Princess Muneko (統子内親王; 13 August 1126 – 20 July 1189), later known as Jōsaimon-in (上西門院), was a princess and an

Empress of Japan The Empress of Japan is the title given to the wife of the Emperor of Japan or a female ruler in her own right. In Japanese, the empress consort is called . The current empress consort is Empress Masako, who ascended the throne with her husband o ...

. She was the daughter of

Emperor Toba was the 74th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 鳥羽天皇 (74)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chr ...

and

Fujiwara no Tamako , also known as , was an Empress consort of Emperor Toba of Japan, and mother of Emperor Sutoku and Emperor Go-Shirakawa. She was the eldest daughter of . Life Tamako's father died when she was seven years old, and she was raised by the retir ...

. She served as Saiin at Kamo Shrine in 1127-1132. She retired from her service as priestess for health reasons. She served as honorary interim Empress of her nephew

Emperor Nijō was the 78th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1158 through 1165. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Morihito''-sh ...

awaiting the appointment of a permanent Empress. She retired when her nephew married his aunt, her half sister Princess Yoshiko (Nijō). In 1160, following her mother's example, she took ordination as a Buddhist nun at

Hōkongō-in Hōkongō-in (法金剛院) is a Buddhist temple in Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It is affiliated with Risshū (Buddhism). It was founded in 1130. See also * Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Kyoto *List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures) In th ...

Notes

Japanese empresses 1126 births 1189 deaths Japanese Buddhist nuns 12th-century Buddhist nuns Japanese princesses Japanese priestesses Daughters of emperors {{Japan-royal-stub