Imperial Consorts IX

Empress Shōshi

¶Emperor Nijō's Empress was named Shōshi (written 妹子) and was a daughter of Emperor Toba (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Imakagami. The Nyoin Shōden calls her the fourth daughter, the Ichidai Yōki and the Hyakurenshō the fifth, and the Shōunroku the sixth, but this cannot now be settled). She was born in the eleventh month of the first year of Eiji (1141) in the Rokujō-dono (Note: following the Imakagami). She was known in the world as the Otohime-no-miya (Note: following the entry for the second year of Kyūan in the Taiki). In the first year of Kyūju (1154) she became an Imperial Princess (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden. The Ichidai Yōki treats this as having happened at the time of her entry into the palace).

¶In the first year of Hōgen (1156) she entered the household of the Crown Prince (later Emperor Nijō) (Note: following the Hyakurenshō and the Nyoin Shōden) and took the Shōyōsha as her residence (Note: following the Imakagami). In the second year of Hōgen (1157) she was granted the status of Jun-Sangū, Honorary Equal of the Three Empresses (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Kōgū Ryakuden). In the first year of Heiji (1159) she became Chūgū, Empress (Note: following the Sankaiki). The Empress had no child of her own and raised the monk Son'e (Note: following the entry for the fourth year of Jōan in the Kikki). In the first year of Eiryaku (1160), because of illness, she shaved her head and received the precepts (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Nyoin Shōden). Her Buddhist name was Jissōkaku (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden. The Kijoshō writes the last character as "kan" instead of "kaku").

¶In the second year of Ōhō (1162) she was granted the title of Takamatsu-in (Note: following the Kijoshō and the Kōgū Ryakuden). In the sixth month of the second year of Angen (1176) she died in the Oshikōji-dono, at the age of thirty-six (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki). She was buried at Unrin-in (Note: following the Akihiro-ō Ki. The Hyakurenshō says she was buried at Kōryūji).

Empress Fujiwara (Ikushi)

¶The Fujiwara Empress was named Ikushi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Saneyoshi, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left. She became an adopted daughter of the Kampaku, Regent, Fujiwara-no-Tadamichi (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the first year of Ōhō (1161) she became Nyōgo, Consort (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Sonpi Bunmyaku), and in the second year (1162) she became Empress (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki). The Empress had no child, but when Emperor Rokujō was born she took him in and raised him (Note: following the Imakagami, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Gukanshō, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The Imakagami calls Ikushi a daughter of Tadamichi and says Emperor Rokujō was born of a daughter of Tokiyoshi, which is mistaken).

¶In the third year of Nin'an (1168) she shaved her head. In the second year of Jōan (1172) her title was changed to Kōgō, Empress (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Teiki Shō, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki). In the eighth month of the third year of Jōan (1173) she died, at the age of twenty-eight (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kōtei Ki Shō. The Sonpi Bunmyaku gives twenty-seven).

Lady Iki

¶Lady Iki was a daughter of Iki-no-Munetō, Ōkura-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of the Treasury. She bore Emperor Rokujō (Note: compiled with reference to the Akihiro-ō Ki and the Gukanshō. The Genpei Seisuiki writes her clan as Ki, which is mistaken. As for Munetō, the Kōin Shōunroku and the Kōnendai Ryaku both write his name as Yoshimori, and the Jinnō Shōtōki writes it as Kanemori).

A Certain Lady

¶This lady was a daughter of Mitsunari, Umanosuke, Assistant Director of the Right Stables (Note: the Ichidai Yōki says she was a daughter of Mitsumori, Umanosuke of the Right Stables). She bore the monk Son'e (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

Lady Nakahara

¶Lady Nakahara was a daughter of Nakahara-no-Moromoto, Daigeki, Senior Secretary of the Council of State (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Kijoshō, and the Saiin-ki). She was called Kasuga-no-Tsubone (Note: following the Kikki). She bore Imperial Princess Senshi (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). In the sixth month of the fourth year of Jishō (1180) she died (Note: the Kikki treats this as having happened in the first year of Yōwa).

¶[Emperor Takakura]

Empress Taira (Tokuko)

¶Emperor Takakura's Empress, of the Taira clan, was named Tokuko and was a daughter of Taira-no-Kiyomori, Daijō-daijin, Chancellor, and an adopted daughter of the Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Hyakurenshō, and the Genpei Seisuiki). In the first year of Jōan (1171) she was granted Junior Third Rank and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Nyoin Shōden. One text of the Kōgū Ryakuden says she entered the palace in the second month of the first year of Jishō, which is mistaken). The following year she became Empress (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Genpei Seisuiki).

¶Kiyomori made a pilgrimage to Itsukushima every month and prayed that the Empress might bear a prince (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki and the Heike Monogatari). In the second year of Jishō (1178) the Empress was with child and withdrew to the residence of Shigemori (Note: the residence of Shigemori follows the Rekidai Kōki). The emperor sent envoys to forty-one shrines and seventy-four temples, and summoned monks and masters of yin and yang into the palace to pray for a safe delivery (Note: following the Sankaiki and the Genpei Seisuiki). He pardoned seventy-three prisoners and exiles guilty of minor offenses (Note: the Gyokuyō says fifteen, and the Sankaiki thirteen).

¶The delivery proved difficult. Some said, "It is the curse of Fujiwara-no-Narichika, the monk Saikō, and the monk Shunkan." Kiyomori's anxiety showed on his face (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki). The Empress, for her part, sent envoys to Iwashimizu, Hirano, and Hiyoshi to pray (Note: following the Sankaiki). Messengers came and went, and caps and carriage canopies never ceased. The Cloistered Emperor came to the birth chamber and himself chanted the Thousand-Armed Sutra in prayer. Before long a prince was born. This was Emperor Antoku. By the old custom, when a prince was born someone climbed onto the roof and cast down a koshiki, a steaming vessel, which was to fall to the south if the child was a boy and to the north if a girl; on this occasion it fell to the north by mistake, and everyone found it strange (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seisuiki).

¶In the first year of Yōwa (1181) she was granted the title of Kenreimon-in. In the second year of Juei (1183) she went west to the western provinces (Note: following the Gyokuyō).

¶Earlier, when the Empress's delivery was proving so hard, her mother Tokiko grieved over it and went herself to the arched bridge at Ichijō, halted her carriage, and tried to divine the outcome by listening to the words chanted by those who carried the palanquins. Twelve children crossed the bridge, clapping their hands and singing together: "Shiji, O shiji, the king's shiji, the shiji that the waves of the eightfold sea-road wash ashore." Tokiko went home and told her brother Tokitada, saying, "I do not understand what 'the shiji that the waves wash ashore' means, but 'the king's shiji' must surely be a sign of the birth of a prince" (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki). When in the end Emperor Antoku died upon the sea, it came to pass just as the palanquin song had foretold.

¶The Empress too cast herself into the sea, but she was hooked up with a rake and sent back to the capital. She took shelter in a monks' dwelling at Yoshida, shaved her head, and received the precepts (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seisuiki). Her Buddhist name was Shinnyokaku (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden and the Kōgū Ryakuden). Afterward she moved to Emperor Kazan's mountain villa at Nogawa (Note: following the Nagato-bon Heike Monogatari).

¶After her clan had perished, she hesitated to live near the capital and moved still farther, to the side of Jakkō-in at Ōhara. A thatched hut and a bed of bamboo scarcely kept off wind, rain, and sun. Sochi-no-Suke, Awa-no-Naishi, and others had likewise become nuns and attended to her firewood and water. The Cloistered Emperor wished to visit her but, out of regard for Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, could not. In the second year of Bunji (1186), under the pretext of a pilgrimage to Fudarakuji, he called at her dwelling. Facing one another they wept and spoke of days gone by. The Empress told in full of the distress and the humiliations she had endured amid the army, and sobbed without ceasing (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seisuiki).

¶In the twelfth month of the first year of Kenpō (1213) she died at Ōhara (Note: the account of Ōhara follows the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seisuiki). She was fifty-seven (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki. The Genpei Seisuiki says sixty-eight, the Shōun Yōryaku fifty-eight, and the Nyoin Shōden fifty-nine; here the age has been fixed on the basis of the passage that gives the Empress's tenure as Chūgū as sixteen years). The Empress had herself glued together old papers bearing Emperor Antoku's imperial brush and his handwriting, and made an image of him. That image is still at Jakkō-in.

Lady Taira

¶The Naishi-no-jō, Handmaid, Lady Taira was a daughter of Taira-no-Yoshinori, Kunai-no-shō, Junior Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household (Note: following the Sankaiki and the Kōin Shōunroku). She was called Shōshō-no-Naishi (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). She bore Imperial Prince Koreakira (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Fujiwara-no-Shokushi

¶The Naishi-no-suke, Principal Handmaid, Fujiwara-no-Shokushi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Nobutaka, Shuri-no-daibu, Master of the Office of Palace Repairs (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Hyakurenshō, and the Nyoin Shōden). At first she served Kenreimon-in and was called Hyōe-no-kami. The emperor (Takakura) favored her (Note: following the Masukagami). Soon she became Naishi-no-suke and rose to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Nyoin Shōden). She bore Go-Takakura-in and Emperor Go-Toba (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Nyoin Shōden; compiled with reference to the Masukagami).

¶In the third year of Kenkyū (1192) she was granted the status of Jun-Sangū (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Hyakurenshō. The Ichidai Yōki gives the ninth year of Kenkyū, which is mistaken), and she was presented with the title of Shichijō-in (Note: following the Hyakurenshō). In the second year of Genkyū (1205) she shaved her head (Note: following the Meigetsuki, the Hyakurenshō, the Rekidai Kōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Nyoin Shōden. The Kōgū Ryakuden gives the fourth year of Genkyū). Her Buddhist name was Shinnyochi (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden and the Kōgū Ryakuden).

¶When Hōjō-no-Yasutoki and his men took the capital, moved Emperor Go-Toba to the Toba-dono, and forced him to shave his head, the emperor had Fujiwara-no-Nobuzane paint his true likeness and sent it to Shichijō-in. Shichijō-in went to the Toba-dono in the same carriage as Shūmeimon-in, hoping to take leave of the emperor. The emperor raised the blind and gazed steadily at them, then waved his hand to urge them to leave quickly. The ladies all wept in grief, and, unable even to enter the residence, went home. The emperor was at last exiled to Oki (Note: compiled with reference to the Azuma Kagami and the Jōkyū-ki).

¶In the ninth month of the second year of Antei (1228) she died (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). She was seventy-two (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Teiō Hennenki).

Lady Fujiwara

¶The Naishi-no-suke, Principal Handmaid, Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yorisada, Sangi, Counsellor. She was called Azechi-no-Suke. She bore Imperial Princess Ketsushi (Note: compiled with reference to the Sankaiki and the Kijoshō).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kinshige, Ukon'e-no-shōshō, Lesser Captain of the Right Palace Guards. She was called Sochi-no-Tsubone. She bore Imperial Princess Kōshi (Note: compiled with reference to the Gyokuyō, the Sankaiki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). In the first month of the third year of Jishō (1179) she died (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Sankaiki, and the Teiō Ki Shō).

Lady Fujiwara (Kogō-no-Tsubone)

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Narinori, Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). She was called Kogō-no-Tsubone (Note: following the Sankaiki, the Heike Monogatari, and the Genpei Seisuiki. The Nagato-bon Heike Monogatari says she was a granddaughter of Fujiwara-no-Michinori and lived at Sanjō Ogawa, whence she was styled Ogawa-dono).

¶She excelled at the koto and the biwa. She entered the palace and was greatly favored, and for that reason the favor shown to Kenreimon-in gradually cooled (Note: compiled with reference to the Nagato-bon Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seisuiki. The Heike Monogatari says, "When Aoi-no-Mae died and the emperor mourned her deeply, the Empress offered Kogō to console him," but which is correct cannot be known).

¶At first, while Kogō was still at her family home, she had been secretly involved with Fujiwara-no-Takafusa. Even after she entered the palace, Takafusa could not let go of his longing. Takafusa was Kiyomori's son-in-law. Kiyomori grew suspicious and reasoned, "That the Empress's favor has waned and Takafusa is tormented is all Kogō's doing," and sought to kill her. Kogō slipped out of the palace in secret and hid in a commoner's house in Saga. The emperor, in his grief and anger, could scarcely swallow his food.

¶Kiyomori learned of this and in a rage took Kenreimon-in into his own house, so that the court ladies could not wait upon the emperor. His intent was presumably to drive the emperor into a corner. The courtiers too stood in awe of Kiyomori, and few came to attend at night. The emperor sat alone in the Benden hall, and not even those at his side responded to him. After a while, Minamoto-no-Nakakuni, Danjō-no-daihitsu, Senior Assistant Director of the Board of Censors, heard his voice from afar and came forward. The emperor said, "I hear Kogō is in Saga. Find her for me," and wrote a letter and gave it to him.

¶Nakakuni set out on an official horse but searched everywhere without finding her. As he passed in front of a commoner's house at Kameyama, someone was playing the koto. Listening closely, he realized it was Kogō. Nakakuni was skilled at the flute and had often attended palace banquets, so he knew exactly how Kogō played, and thus recognized her. He entered the gate, handed over the letter, and told her in full the emperor's wishes.

¶Kogō wept and said, "I hear that Kiyomori bears me a deep grudge. If I remained in the palace and fell victim to his poison fangs, it would cause trouble for my lord. That is why I fled the palace and came here, but I cannot stay here long either. Tomorrow I shall go to Ōhara and serve the Buddha." Nakakuni consoled her and firmly dissuaded her, then hurried back and reported to the emperor. The emperor was delighted.

¶The following night he secretly brought Kogō into the palace, and his favor grew deeper still. She bore Bōmon-in. When Kiyomori heard of this he became even angrier; he sent men to seize Kogō, had her escorted under guard to Seikanji, where her hair was cut, and drove her out. She was then twenty-three (Note: following the Heike Monogatari; the Genpei Seisuiki was consulted. According to the Nagato-bon Heike Monogatari, Kiyomori entered the palace and had Kogō brought out; moved by her beauty, he whispered in her ear, "Would you not serve me?" Kogō refused, saying, "I am in the service of the court, and so long as the sun is in the sky, how could I hold a divided heart?" Kiyomori flew into a rage, shaved her head, cut off her ears and nose, and drove her out. The emperor, it is said, sank into grief and anger, fell ill, and died).

¶As he lay dying the emperor left a testamentary command that he be buried at Seikanji. Kogō in the end settled at Ōhara (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki). Nothing is known of what became of her afterward.

Aoi-no-Mae

¶Aoi-no-Mae was a lowly maidservant in the Empress's household. The emperor favored her, and in the inner palace her favor was unrivaled. At court she was called the "Aoi Nyōgo." The emperor, ashamed of the talk, did not summon her again. The Kampaku, Fujiwara-no-Motofusa, divined the emperor's mind and, watching for an opportunity, offered to "take her in as an adopted daughter and add her to the inner palace." The emperor would not listen, saying, "Doing as you wish may be something to do after I abdicate. If I did it while on the throne, what would later generations say?"

¶Even so, the emperor continued to think of Aoi-no-Mae afterward, and wrote out an old poem and sent it to her. Aoi-no-Mae took it home with her, fell ill, and died (Note: following the Heike Monogatari. The Genpei Seisuiki also contains this story, but it writes Aoi-no-Mae as Sukune and Motofusa as Tadamichi).

¶[Emperor Go-Toba]

Empress Fujiwara (Ninshi)

¶Emperor Go-Toba's Fujiwara Empress was named Ninshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kanezane, Sesshō, Regent (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Nyoin Shōden, the Kōgū Ryakuden, and the Shōun Yōryaku). In the fifth year of Bunji (1189) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Nakasuke-ō Ki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Kōgū Ryakuden). In the first year of Kenkyū (1190) she became Nyōgo and soon was raised to Empress. She was eighteen, seven years older than the emperor (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki. The Nyoin Shōden gives seventeen). She bore Shunkamon-in (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Gukanshō).

¶In the seventh year of Kenkyū (1196) she withdrew to the residence of Hachijō-in. At first Minamoto-no-Michichika, Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, had ingratiated himself with the emperor, was secretly involved with the emperor's wet nurse, and intended to bring his own daughter into the palace. The retired emperor's court lady Takashina-no-Eishi also plotted with Michichika; watching the emperor's conduct, she urged him, falsely in the name of Yoritomo's wishes, to attend to affairs of state and refrain from amusement, while secretly reporting his behavior to Yoritomo. Whenever something displeased the emperor, she fabricated false words and drove a wedge between the Empress and Kanezane. As a result the emperor's favor toward the Empress waned, and in the end she left the palace (Note: following the Gukanshō).

¶In the second year of Shōji (1200) she was presented with the title of Gishūmon-in (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Ichidai Yōki). In the first year of Kennin (1201) she became a nun, with the Buddhist name Shōjōchi (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki. The Buddhist name follows the Nyoin Shōden. The Rekidai Kōki gives the first year of Kenpō). In the second year of Kenryaku (1212) she declined the in-title, the nenkan, and the nenshaku (Note: following the Kōtei Ki Shō, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the twelfth month of the first year of Ryakunin (1238) she died (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki). She was sixty-six (Note: based on the Gyokuyō's statement that she was eighteen when she became Empress. The Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden say sixty-five, which is mistaken).

A Certain Lady

¶The Naishi-no-suke, Principal Handmaid, whose name is unrecorded, was called Shōnagon-no-Naishi-no-suke. She bore the monk Dōshu (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Fujiwara-no-Jūshi

¶Fujiwara-no-Jūshi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Norisue, Shikibu-no-shō, Junior Assistant Minister of Ceremonial (Note: compiled with reference to the Kōin Shōunroku, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Nyoin Shōden. In its entry for the first year of Jōgen, the Hyakurenshō writes Jūshi as Chikako). She bore Emperor Juntoku (Note: following the Nakasuke-ō Ki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Rekidai Kōki), Imperial Prince Masanari (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku), and Imperial Prince Hironari (Note: following the Nakasuke-ō Ki, the Hyakurenshō, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Shomonzeki-fu).

¶At first Minamoto-no-Zaishi had been deeply favored by the emperor, but in time his love for her waned, and for that reason Jūshi gained his favor (Note: following the Gukanshō). In the ninth year of Kenkyū (1198) she was granted Junior Third Rank and soon advanced to Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). She was called Nijō-no-Kimi (Note: following the Masukagami).

¶In the first year of Jōgen (1207) she was granted the status of Jun-Sangū and presented with the title of Shūmeimon-in (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Ingō Jōbu Ruiki, citing the Gekiki Yorihira Ki). The emperor once gathered his ministers at the Minase-dono for an archery contest with wagers, and, to test Shūmeimon-in, sent an attendant to ask her for a prize. The Lady gave him a karabitsu, a Chinese-style chest, which was extremely heavy. When it was opened, the contents proved to be coins. The messenger thought this vulgar. The emperor laughed and said, "The Lady knows the old precedents well. For a wagered archery contest at the Tenjō hall, coins are the traditional prize. It is only that you do not know it" (Note: following the Masukagami).

¶In the third year of Jōkyū (1221), when Hōjō-no-Yasutoki pressed the emperor to shave his head, the Lady likewise became a nun (Note: following the Hyakurenshō and the Kōdai-in Omuro Den), with the Buddhist name Hōshōkaku. In the eleventh month she declined the in-title, the nenkan, the nenshaku, the fief households, the allowances from the various offices, and so on. She lived in seclusion at Okazaki (Note: compiled with reference to the Meigetsuki and the Heikōki). Afterward thieves broke in at times, and the Lady moved to Yotsutsuji to avoid them (Note: following the Heikōki). In the eighth month of the first year of Bun'ei (1264) she died. She was eighty-three (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden).

Minamoto-no-Zaishi

¶Minamoto-no-Zaishi was a daughter of Nōen, Shūgyō, Administrator of Hōshōji (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku, the Godai Teiō Monogatari, and the Masukagami). At the time of the disturbance of the Juei era, Nōen fled to the western provinces, while Zaishi remained in the capital with her mother, of the Fujiwara clan. Her mother became secretly involved with Minamoto-no-Michichika, Sangi, Counsellor (Note: following the Gukanshō; the account of the Fujiwara lady follows the Sonpi Bunmyaku), and Michichika treated Zaishi as his own daughter.

¶She entered the palace and was called Saishō-no-Kimi. She bore Emperor Tsuchimikado (Note: following the Masukagami and the Teiō Hennenki. The Nyoin Shōden says she was a daughter of Michichika, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior) and a certain Imperial Princess (Note: following the entry for the third year of Kangi in the Meigetsuki).

¶When the emperor (Go-Toba) was about to abdicate, no Crown Prince had yet been decided. In his mind were two princes, Atsuhito and Naganito, and he could not decide which to raise up. He observed purification, climbed the lime altar, and for seven days worshiped the gods of Ise. When he drew lots to divine the matter, the lot came up Atsuhito. The emperor's true wish was for Naganito, so he did not follow the divination and was greatly dissatisfied. Sitting before his meal tray he did not take up his chopsticks, and after long thought murmured, "What shall I do, what shall I do?" but those about him did not know the reason.

¶At that moment Zaishi was serving his meal. The emperor turned and said, "Go and tell Michichika: take particular care with the Imamiya's meals." Zaishi grasped his meaning and, unable to contain her joy, ran to tell Michichika. Michichika too was overjoyed. Prince Atsuhito in the end took the throne. This was Emperor Tsuchimikado.

¶Zaishi had originally borne the surname Fujiwara, but because the daughter of a monk could not become mother of the sovereign, she took Michichika as her father and used the surname Minamoto (Note: following the Godai Teiō Monogatari). Later, after her mother died, Zaishi became secretly involved with Michichika. Because of this the emperor's favor gradually waned (Note: following the Gukanshō).

¶On the accession of Emperor Tsuchimikado she was granted Junior Third Rank and the status of Jun-Sangū (Note: following the Narisuke-ō Ki, the Hyakurenshō, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the second year of Kennin (1202) she was presented with the title of Jōmeimon-in (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Ingō Jōbu Ruiki, citing the Sochi Nyūdō Ki and the Geki Ki). In the first year of Kenryaku (1211) she became a nun, with the Buddhist name Shinnyomyō (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden).

¶When Emperor Go-Saga was still before his accession, he lived with the Lady in the Tsuchimikado-dono. Even after he ascended the throne he visited the Tsuchimikado-dono often, and the people of the world regarded this as an honor (Note: following the Masukagami). In the seventh month of the first year of Shōka (1257) she died. She was eighty-seven (Note: following the Masukagami, the Rekidai Kōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Nyoin Shōden. The Hyakurenshō says eighty-six, and the Ichidai Yōki eighty-eight). The court suspended government for three days (Note: following the entry for the second year of Jōwa in the Enta Ryaku).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Nobukiyo, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Shomonzeki-fu, and the Ichidai Yōki. The Nyoin Shōden says she was a daughter of Nobutaka). She was called Nishi-no-Onkata (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki and the entry for the third year of Kanpei in the Heikōki), and also Bōmon-no-Tsubone (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the entry for the first year of Genkyū in the Nakasuke-ō Ki, and the Ichidai Yōki).

¶She bore Imperial Prince Naganito (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Shomonzeki-fu), Imperial Prince Yorihito (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki and the entry for the third year of Kanpei in the Heikōki. The Ichidai Yōki says he was born of Shōnagon-no-Naishi-no-suke, which is mistaken), and Kayōmon-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Nyoin Shōden). She accompanied the emperor (Go-Toba) into exile at Oki. After his death she returned to the capital (Note: following the entry for the third year of Kanpei in the Heikōki).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Sadayoshi, Dainagon, Major Counsellor. She was called Ōmiya-no-Tsubone. She bore Imperial Prince Son'en and the monk Gyōchō (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Lady Minamoto

¶Lady Minamoto was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Nobuyasu, Shōnagon, Lesser Counsellor (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). She was called Hyōe-no-kami-no-Tsubone (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki. The Kōin Shōunroku says Tanba-no-Tsubone). She bore Imperial Princess Shukushi (Note: following the Teiō Ki Shō).

Owari-no-Tsubone

¶Owari-no-Tsubone was a daughter of Kenshō, Hōgen, Dharma Eye. She bore Imperial Prince Asahito (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Shomonzeki-fu, and the Ichidai Yōki).

Tanba-no-Tsubone

¶Tanba-no-Tsubone was named Ishi, and her father made his living weaving bamboo blinds. She entered the palace as a dancing girl and received the emperor's favor (Note: following the Meigetsuki). Later she was called Uemon-no-kami. She bore Imperial Princess Kishi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶Taki and Himehōshi likewise entered the palace as dancing girls. Taki bore Imperial Prince Kakunin, a monk-prince (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku. The Ichidai Yōki says she was called Tanba-no-Tsubone, but the character for "gold" is not adopted). Himehōshi bore the monk Kakuyo (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Shomonzeki-fu), the monk Dōi, and the monk Dōen (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶[Emperor Tsuchimikado]

Empress Fujiwara (Reishi)

¶Emperor Tsuchimikado's Fujiwara Empress was named Reishi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Saneyori, Daijō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the second year of Genkyū (1205) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Kōtei Ki Shō, the Hyakurenshō, and the Nyoin Shōden) and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Hyakurenshō, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the seventh month she was installed as Empress (Note: following the Kōtei Ki Shō. The Ichidai Yōki gives the fourth month).

¶In the fourth year of Jōgen (1210) she was presented with the title of Inmeimon-in (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Shigō Zōki). In the third year of Jōkyū (1221) she became a nun (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Shōun Yōryaku. The Rekidai Kōki gives the second year of Jōkyū). In the ninth month of the first year of Kangen (1243) she died. She was fifty-nine (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden).

Minamoto-no-Michiko

¶The Naishi-no-suke, Principal Handmaid, Minamoto-no-Michiko was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Michimune, Sangi, Counsellor. She bore Emperor Go-Saga (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Kijoshō), Imperial Prince Ninjo, Imperial Prince Jōnin (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku. The Shomonzeki-fu says Jōnin was born of Jibu-kyō-no-Tsubone), and the Ōgimachi-in (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). In the seventh month of the third year of Ninji (1242) she was posthumously honored as Empress Dowager, and a mausoleum and a kokki-no-sai, an anniversary rite, were established for her (Note: following the Hyakurenshō. The posthumous elevation to Empress Dowager follows the Jinnō Shōtōki and the Ichidai Yōki).

Lady Takashina

¶The Naishi-no-jō, Handmaid, Lady Takashina was a daughter of Takashina-no-Nakasuke, Ōtoneri-no-kami, Director of the Palace Attendants (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku. The statement that he was Ōtoneri-no-kami follows the Takashina Keizu). She was called Mimasaka-no-Naishi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu). She bore Imperial Prince Dōnin (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki and the Shomonzeki-fu) and a certain Imperial Princess (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki).

Lady Minamoto

¶The Naishi-no-jō, Handmaid, Lady Minamoto was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Sadamitsu. She bore Shūshi (Note: compiled with reference to the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Lady Minamoto

¶Lady Minamoto was a younger sister, by the same mother, of the posthumous Empress Dowager (Minamoto-no-Michiko). She bore Shunshi (Note: compiled with reference to the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Norimitsu, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor. She was called Kunai-kyō-no-Tsubone. She bore Tomoko (Note: compiled with reference to the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). In the fifth month of the first year of Jōgen (1207) she died (Note: following the Meigetsuki).

Lady Minamoto

¶Lady Minamoto was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Arimasa, Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor. She bore Senkamon-in (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Sadakatsu, Hōin, Seal of the Law (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki; that she was of the Fujiwara clan follows the Sonpi Bunmyaku). She was called Jibu-kyō-no-Tsubone (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Shomonzeki-fu). She bore Imperial Prince Dōen (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu) and Nobuko (Note: compiled with reference to the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Lady Minamoto

¶Lady Minamoto was a daughter of Shōhen, Sōzu, Senior Prelate. She was called Sakyō-no-Daibu-no-Tsubone (Note: compiled with reference to the Ichidai Yōki and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). She bore Imperial Princess Junshi (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki).

A Certain Lady

¶This lady was a daughter of Kakuryō, Hōgen, Dharma Eye. She bore Imperial Prince Sonshu (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki. The Kōin Shōunroku and the Shomonzeki-fu write "Hōgen" as "Hokkyō," Dharma Bridge. The Ichidai Yōki writes "ryō" as "en").

A Certain Lady

¶This lady was a daughter of Enyo, Hōgen, Dharma Eye (Note: the Ichidai Yōki says she was a daughter of Kenson, Risshi, Master of the Discipline. The Teiō Hennenki writes "yo" as "ki"). She bore Imperial Prince Saijin (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Shomonzeki-fu).

A Certain Lady

¶This lady was a daughter of Jinne, Hōin, Seal of the Law. She bore Imperial Prince Sonjo (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Tanba-no-Tsubone

¶Tanba-no-Tsubone was a daughter of Un'ken, Hokkyō, Dharma Bridge. She bore Zeshi (Note: compiled with reference to the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

A Certain Lady

¶This lady was a daughter of Kenson, Risshi, Master of the Discipline. She bore the monk Zōnin (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki).

¶[Emperor Juntoku]

Empress Fujiwara (Tachiko)

¶Emperor Juntoku's Fujiwara Empress was named Tachiko and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Yoshitsune, Sesshō, Regent (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the third year of Jōgen (1209) she entered the household of the Crown Prince (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Hyakurenshō, and the Ichidai Yōki. The Rekidai Kōki gives the fourth year of Jōgen, which is mistaken). In the fourth year of Jōgen (1210) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Kōtei Ki Shō and the Nyoin Shōden) and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Kōtei Ki Shō, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden. The Ichidai Yōki gives the fifth year of Jōgen).

¶In the first year of Kenryaku (1211) she was granted the status of Jun-Sangū (Note: following the Narisuke-ō Ki) and was installed as Empress (Note: following the Kōtei Ki Shō, the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Teiō Hennenki). She bore the Deposed Emperor of Kujō (Emperor Chūkyō) (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki) and Meigimon-in (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki, the Kijoshō, and the Nyoin Shōden. The Ichidai Yōki writes "gi" as "ki" and makes her the child of a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Nobukiyo, which is mistaken).

¶The Empress was by nature grave and of few words, and was skilled at waka and the koto. After the Jōkyū disturbance she lived in seclusion in a mountain villa, constantly sunk in sorrow, and composed poems to ease her heart (Note: following the Masukagami). On the accession of Emperor Go-Horikawa she was presented with the title of Higashi-Ichijō-in (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Shōun Yōryaku, and the Shigō Zōki).

¶In the second year of Karoku (1226) she became a nun (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Shōun Yōryaku), with the Buddhist name Shōjōkan (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). In the twelfth month of the first year of Hōji (1247) she died. She was fifty-seven (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Nobukiyo, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior. She bore Eianmon-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Norimitsu, Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor. She bore Prince Hikonari and Imperial Prince Zentō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Lady Fujiwara

¶Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kiyosue, of Junior Third Rank. She bore Prince Tadanari (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). She also bore Imperial Prince Sonkaku and Imperial Prince Kakue (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Saishō-no-Tsubone

¶Saishō-no-Tsubone was a daughter of Kinmasa, Hōin, Seal of the Law. She bore a certain prince (Note: following the entry for the fifth year of Kenpō in the Ninnaji Hinami Ki).

¶[Deposed Emperor of Kujō]

A Certain Lady

¶The lady of the inner palace of the Deposed Emperor of Kujō (Emperor Chūkyō) whose name is unrecorded was a daughter of Shōkei, Hōin, Seal of the Law. She was called Ukyō-no-Daibu (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden. That she was a daughter of Shōkei follows the Kōin Shōunroku). She bore Watokumon-in (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶[Emperor Go-Horikawa]

Empress Fujiwara (Yūshi)

¶Emperor Go-Horikawa's Fujiwara Empress was named Yūshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kinfusa, Daijō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the first year of Jōō (1222) she was granted Junior Third Rank and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nyoin-ki and the Nyoin Shōden). In the second year of Jōō (1223) she was installed as Chūgū, and in the second year of Karoku (1226) her title was changed to Kōgō (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Rekidai Kōki).

¶At the time, the Empress's father, the Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Iezane, monopolized power, and so she could not remain in the palace and withdrew to Jōdoji. Even so the emperor's affection for her did not change; his longing never ceased, and letters passed between them (Note: following the Masukagami). In the first year of Antei (1227) she was presented with the title of Angimon-in (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, the Shōun Yōryaku, and the Shigō Zōki).

¶In the fourth year of Kangen (1246) she became a nun, with the Buddhist name Shinshōjō (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). In the second month of the ninth year of Kōan (1286) she died. She was eighty (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden).

Empress Fujiwara (Chōshi)

¶The Fujiwara Empress was named Chōshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Iezane, Kampaku (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Nyoin Shōden). In the second year of Karoku (1226) she was granted Junior Third Rank and became Nyōgo (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). Soon she became Empress. She was then nine years old (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Nyoin Shōden, and the Godai Teiō Monogatari).

¶She received no favor. In time Iezane was dismissed from office and the former Sesshō, Fujiwara-no-Michiie, became Kampaku; Michiie sought to bring his own daughter into the palace, and so the Empress withdrew to a separate residence (Note: following the Masukagami). In the first year of Kangi (1229) she was presented with the title of Takatsukasa-in (Note: following the Meigetsuki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki). She was made the quasi-mother (jun-bo) of Emperor Shijō (Note: following the entry for the third year of Katei in the Gyokuyō, and the Hyakurenshō).

¶In the fourth year of Kangen (1246) she became a nun (Note: following the Hyakurenshō and the Nyoin Shōden). Her Buddhist name was Renkashō (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). In the second month of the first year of Kenji (1275) she died. She was fifty-eight (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki and the Nyoin Shōden).

Empress Fujiwara (Shunshi)

¶The Fujiwara Empress was named Shunshi and was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Michiie, Kampaku (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the first year of Kangi (1229) she was granted Junior Third Rank and soon became Nyōgo, and in the second year of Kangi (1230) she became Chūgū (Note: following the Meigetsuki and the Nyoin Shōden). She bore Emperor Shijō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶In the first year of Tenpuku (1233) she was presented with the title of Sōhekimon-in (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Ingō Jōbu Ruiki, citing the Ban Ki and the Geki Ki).

¶When, at first, a title as an in was being added to Emperor Go-Toba's Empress (Ninshi), those deliberating proposed the name "Sōhekimon" for her, but Kanezane considered it ill-omened and had it changed to "Gishūmon-in." When the name was now about to be used for Shunshi, Gishūmon-in is said to have remarked to those about her, "Not long ago it was deemed ill-omened; is it now declared good?" This was presumably a reproach that Michiie did not know of his grandfather's (Kanezane's) deliberation. Just at the time the title was being deliberated, the Sōheki Gate collapsed, and people of the world regarded this as an ill omen (Note: following the Meigetsuki).

¶In the ninth month she gave birth to a prince, but the prince died young and Shunshi herself died as well. She was twenty-five (Note: following the Meigetsuki, the Hyakurenshō, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). The Empress was beautiful in appearance, and the favor shown her was unrivaled. It is said that before this the emperor had been ill in bed, and that, overcome with sorrow on the Empress's death, he too in the end died (Note: following the Masukagami).

Lady Fujiwara

¶The Naishi-no-suke, Principal Handmaid, Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Ieyuki, Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). She was called Bettō-no-Naishi-no-suke (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). She bore Muromachi-in and Shinsenmon-in (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden. The Kōin Shōunroku says they were born of Sōhekimon-in).

Lady Fujiwara

¶The Naishi-no-suke, Principal Handmaid, Lady Fujiwara was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kaneyoshi, Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor. She was called Dainagon-no-Tsubone (Note: following the entry for the third year of Kangi in the Meigetsuki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). She bore Imperial Princess Ikushi (Note: following the Meigetsuki and the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶[Emperor Shijō]

Fujiwara-no-Genshi

¶Emperor Shijō's Nyōgo Fujiwara-no-Genshi was a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Norizane, Sesshō, Regent (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden). In the second year of Ninji (1241) she was granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Hyakurenshō and the Nyoin Shōden). She became Nyōgo at the age of nine (Note: following the Masukagami. The Hyakurenshō says fourteen, and the Nyoin Shōden fifteen).

¶In the third year of Ninji (1242) she was granted the status of Jun-Sangū (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden), and in the first year of Kangen (1243) she was presented with the title of Senjinmon-in (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Nyoin Shōden). In the fourth year of Kangen (1246) she became a nun (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden and the Shōun Yōryaku), with the Buddhist name Shōjōa (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). In the first month of the second year of Kōchō (1262) she died (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Nyoin Shōden). She was thirty (Note: based on the Masukagami's statement that she was nine in the second year of Ninji. The Rekidai Kōki says twenty, and the Nyoin Shōden thirty-six).