Empress Shōshi
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, also known as , the eldest daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, was Empress of Japan from 1000 to 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 was a Japanese novelist, Japanese poetry#Age of Nyobo or court ladies, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial court in the Heian period. She was best known as the author of ''The Tale of Genji'', widely considered t ...
, author of ''
The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...
''. By the age of 20, Shōshi had given birth to two sons for 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 Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
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 In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
to Emperor Seiwa—his young grandson—the
Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
dominated court politics until the end of the 11th century, through strategic marriages of Fujiwara daughters into the imperial family and the use of regencies. Fujiwara no Michinaga had four daughters he arranged to marry to emperors. At this period emperors held little power, holding a nominal position for rituals, and often too young to make decisions. In their stead, the top position in the power structure was held by a regent, with power often measured by the how closely the regent was tied by family relationships to an emperor. In 995, Michinaga's two brothers Fujiwara no Michitaka and Fujiwara no Michikane died in rapid succession, leaving the regency vacant; Michinaga won a power struggle against his nephew Fujiwara no Korechika, brother to Emperor Ichijō's wife Teishi, aided by his sister Senshi (mother to Emperor Ichijō, as Emperor En'yū's wife). Because Teishi supported Korechika—later discredited and banished from court—her base of power disintegrated. Four years later Michinaga sent Shōshi, his eldest daughter, to Emperor Ichijō's harem when she was about 12.McCullough (1990), 201 She became Imperial Consort, nyogo of the emperor. A year after placing Shōshi in the imperial harem, in an effort to undermine Teishi's influence and increase Shōshi's standing, Michinaga had her named Empress although Teishi already held the title. As historian Donald Shively explains, "Michinaga shocked even his admirers by arranging for the unprecedented appointment of Teishi (or Sadako) and Shōshi as concurrent empresses of the same emperor, Teishi holding the usual title of "Lustrous Heir-bearer" ''kōgō'' and Shōshi that of "Inner Palatine" (''chūgū''), a toponymically derived equivalent coined for the occasion". She went on to hold the title(s) of Empress Dowager (''Kōtaigō'') and Grand Empress Dowager (''Taikōtaigō'').


Ladies-in-waiting

To give Shōshi prestige and to make her competitive in a court that valued education and learning, Michinaga sought talented, educated and interesting ladies-in-waiting to build a salon to rival that of Teishi and Seishi (daughter of
Emperor Murakami The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...
). Michinaga invited
Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, Japanese poetry#Age of Nyobo or court ladies, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial court in the Heian period. She was best known as the author of ''The Tale of Genji'', widely considered t ...
, author of ''
The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...
'', to Shōshi's court, where she joined
Izumi Shikibu was a mid-Heian period Japanese people, Japanese poet. She is a member of the . She was the contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, and Akazome Emon at the court of empress Empress Shōshi, Joto Mon'in. She "is considered by many to have been the gr ...
and Akazome Emon. Later Ise no Taifu, a talented poet and musician also joined. At Teishi's court as lady-in-waiting was writer
Sei Shōnagon , or , was a Japanese author, poet, and 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 amon ...
, author of The '' Pillow Book''. The women at the two empresses' courts wrote some of the best-known and enduring
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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
literature. Although she lived in the Imperial palace, Shōshi's main residence for was in one or another of her father's many mansions, particularly after the Imperial palace burned down in 1005.Bowring (2005), xxiv Shōshi was about 16 when Murasaki joined her court, probably to teach her Chinese. Japanese literature scholar
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 ...
describes Shōshi as a serious young lady based on a passage from Murasaki who wrote in her diary: "As the years go by Her Majesty is beginning to acquire more experience of life, and no longer judges others by the same rigid standards as before; but meanwhile her Court has gained a reputation for extreme dullness, and is shunned by all who can manage to avoid it".Waley (1960), viii Moreover, Murasaki describes advice Shōshi gave to her ladies-in-waiting to avoid appearing too flirtatious:
Her Majesty does indeed still constantly warn us that it is a great mistake to go too far, 'for a single slip may bring very unpleasant consequences,' and so on, in the old style; but she now also begs us not to reject advances in such a way as to hurt people's feelings. Unfortunately, habits of long standing are not so easily changed; moreover, now that the Empress's exceedingly stylish brothers bring so many of their young courtier-friends to amuse themselves at her house, we have in self-defence been obliged to become more virtuous than ever'.


Mother to two emperors

Shōshi gave Ichijō two sons, in 1008 and 1009. The births are described in detail in Murasaki's '' The Diary of Lady Murasaki''. The boys were born at their grandfather's Tsuchimikado mansion, with
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
priests in attendance.Mulhern, (1991), 86 With her first son Atsuhira, Shōshi had a difficult birth; to appease evil spirits she underwent a ritual
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, practicalit ...
, although only a lock of hair was cut.Groner (2002), 281 This ritual was considered to have been a minor ordination, or ''jukai'' into Buddhism, for the purpose of receiving divine protection when her life, and that of her unborn infant, was at risk. Ritual ceremonies were followed on specific days after the births. As was customary, Michinaga's first visit to Shōshi took the form of a lavish ritual 16 days after she gave birth. In her diary, Murasaki described the clothing of one woman in attendance, "Her mantle had five cuffs of white lined with dark red, and her crimson gown was of beaten silk". On the 50th day after the birth a ceremony was held in which the infant was offered a piece of
mochi A mochi ( ; Japanese ) is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain Japonica rice, japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the ...
; Michinaga performed the ritual offering of the rice cake to his grandson Atsuhira. In her diary Murasaki described the event that she probably attended. Michinaga's influence meant that Shōshi's two sons had a better chance of ascending the throne than Teishi's children—particularly after Teishi's death in 1001. When Ichijō abdicated in 1011 and died soon after,Adolphson (2007), 31 Shōshi's eldest son, the future Emperor Go-Ichijō, was named crown prince.Shively and McCullough (1999), 67–69 At that time Shōshi retired from the Imperial Palace to live in a Fujiwara mansion in the
Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...
region, most likely accompanied by Murasaki.Shirane (1987), 221 In 1016 when Michinaga had Emperor Sanjō—married to Shōshi's younger sister Kenshi—removed from the throne, Go-Ichijō became emperor. Shōshi's second son, Go-Suzaku, became crown prince in 1017. With an emperor and a crown prince as sons, Shōshi's position was secure and she became a powerful influence at court. For many years Shōshi's power extended to selecting friends and relatives to fill court positions and to approving consorts—decisions that affected the imperial court. The consorts she selected were her father's direct descendants, thus she asserted control of her father's lineage for many years.


Imperial Lady

It was not uncommon for Heian aristocratic women to take religious vows, become ''nyūdō'', and yet remain in secular life. As her father and her aunt Seishi had done before her, at 39 in 1026, Shōshi underwent an ordination ceremony to become a Buddhist nun. This was done at a lavish ceremony, at a place decorated with gold-leafed illustrated folding screens, priceless gifts were displayed, and courtiers, dressed in sumptuous costumes, were in attendance. The ritual was performed by five priests, three representing the most senior hierarchy of the Buddhist priesthood, one of whom was Shōshi's cousin who performed the hair-cutting ceremony, in which her long hair was cut shoulder-length, called ''amasogi'' style. At this time she assumed the name Jōtōmon-in. This, her second ''jukai'', symbolized a transition from Empress to Imperial Lady, a change of lifestyle, and marked her as a novice nun. However, research suggests that political power was gained rather than lost when becoming Imperial Ladies, despite relinquishing imperial duties and devoting themselves to Buddhist rites. As was the custom for noblewomen of her period, Shōshi took ordination rites in steps; much later in life, in yet another ritual, she received full vows and at that time underwent a full shaving of her head.Meeks, 52–57 The first two empresses to take title of Imperial Lady were Seishi, later followed by Shōshi. With the title came a new residence and permission to hire men for the household. Shōshi's role as Imperial Lady, as documented in the '' Eiga Monogatari'', was studied and emulated by imperial women who were to follow her as Imperial Ladies.Meeks, 58 She died in 1074 aged 86.


References


Sources

* Adolphson, Mikhael; Kamens, Edward and Matsumoto, Stacie. ''Heian Japan: Centers and Peripheries''. (2007). Honolulu: Hawaii UP. * Bowring, Richard John (ed). "Introduction". in ''The Diary of Lady Murasaki''. (2005). London: Penguin. * Groner, Paul. ''Ryōgen and Mount Hiei: Japanese Tendai in the tenth century''. (2002). Kuroda Institute. * Henshall, Kenneth G. ''A History of Japan''. (1999). New York: St. Martin's. * Meeks, Lori. "Reconfiguring Ritual Authenticity: The Ordination Traditions of Aristocratic Women in Premodern Japan". (2006) ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies''. Volume 33, Number 1. 51–74 * McCullough, Helen. ''Classical Japanese Prose: An Anthology''. (1990). Stanford CA: Stanford UP. * Mulhern, Chieko Irie. ''Heroic with Grace: Legendary Women of Japan''. (1991). Armonk NY: M.E. Sharpe. * Mulhern, Chieko Irie. ''Japanese Women Writers: a Bio-critical Sourcebook''. (1994). Westport CT: Greenwood Press. * Shirane, Haruo. ''The Bridge of Dreams: A Poetics of "The Tale of Genji''". (1987). Stanford CA: Stanford UP. , 58 * Shively, Donald and McCullough, William H. ''The Cambridge History of Japan: Heian Japan''. (1999). Cambridge UP. * Waley, Arthur. "Introduction". in Shikibu, Murasaki, ''The Tale of Genji: A Novel in Six Parts''. translated by Arthur Waley. (1960). New York: Modern Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoshi, Empress 988 births 1074 deaths People of the Heian period Nyoin Japanese empresses consort Japanese Buddhist nuns 11th-century Buddhist nuns Buddhist nuns of the Heian period Mothers of Japanese emperors