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Empress Shōshi
, also known as , the eldest daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, was Empress of Japan from c. 1000 to c. 1011. Her father sent her to live in the Emperor Ichijō's harem at age 12. Because of his power, influence and political machinations she quickly achieved the status of . As empress she was able to surround herself with a court of talented and educated ladies-in-waiting such as Murasaki Shikibu, author of '' The Tale of Genji''. By the age of 20, she bore two sons to Ichijō, both of whom went on to become emperors and secured the status of the Fujiwara line. In her late 30s she took vows as a Buddhist nun, renouncing imperial duties and titles, assuming the title of Imperial Lady. She continued to be an influential member of the imperial family until her death at age 86. Empress In the middle of the 9th century Fujiwara no Yoshifusa declared himself regent to Emperor Seiwa—his young grandson—the Fujiwara clan dominated court politics until the end of the 11th century, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 named after the 10th-century Emperor Suzaku and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Suzaku". The Japanese word "''go''" has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Suzaku, the second" or as "Suzaku II." Biography Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Atsunaga''-shinnō'' (敦良親王). His father was Emperor Ichijō. His mother was Fujiwara no Akiko/ Shōshi (藤原彰子), the daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga (藤原道長). He was the younger brother and heir to Emperor Go-Ichijō. Go-Suzaku had five Empresses and seven Imperial children.Brown, p. 311. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fujiwara No Teishi
, also known as Sadako, was an empress consort of the Japanese Emperor Ichijō. She appears in the literary classic ''The Pillow Book'' written by her court lady Sei Shōnagon. Life She was the first daughter of Fujiwara no Michitaka (藤原道隆). She was arranged to marry the Emperor upon the ceremony of his age of majority. She was given the title of Empress, her father was formally appointed regent to the Emperor, and her sister was later married to the Emperor's cousin and Crown Prince. Empress consort of Japan She became the second consort, with the title Chugu, to Emperor Konone. Empress Teishi hosted a literary and cultural court, and Sei Shōnagon was appointed her lady-in-waiting. In 995, a series of events unfolded which deteriorated her position. Her father died and was succeeded as regent by his rival, her uncle Fujiwara no Michinaga, and her brothers were exiled from court. The regent her uncle made his daughter Fujiwara no Shōshi the second consort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Head Shaving
Head shaving is a form of body modification which involves shaving the hair from a person's head. People throughout history have shaved all or part of their heads for diverse reasons including aesthetics, convenience, culture, fashion, practicality, punishment, a rite of passage, religion, or style. Early history The earliest historical records describing head shaving are from ancient Mediterranean cultures such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Egyptian priest class ritualistically removed all hair from head to toe by plucking it. As a symbol of subordination Enslaved peoples In many cultures throughout history, cutting or shaving the hair on men has been seen as a sign of subordination. In ancient Greece and much of Babylon, long hair was a symbol of economic and social power, while a shaved head was the sign of a slave. This was a way of the slave-owner establishing the slave's body as their property by literally removing a part of their personhood and individuality. Military T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in History of India, northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and Silk Road transmission of Buddhism, gradually spread throughout much of Asia via the Silk Road. It is the Major religious groups, world's fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers (Buddhists) who comprise seven percent of the global population. The Buddha taught the Middle Way, a path of spiritual development that avoids both extreme asceticism and hedonism. It aims at liberation from clinging and craving to things which are impermanent (), incapable of satisfying ('), and without a lasting essence (), ending the cycle of death and rebirth (). A summary of this path is expressed in the Noble Eightfold Path, a Bhavana, training of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Diary Of Lady Murasaki
is the title given to a collection of diary fragments written by the 11th-century Japanese Heian era lady-in-waiting and writer Murasaki Shikibu. It is written in kana, then a newly-developed writing system for vernacular Japanese, more common among women, who were generally unschooled in Chinese. Unlike modern diaries or journals, 10th-century Heian diaries tend to emphasize important events more than ordinary day-to-day life and do not follow a strict chronological order. The work includes vignettes, poems, and an epistolary section written in the form of a long letter. The diary was probably written between 1008 and 1010 when Murasaki was in service at the imperial court. The largest portion details the birth of Empress Shōshi's (Akiko) children. Shorter vignettes describe interactions among imperial ladies-in-waiting and other court writers, such as Izumi Shikibu, Akazome Emon and Sei Shōnagon. Murasaki includes her observations and opinions throughout, bringing to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Waley
Arthur David Waley (born Arthur David Schloss, 19 August 188927 June 1966) was an English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Among his honours were the CBE in 1952, the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1953, and he was invested as a Companion of Honour in 1956. Although highly learned, Waley avoided academic posts and most often wrote for a general audience. He chose not to be a specialist but to translate a wide and personal range of classical literature. Starting in the 1910s and continuing steadily almost until his death in 1966, these translations started with poetry, such as ''A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems'' (1918) and ''Japanese Poetry: The Uta'' (1919), then an equally wide range of novels, such as '' The Tale of Genji'' (1925–26), an 11th-century Japanese work, and ''Monkey'', from 16th-century China. Waley also presented and translated Chinese philosophy, wrote bio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heian Era
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Two types of Japanese script emerged, including katakana, a phonetic script which was abbreviated into hiragana, a cursive alphabet with a unique writing method distinctive to Japan. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court women who were not as educated in Chinese compared to their male counterparts. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocrat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pillow Book
is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The work is a collection of essays, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages that have little connection to one another except for the fact that they are ideas and whims of Shōnagon's spurred by moments in her daily life. In it she included lists of all kinds, personal thoughts, interesting events in court, poetry, and some opinions on her contemporaries. While it is mostly a personal work, Shōnagon's writing and poetic skill makes it interesting as a work of literature, and it is valuable as a historical document. Shōnagon meant her writing in ''The Pillow Book'' for her eyes only, but part of it was accidentally revealed to the Court during her life: "she inadvertently left it er writingon a cushion she put out for a visiting guest, who eagerly carried it of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sei Shōnagon
was a Japanese author, poet, and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of . Name Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among aristocrats in those days to call a court lady by a nickname taken from a court office belonging to her father or husband.Keene 1999 : 412. derives from her father's family name "Kiyohara" (the native Japanese reading of the first character is , while the Sino-Japanese reading is ), while refers to a government post. Her relationship to this post is unknown, though—neither her father nor either of her two husbands held such a post. Bun'ei Tsunoda has suggested that it may have belonged to a third husband, perhaps Fujiwara no Nobuyoshi.Keene 1999 : 412, citing (427, note 3) Tsunoda 1975 : 30-32. Her actual name has been a topic of debate among scholars, and the name is a possibility. Early life Little is known about her life excep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akazome Emon
was a Japanese ''waka'' poet and early historian who lived in the mid-Heian period. She is a member both of the and the . Biography Akazome Emon's year of birth is unknown, but she was likely born between Tentoku 1 (957) and Kōhō 1 (964). She was officially the daughter of Akazome Tokimochi (赤染時用), but the late-Heian karonsho (book of poetic criticism) ' records that her biological father was her mother's first husband, Taira no Kanemori. A poetic exchange between Emon and Fujiwara no Michitaka, dating to around Ten'en 2 (974) to Jōgen 2 (977), when she was likely in her late teens, is the earliest dateable event in her life. At roughly this time, she went to serve in the household of Minamoto no Masanobu, and for a long time thereafter she served his daughter Rinshi ( ja), the wife of Fujiwara no Michinaga. It was also around this time (Ten'en–Jōgen) that she married , a Confucian scholar and poet of both ''waka'' and '' kanshi''. They had a son, , a daugh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Izumi Shikibu
was a mid-Heian period Japanese poet. She is a member of the . She was the contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, and Akazome Emon at the court of empress Joto Mon'in. She "is considered by many to have been the greatest woman poet of the Heian period". Her legacy includes 242 poems and two '' kashu''. "Torn between worldly ties and physical desire, Izumi Shikibu left a wealth of passionate love poetry, fueling rumors that purported that she was a femme fatale with numerous lovers besides her two husbands and two princely lovers." Early life Izumi Shikibu was the daughter of Oe no Masamune, governor of Echizen. Her mother was the daughter of Taira no Yasuhira, governor of Etchu. In 995, at the age of 20, Izumi was married to Tachibana no Michisada, governor of Izumi, the origin for her name. Their daughter was born in 997, Koshikibu no Naishi, who also became a poet. However, Izumi soon divorced, and her former husband died soon afterwards. Introduction by Amy Lowell. As ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Murakami
was the 62nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 村上天皇 (62)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Murakami's reign spanned the years from 946 to his death in 967. Biography Before he ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (''imina'') was Nariakira''-shinnō'' (成明親王). Nariakira''-shinnō'' was the 14th son of Emperor Daigo, and the younger brother of Emperor Suzaku by another mother. Murakami had ten Empresses and Imperial consorts and 19 Imperial sons and daughters. Events of Murakami's reign In 944, he was appointed crown prince and ascended the throne two years later. * 16 May 946 ('' Tengyō 9, 13th day of the 4th month''): In the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Suzaku (朱雀天皇十六年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (the ''senso'') was received by his younger brother, Nariakira-shinnō. * 31 May 946 (''Tengyō 9, 28th day of the 4th month''): Shortly thereafter, Emperor Muraka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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