, 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 List of emperors of Japan, order of succession.
Go-Reizei's reign spanned the years Heian period, 1045–1068.
This ...
. 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 n ...
and
Fujiwara no Ishi, and the sister of
Princess Kaoruko.
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 Kaneie. Kaneie had become Regent in 986, holding the position unt ...
, 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 empress of Japan is the title given to the wife of the Emperor of Japan or a female ruler in her own right. The current empress consort is Empress Masako, who ascended the throne with her husband on 1 May 2019.
Empress regnant
Titles
* ...
. The
Eiga Monogatari
is a Japanese ''monogatari'' and epic account that relates events in the life of the imperial courtier Fujiwara no Michinaga. It is believed to have been written by a number of authors between 1028 and 1107 during the Heian era. It is notable for ...
records that later, when Yorimichi's daughter
Hiroko 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 nam ...
's chūgū
Princess Teishi, 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.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoshi, Princess
Japanese empresses consort
Japanese Buddhist nuns
11th-century Buddhist nuns
1027 births
1105 deaths
Daughters of Japanese emperors