, and Imperial Princess Kenshi (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Imakagami. The source text reads "the Empress of Emperor Go-Sanjō" before the princesses' names; this is taken to be a stray word and Go-Sanjō is read as her son).

¶In the second month of the first year of Chōryaku she was installed as Chūgū. In the third month, because the Nyōgo Fujiwara-no-Genshi was installed as Chūgū, Teishi was henceforth called Empress, and she took up residence in Yōmeimon'in (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Ichidai Yōki). She did not approve of the two palaces standing side by side (Teishi and Genshi) and would not return to the imperial palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). Before long Genshi (the Chūgū) died, and the emperor took in the Nyōgo Seishi. For this reason Teishi spent four years outside the palace. In the first year of Chōkyū, since Seishi happened to withdraw from the palace, Teishi and the future Emperor Go-Sanjō (then an imperial prince) entered the palace (Note: following the Shunki).

¶After the emperor's (Emperor Go-Suzaku's) death she shaved her head and became a nun. In the sixth year of Eishō she was honored as Empress Dowager (Note: following the entry for the eighth year of Kanji in the Chūyūki), and in the fourth year of Jiryaku she became Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the entry for the eighth year of Kanji in the Chūyūki, the Nyoin Shōden, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Enkyū she was offered the title Yōmeimon'in (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Nyoin Shōden. The Imakagami places this in the second month of the second year of Jiryaku, which is mistaken). Her annual appointments, annual rank-nominations, and fief households were kept as before (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In the first month of the first year of Kahō she died. She was eighty-two (Note: following the Chūyūki and the Hyakurenshō. The Fusō Ryakki gives eighty-five, which is mistaken).

Empress Fujiwara (Genshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Genshi. She was a daughter of Imperial Prince Atsuyasu and became an adopted daughter of the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Gukanshō, and the Imakagami). In the first year of Chōryaku she entered the Kokiden (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari; the mention of the Kokiden follows the Imakagami) and received favor unmatched in the rear palace (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Imakagami). She became Nyōgo and was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Hennen Zanpen and the Ichidai Yōki). In the third month she was installed as Chūgū (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the entry for the fifth year of Taiji in the Chūyūki). She bore Imperial Princess Yūshi and Imperial Princess Baishi. In the eighth month of the third year of Chōryaku she died. She was twenty-four (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Imakagami; the Eiga Monogatari gives the ninth month). The world called her "the Chūgū of the Kokiden" (Note: following the Imakagami).

Empress Fujiwara (Kishi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Kishi. She was the fourth daughter of the Regent Fujiwara-no-Michinaga (Note: the Rekidai Kōki says fifth daughter, and the Imakagami and the Ichidai Yōki say sixth daughter, but here we follow the Ōkagami Uragaki and the Fusō Ryakki), and a younger sister, by the same mother, of Jōtōmon'in (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Imakagami). She was intelligent by nature, and her hair was longer than her own height (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the second year of Kannin she became Naishi-no-kami, and in the third year of Kannin she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Imakagami). In the second month of the first year of Chian she entered the Crown Prince's palace and was called Miyasudokoro (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). Because Michinaga had taken the tonsure, she was treated as a daughter of Yorimichi, and took up residence in the Tōkaden (Note: following the Ōkagami; the mention of the Tōkaden follows the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the eighth month of the second year of Manju she gave birth to Emperor Go-Reizei and died of the childbed (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ōkagami Uragaki, and the Eiga Monogatari). She was nineteen and was buried west of Funaoka (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami Uragaki; the Eiga Monogatari gives Ishikage). The emperor (Emperor Go-Suzaku) composed a waka mourning her (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Shinsenzai Wakashū). She was posthumously granted Senior First Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Zoku Honchō Monzui, and the Ōkagami Uragaki). When Emperor Go-Reizei ascended the throne she was posthumously honored as Empress Dowager (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki, the Imakagami, and the Chūyūki), and a state anniversary was established (Note: following the Imakagami and the entry for the second year of Kajō in the Chūyūki).

Fujiwara-no-Seishi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Seishi was the eldest daughter of the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Norimichi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The Imakagami says second daughter, and the printed edition of the Sonpi Bunmyaku says third daughter, but this is mistaken). She excelled in calligraphy and waka (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the third year of Chōryaku she entered the Gyōkasha and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Eiga Monogatari; the mention of the Gyōkasha follows the Eiga Monogatari. The Eiga Monogatari says she was already called Mikushigedono before entering the palace, but this is not found in other works and cannot be verified). In the second year of Chōkyū she was granted Senior Second Rank (Note: the Ichidai Yōki says she advanced to Junior Third Rank in the first year of Kantoku and to Senior Second Rank in the first year of Eishō, but here the Fusō Ryakki is followed).

¶The emperor (Emperor Go-Suzaku) wished to install Seishi as Empress, and Norimichi, too, loved his daughter above all and wished to see her made Empress, but this plan did not come to pass. When the emperor died, she withdrew to Norimichi's residence and went on longing for him without end (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the fifth year of Eishō she advanced to Junior First Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki) and later was treated as equal to the Three Empresses and given the annual appointments and annual rank-nominations (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the first year of Tengi she became a nun (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Imakagami). In the fifth year of Tengi she celebrated the dedication of the Shin'nyo-in of Mii-dera (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Sōgō Bunin). In the fourth year of Jiryaku she died (Note: following the Imakagami). She was fifty-six (Note: calculated back from the statement "aged eleven" under the third year of Chian in this work). She was called the Lady of the Umetsubo (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and also the Lady of the Kokiden (Note: following the Imakagami).

Fujiwara-no-Enshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Enshi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yorimune, Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In her childhood she was raised by Imperial Princess Shushi and lived at the Sanjō palace. She was beautiful in appearance and skilled at calligraphy and at playing the sō. In the third year of Chōkyū, at the request of Imperial Princess Shushi, she entered the palace and took up residence in the Reikeiden (Note: following the entry for the second year of Kahō in the Chūyūki and the Ichidai Yōki). Before long she became Nyōgo (Note: following the entry for the second year of Kahō in the Chūyūki, the Fusō Ryakki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Imakagami).

¶In the first year of Kantoku she was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the entry for the second year of Kahō in the Chūyūki and the Ichidai Yōki). When she became pregnant, the emperor (Emperor Go-Suzaku) died, and she withdrew to Yorimune's residence and gave birth to Imperial Princess Seishi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Imakagami). In the third year of Eishō she advanced to Junior Third Rank, and in the fifth year of Eishō she became Junior Second Rank (Note: following the entry for the second year of Kahō in the Chūyūki and the Ichidai Yōki). In the third year of Kōhei, Yorimune petitioned to have five hundred households of his own fief divided and given to Enshi. In the fifth year of Enkyū she became a nun. In the sixth month of the second year of Kahō she died. She was eighty (Note: following the Chūyūki. In this work, beneath the entry on her becoming a nun, there is a note "aged fifty-four," by which she would have died at seventy-six. Which is correct is not clear). She was called the Lady of the Reikeiden (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Imakagami) and also the Lady of Takakura (Note: following the Chūyūki).

¶[Emperor Go-Reizei]

Empress Shōshi

¶Emperor Go-Reizei's Chūgū was named Shōshi. She was a daughter of Emperor Go-Ichijō. She was born in the twelfth month of the third year of Manju (1026) at the residence of Fujiwara-no-Kanetaka, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari. Some manuscripts of the Nihon Kiryaku give the first month, and the Imakagami gives the ninth month, which is mistaken). In the fourth year of Manju she became an Imperial Princess (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku) and was specially granted a separate fief of one hundred households (Note: following the Shōyūki).

¶The emperor (Emperor Go-Ichijō) loved Shōshi and Imperial Princess Keishi and had them live separately in the east and west of the Hikeisha (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the eleventh month of the third year of Chōgen she held the ceremony of first donning the hakama. One thousand households were added to her fief, she was given the annual appointments and annual rank-nominations, and she was granted First Rank as equal to the Three Empresses (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fourth month of the ninth year of Chōgen, Emperor Go-Ichijō died. Shōshi withdrew to the Takatsukasa-dono in the company of her mother, the Empress (Ishi). In the ninth month the Empress, her mother, died. In the tenth month she moved to Jōtōmon'in together with Imperial Princess Keishi. Originally, when the emperor was about to abdicate in favor of Emperor Go-Suzaku, he had thought of making Shōshi that emperor's consort, and, wishing her to hold her mo ceremony early, had ordered the Kurōdo Fusei to prepare robes and furnishings. Morning and evening he inspected them himself and had them made with the utmost refinement, but then the emperor happened to die, and the plan came to nothing (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the twelfth month of the first year of Chōryaku she entered the Crown Prince's household (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Fusō Ryakki) and took up residence in the Hikeisha (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari. The Nyoin Shōden says she became Nyōgo when the emperor received the succession, but this is not found in other works). Jōtōmon'in gave Shōshi the Kyōgoku-dono. In the seventh month of the first year of Eishō she moved to the Kyōgoku-dono and was installed as Chūgū (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fourth year of Jiryaku she was changed to Empress Dowager (Note: following the Imakagami and the Nyoin Shōden), and in the third month of the first year of Enkyū she became a nun (Note: the Ichidai Yōki places this in the first year of Jōhō, but here we follow the Rekidai Kōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the seventh month of the first year of Enkyū she was honored as Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the sixth month of the first year of Jōhō she was offered the title Nijō-in (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Ichidai Yōki). By old precedent, the title of an in was not offered to one who had not borne a Son of Heaven, but since this case differed from the usual, the zuryō (the appointment of provincial governors for the in's provinces) was not carried out. Jōtōmon'in petitioned that this in-allotment be transferred to Shōshi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶For Emperor Go-Ichijō, Shōshi built the Bodai-ju-in beside the Higashiyama tomb, enshrined his portrait there, and carried out memorial offerings without fail. She also built a hall nearby and held the Hakkō and Gojikkō lecture services to pray for his repose (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Imakagami). In the ninth month of the second year of Chiji she died. She was eighty (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden).

Empress Fujiwara (Kanshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Kanshi. She was a daughter of the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Eiga Monogatari). In the fifth year of Eishō she entered the palace and soon was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower and became Nyōgo. In the second month of the sixth year of Eishō she was installed as Empress (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the entry for the second year of Taiji in the Chūyūki). She stood alongside the Chūgū (Shōshi), and there was no difference in their treatment. For the great banquet of the New Year, the two palaces took turns, year by year (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fifth month of the first year of Tengi, she suffered the death of her mother and withdrew from the palace. In the ninth month she returned to the palace. In the second year of Tengi, Junior Second Rank was posthumously granted to the Empress's mother, Minamoto-no-Gishi (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the fourth month of the fourth year of Jiryaku she was renamed Chūgū (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Imakagami, and the Ichidai Yōki). In this month the emperor (Emperor Go-Reizei) died. In the twelfth month she became a nun (Note: following the Imakagami and the Teiō Hennenki).

¶In the first year of Enkyū she was honored as Empress Dowager (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki), and in the sixth month of the first year of Jōhō she became Grand Empress Dowager (Note: following the entry for the second year of Taiji in the Chūyūki and the Eiga Monogatari). In the ninth month of the first year of Ōtoku she made pilgrimages to the Sumiyoshi shrine and to Shitennō-ji (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari). In the eighth month of the second year of Taiji she died at her villa in Uji. She was ninety-two. She was called the Shijō Palace (Note: following the Chūyūki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki. The Taiki says she died in the first year of Taiji, which is mistaken).

Empress Fujiwara (Kanshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Kanshi. She was the third daughter of the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Norimichi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Imakagami). She was full and glossy in appearance, skilled at the biwa, and excelled also in calligraphy and painting (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the second year of Eishō she entered the palace (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ichidai Yōki). In the third year of Eishō she became Nyōgo. In the fifth year of Eishō, a daughter of the Kampaku Yorimichi (Kanshi) newly entered the palace and soon became Empress. Kanshi resented this and withdrew to Norimichi's residence. Even when the emperor (Emperor Go-Reizei) summoned her, she did not return to the palace, and in the end she took shelter at the mountain retreat at Ono of her elder brother, the monk Jōen, and her thoughts turned deeply to the Buddha's Way (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the sixth year of Eishō she was treated as equal to the Three Empresses, given the annual appointments and annual rank-nominations, and granted a fief of one thousand households (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Ichidai Yōki). In the fourth year of Jiryaku she was installed as Empress (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the entry for the fifth year of Taiji in the Chūyūki).

¶Once, when she was at her residence at Nijō-Higashinotōin, while she was copying the Saishō-ō-kyō, thunder fell in her room, so that all her clothing was scorched. But the Empress sat upright with her eyes closed, and no harm came to her. From then on her thoughts turned the more deeply to the Buddha's Way (Note: compiled with reference to the Kojidan, the Jikkinshō, and the Imakagami).

¶In the first year of Jōhō she was honored as Empress Dowager (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki) and soon took the tonsure and became a nun (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki). She made her own residence a temple and named it Jōju-in (Note: following the Monyōki and the Genkō Shakusho). She invited the monk Keiyō to lecture on the Shingon teachings and on Shikan, and she herself copied the Gobu Daijō-kyō (Note: following the Genkō Shakusho).

¶When the Empress was at Ono, one day a great snow fell, and Emperor Shirakawa went out to view the snow. An attendant, thinking that the emperor might perhaps visit Ono, secretly galloped ahead to inform the Empress. The Empress calmly made her preparations for hospitality. As expected, the emperor came and gazed at the snow from his ox-carriage. At the Empress's command the attendants offered him cups of wine. Those on his left and right wondered why the emperor did not enter the residence. The emperor said, "I am only looking at the snow. There is no need to go inside," and sent a messenger to present an estate in Mino province as thanks for the sudden hospitality (Note: compiled with reference to the Imakagami, the Kokon Chomonjū, and the Jikkinshō).

¶In the eighth month of the fourth year of Kōwa she died. She was eighty-two (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki). The world called her "the Ono Empress Dowager" (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū, the Jikkinshō, the Kojidan, and the Tōsai Zuihitsu).

¶[Emperor Go-Sanjō]

Empress Keishi

¶Emperor Go-Sanjō's Chūgū was named Keishi. She was a daughter of Emperor Go-Ichijō. In the fourth year of Chōgen she became an Imperial Princess. She was granted Second Rank, became the Saiin of Kamo, and was treated as equal to the Three Empresses. One thousand households were added to her fief, and rank was also conferred on those who attended her (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶The Empress was gentle by nature, and the emperor (Emperor Go-Ichijō) and her mother, the Empress (Ishi), cherished her deeply. Whenever an attendant came into their presence, they would always ask whether he had been to the Saiin (Keishi), and on hearing that he had not yet gone, they would look disappointed. When the emperor died she was relieved of the office of Saiin and lived with her mother, the Empress. When her mother died she moved to Jōtōmon'in (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the sixth year of Eishō, Jōtōmon'in had Keishi enter the Crown Prince's household (the future Emperor Go-Sanjō), and Yorimichi, Norimichi, and the rest served her with great devotion in every respect (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari. The entry for the sixth year of Eishō follows the Hennen Zanpen. The Go-Sanjō annals of the Fusō Ryakki says "the Sai-Nyōgo (Saiin Consort), Imperial Princess Keishi," while the Eiga Monogatari and the present text all call her Saiin. The table of contents records her as Nyōgo, but the year and month cannot be verified).

¶She bore princes and princesses, but all died young (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari). In the seventh month of the first year of Enkyū she was made Chūgū together with the other two palaces (Shōshi and Kanshi) (Note: the Fusō Ryakki gives the sixth month, but here we follow the Kugyō Bunin and the entry for the fifth year of Taiji in the Chūyūki). In the third year of Enkyū the new palace buildings were completed, and the Empress took up residence in both the Kokiden and the Tōkaden. In the fifth year of Enkyū, when the emperor shaved his head, she too became a nun. In the first year of Jōhō she was renamed Empress (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the ninth month of the seventh year of Kanji she died. She was sixty-five (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki. The Fusō Ryakki gives sixty-two, which is mistaken). After becoming a nun she lived at the Saiin (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari) and was called the Saiin Empress (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki).

Empress Fujiwara (Moshi)

¶The Empress Fujiwara was named Moshi. She was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kinnari, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor. Fujiwara-no-Yoshinobu, Dainagon, Major Counsellor, the husband of the Empress's aunt, loved and raised her as if she were his own child. She was outstanding in appearance. When the emperor (Emperor Go-Sanjō) was Crown Prince, he took her in as Miyasudokoro (Note: compiled with reference to the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶She bore Emperor Shirakawa (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Hyakurenshō, and the entry for the fourth year of Taiji in the Chūyūki) and four imperial princesses, Sōshi, Shunshi, Kashi, and Tokushi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The Kōin Keizu says they were borne by Motoko, which is mistaken).

¶In the sixth month of the fifth year of Kōhei she died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari). The emperor mourned her deeply (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). She was buried at Uji (Note: following the Gōke Shidai and the Shūgaishō) and was called the Lady of Shigenoi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year of Enkyū she was posthumously granted Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Imakagami). When Emperor Shirakawa ascended the throne she was posthumously honored as Empress Dowager (Note: following the entry for the second year of Kajō in the Chūyūki and the Fusō Ryakki), and the institutions of the state anniversary and the imperial tomb were established (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Gōke Shidai). Her tomb is now called the Ima-Uji Mausoleum (Note: following the Gōke Shidai). Yoshinobu was posthumously granted the rank of Senior First Rank and the title of Daijō-daijin, and his wife Shishi was posthumously granted Senior First Rank (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kojidan).

Fujiwara-no-Shōshi

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Shōshi was the third daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yorimune, Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Rekidai Kōki. One version in the Sonpi Bunmyaku says she was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yoshinobu, which is mistaken). In the second year of Jiryaku she entered the Crown Prince's household and became Nyōgo (Note: following the table of contents of the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year of Enkyū, when the new palace was completed, she took up residence in the Jōkyōden. After the emperor's (Emperor Go-Sanjō's) death she became a nun and lived at the Horikawa-in; at first she was called the Lady of the Jōkyōden, and later the Lady of Horikawa (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

Minamoto-no-Motoko

¶The Nyōgo, Consort, Minamoto-no-Motoko was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Motohira, Sangi, Counsellor (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Kōin Shōunroku). At first she was a lady-in-waiting to Imperial Princess Sōshi, but the emperor (Emperor Go-Sanjō) saw her once, loved her, and showed her singular favor (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). She became Miyasudokoro and was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). Her treatment equaled that of an imperial princess.

¶Motoko dreamed of purple clouds rising, and soon after became pregnant; she left the palace and took shelter at the residence of Fujiwara-no-Tsunehira. The emperor sent messengers to inquire after her again and again. The courtiers who came and went at Imperial Princess Sōshi's residence were ordered always to look in on Motoko. As the time of her delivery approached and her condition was feared to be critical, the emperor and Imperial Princess Sōshi were anxious, and messengers passed back and forth without cease.

¶In the third year of Enkyū she gave birth to Imperial Prince Sanehito. The emperor was greatly pleased and promoted Motoko to Nyōgo. At that time it was privately said within the palace, "Motoko will surely be no more than a Kōi, a lesser consort," but when the edict appointing her Nyōgo was issued, all who heard it were astonished. One person commented: "Motoko is a granddaughter of Koichijō-in and a maternal granddaughter of Yorimune. That is precisely why the emperor held her in special esteem. If he had truly not cared about her father's rank, then given precedents such as Emperor Go-Reizei's deference to Yorimichi, such treatment would never have been given." Motoko entered the Gyōkasha and was called the Lady of the Umetsubo (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fourth year of Enkyū the emperor abdicated in favor of Emperor Shirakawa and made Imperial Prince Sanehito Crown Prince and younger brother of the emperor. As a result Motoko was treated as equal to the Three Empresses, given the annual appointments and annual rank-nominations, and granted a fief of five hundred households. In the fifth year of Enkyū she gave birth to Imperial Prince Sukehito (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Eiga Monogatari; the mention of the fief follows the Fusō Ryakki). After the emperor's death she became a nun (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the seventh month of the third year of Chōshō she died. She was eighty-eight (Note: following the Chūyūki. The Chōshūki gives eighty-six).

A Certain Lady

¶The Naishi-no-jō, Handmaid, whose family name is unrecorded, was a daughter of Tsunekuni, Governor of Mino. She was called Jijū-no-Naishi. She bore Fujiwara-no-Arisuke (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Imakagami).

Lady Fujiwara

¶The Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Sanetsune, Governor of Ōmi. When the emperor (Emperor Go-Sanjō) was Crown Prince, he favored her. She bore a prince, but he died young (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).