, also known as , was an empress consort of Japan. She was the consort of her cousin

Emperor Go-Reizei was the 70th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後冷泉天皇 (70)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Reizei's reign spanned the years 1045–1068. This 11th century sovereign was named after the ...

. She was the eldest daughter of

Emperor Go-Ichijō was the 68th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後一条天皇 (68)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 1016 through 1036. This 11th century sovereign was na ...

and

Fujiwara no Ishi Fujiwara no ''Ishi'' (藤原威子) (999–1036) was the Empress consort of Emperor Go-Ichijō of Japan. She was the third daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga. At the manor, she was trained by her older brother, Yorimichi, to be the empress. I ...

, and the sister of

Princess Kaoruko , also known as Saiin-no Kōgō (西院皇后), was an empress consort (''chūgū'') of her cousin Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan. She was the daughter of Emperor Go-Ichijō was the 68th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō' ...

Biography

Shōshi was proclaimed a princess shortly after her birth. Emperor Go-Ichijō had hoped for a son, but as his first child, Shōshi was much loved by both of her parents. She is said to have been a docile and beautiful princess. In 1030, along with her ceremony, she was conferred the rank of . In 1036, both of her parents died one after another, leaving her orphaned at a young age. She matured under the patronage of her grandmother, Jōtōmon-in.

Consort

After the death of

Fujiwara no Michinaga was a Japanese statesman. The Fujiwara clan's control over Japan and its politics reached its zenith under his leadership. Early life Michinaga was born in Kyōto, the son of Kaneiye. Kaneiye had become Regent in 986, holding the position unti ...

, his sons used the imperial harem as a stage for political competition. With

Fujiwara no Yorimichi (992–1071) was a Japanese court noble. He succeeded his father Michinaga to the position of Sesshō in 1017, and then went on to become Kampaku from 1020 until 1068. In both these positions, he acted as Regent to the Emperor, as many of his ...

's daughter still very young, it is thought that Shōshi may have been used as a sort of compromise candidate due to Jōtōmon-in's connection with Michinaga's family. In 1037, undergoing the rite of , she entered the court of her cousin, then-crown prince Chikahito, the future Emperor Go-Reizei, as crown princess. In 1045, she became a court lady as Chikahito ascended to the throne, and in 1046, Shōshi assumed the rank of chūgū. The

Eiga Monogatari is a Japanese ''monogatari'' which relates events in the life of courtier Fujiwara no Michinaga. It is believed to have been written by a number of authors, over the course of roughly a century, from 1028 to 1107. It is notable for giving high c ...

records that later, when Yorimichi's daughter

Hiroko is a common feminine Japanese given name. Name meanings Hiroko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *裕子, "kind child" *弘子, "Beautiful child" *寛子, " small child" *浩子, "large child" *博子, "wise child" *� ...

joined the court, Princess Shōshi preferred to remain in the rank of chūgū, instead of becoming kōgō as was usual. This may have been a response to an incident in which the previous emperor

Go-Suzaku was the 69th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後朱雀天皇 (69)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Suzaku's reign spanned the years from 1036 through 1045. This 11th-century sovereign was name ...

's chūgū

Princess Teishi , also known as , was an empress consort of Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan. She was the second cousin of her husband. Life She was the third daughter of Emperor Sanjō and the mother of Emperor Go-Sanjō. In 1023, she had her coming of age ceremo ...

, Shōshi's cousin, was pushed into the position of kōgō by the entry of Yorimichi's adopted daughter Genshi as chūgū and wound up alienated from the court. Even so, the naturally calm Shōshi expressed no dissatisfaction as her husband the emperor favored his other wives, and thus maintained a peaceful relationship with Yorimichi's faction. She never bore any children.

Later life

In 1068, Go-Reizei died, and in 1069, Shōshi cut her hair to become a nun. She assumed the rank of Grand Empress Dowager, and in 1074 became known as Nijō-in by imperial proclamation. She died in 1105, at age 80. Princess Shōshi's mausoleum, along with her father's, is at Bodaijuin no Misasagi in Kyoto.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoshi, Princess Japanese princesses Japanese empresses Japanese Buddhist nuns 11th-century Buddhist nuns 1027 births 1105 deaths Daughters of emperors