Although the Novice Lord, Michinaga, had passed away, the presence of Regent Yorimichi, Palace Minister Norimichi, Retired Empress Shōshi, Empress Ishi, and the numerous other lords was truly worthy of celebration.[1] The absence of Principal Handmaid Kishi and Senior Empress Kenshi was certainly lamentable, but how could everything be as one wished? One could not help feeling that when the Shining Genji vanished from the world, such must have been the mood. Those who were left behind could not have been more impressive, yet, they, too, continued to mourn the novice’s passing, a situation that might be, one imaged, akin to the one in which the Akashi Empress, Minister of the Right Yūgiri, and Captain Kaoru found themselves after Genji’s death. With deep emotion, the novice’s children felt as though the world were truly reaching its end.
Retired Empress Shōshi (Jōtōmon’in) was the mother of both Emperor Go-Ichijō and Crown Prince Atsunaga. Because she had the taken the status of a retired empress, she always traveled to her father’s hall at Hōjōji in a carriage, which also happily allowed her to visit the palace more freely than otherwise.[2] She had the utmost respect of everyone, beginning with her brothers. That even commoners adored her was not surprising.
The most well-born attendants, always alert and never raising their voices, staffed her elegant household with attentive care. Since the retired empress liked all that was beautiful, even now, young women waited upon her at her residence, the epitome of courtliness. The sight was most impressive. Beginning with their wardrobe, all the female attendants competed with one another, thinking, I won’t be outdone. Trying to outwit each other, they hid their faces behind their fans as they served their mistress. Still, they hardly made a rustle as they moved so gracefully, creating a most refined atmosphere. The attendants of Senior Grand Empress Kenshi had presented an altogether different impression with their flowery brilliance, the brothers fondly recalled.
Empress Ishi flourished at the court, and there was no one else comparable to her. The way she waited upon the emperor, as though they were a normal couple, was quite delightful. Since the empress prospered, beautiful young women and girls naturally gathered around her to serve her. Wet nurses, too, filled the household, as the number of children increased, all to auspicious effect.[3] Although Ishi already had the good fortune of her discernment and birth, looking upon her splendid state, her brothers wondered how a person could be any more complete in everything.
Aside from Michinaga’s children by Lady Rinshi, Takamatsudono [Meishi] had given birth to three of his sons: Master of the Crown Prince’s Household Yorimune, Provisional Master of the Empress’s Household Yoshinobu, and Provisional Major Counselor Nagaie. The middle daughter, Sonshi, had married Captain of the Right Gate Guards Morofusa. Their wedding has already been mentioned in an earlier chapter, so I will not talk about it again.[4]
The empress had two daughters, but their lack of sons was regretted by the emperor, the empress, and her brothers. One of the daughters, Princess Shōshi, was supposed to have her “Putting On of the Trousers,” but because she had been wearing mourning for the novice last year, she had the ceremony when she was five years old.[5] It was held during the middle of the 12th Month.[6] The emperor and the empress spent a great deal of care on the event. Moreover, since Lord Yorimichi continued to look after her attentively, as when the former Lord Michinaga was alive, the affair was truly magnificent, so much so that my words can hardly be adequate. Layered over solid scarlet inner robes, the women wore grape-colored robes with willow-green jackets.[7] The high-ranking attendants who could wear the forbidden colors wore jackets made of a doubled-layered fabric with woven patterns, whereas the others, without being told to do so, stenciled illustrations or embroidered their jackets in a bid to outdo each other. When the emperor arrived to tie the strings of his daughter’s trousers, he declared, upon seeing her so beautifully attired, that she was truly incomparable. The second princess, Keishi, was also very beautiful, a suitable match to her elder sister. The night sped away amidst the bustle.
The next day, the emperor went over to the Fujitsubo, and called forth the senior nobles, who had gathered outside the blinds. “Let’s have some poems,” he said. So Yoshinobu took up an unglazed wine cup and passed it to Regent Yorimichi, who then declared, “It would be a shame if we let this occasion go by like this. Someone ought to jot down a record.” Yoshinobu thus proceeded to compose the preface to the day’s poems. He wrote out their topic, which was “celebration.”[8]
Yoshinobu:
Neither to whom nor to anything, no need to compare her life—
For our princess’s life will pass a thousand ages, without ever a final age.
たがためと何かたとへむ君が世は万世を経て尽くる世もなし
The regent:
May our princess, the pine, grow tall,
above the clouds, that unchanging realm, will then be evergreen.
姫松の木高くなればうつろはぬ雲の上こそ緑なりけれ
The palace minister:
The pine whose future lies far beyond,
grows ever tied to the tall tree’s shadow.[9]
生ひ添はる行末遠き姫松と木高き蔭と結びつるかな
Tadanobu:
As dust grows on the turtle’s back as it crosses the seas,
surely will our princess’s years turn into that mountain.
わたつ海の亀の背中にゐる塵の山となるべき君が御世かな
There were many other poems, but thinking them superfluous, I did not record any more. Some music followed, and people received gifts. On this day, the female attendants wore white under-robes, and deep red, upper robes with jackets in the plum-color combination. Their sleeves and trains spilled out from beneath the blinds, their various colors reflecting off of one another to create a wonderful effect. The following day, the women wore pink robes under jackets the color of fresh foliage. Thus, for three days, the costumes were of the utmost beauty. The emperor’s wet nurses, Daini no Sanmi, Mimasaka no Sanmi, and Kōzuke, all arrived, but sat modestly behind blinds, under which their garments showed. With this ceremony, the first princess achieved first rank, and received income from the appointment of annual ranks and offices.[10] She thus presented a most splendid figure, but the emperor still lamented his lack of male offspring.
Palace Minister Norimichi had three girls and four boys.[11] His eldest daughter, Seishi 生子 (1014–1068), was known as Mikushigedono [Mistress of the Wardrobe]. He had long sincerely wished that she would enter the palace, so he sent a memorial to this effect. The emperor [Go-Ichijō] had similar ideas, and was eager to proceed, but he did not say anything in deference to Empress Ishi 中宮威子 (1000–1036), making it impossible for Norimichi to make his proposal public. The empress thought to herself that should such a thing happen, she, past the prime of her womanhood, would not be able to stay at the palace, where everything was then bound to cause her anguish. Yes, she would have to go back home in that case, she thought. When her mother, Takatsukasadono Rinshi, heard what the empress was contemplating, she remonstrated with her without mincing words.
The master of the crown prince’s household, Yorimune, also had many children.[12] Although he had not foreseen the match, he had had welcomed Koichijōin as his eldest daughter’s husband after the death of Kanshi, the Takamatsudono consort. This daughter was known as the Retired Emperor’s Lady (In no Ue). His middle daughter, Enshi 延子, was adopted by the earlier princess of the first rank, Shūshi, since the princess had been living by herself without much to do.[13] The princess had raised Enshi with much care, and Yorimune, too, thought of presenting this daughter to the palace, but the difficulties Norimichi was having with Seishi convinced him otherwise.
Princess Shūshi 修子 (997–1049) was the daughter of Retired Emperor Ichijō and Empress Teishi, so she was the current emperor’s [half-]sister. The two of them exchanged letters, and attendants went back and forth between them. Whenever the emperor visited his mother, Jōtōmon’in, at the Tsuchimikado mansion, the princess would accompany him and meet with Her Eminence as well. The princess’s uncle was Dazaifu Governor Korechika, whose daughter was Yorimune’s principal wife. So Yorimune had an inseparable relationship to the princess, which was no doubt why she acquiesced to adopting Enshi. She lived at the Sanjō palace. Her calligraphy was quite accomplished, and she enjoyed music as well. Her attendants played the koto and the biwa, and she often performed together with exceptional charm. Enshi, too, was quite talented, playing the seven-stringed koto marvelously. The princess was quite refined and beautiful.
Prince Atsuyasu, the minister of the ceremonial of the first rank, had only one daughter, Genshi 嫄子 (1016–1039), borne by the sister of Takahime, the second daughter of Prince Tomohira of central affairs. There were rumors that she, too, would be presented to the palace, but Yorimichi told the empress, “Please do not be suspicious. I don’t know what others may be thinking, yet how could I consider such a thing.”[14] Norimichi’s daughter, Mikushigedono, was also very talented in calligraphy, composing poems and even writing Chinese characters. She was pretty as well, with sumptuous hair.
To go on speaking like this about people of high-birth pains me, for it would have been better to have refrained. But then, what could I speak of—either from the past or present—that would be as splendid? The empress was about thirty-one or two at this time. Hearing this, one might quickly assume that she had aged, but, in fact, she was impressive, still quite youthful and at the height of womanhood. She possessed a fine discernment, and was very thoughtful. With her father gone, everything around her past its prime, she could not take anything for granted, she reflected, especially when she compared to herself to those just ready to bloom at the height of their youth, pampered extravagantly by their impressive sponsors. She would not let herself be drawn alongside them in vain competition, she resolved. For his part, the emperor declared to her, “More than ever, I intend to hold you dear. I only worry that someone will utter something to distress you.” In her general comportment, her style, and her discernment, she was truly peerless, yet in her heart, she harbored such troubling thoughts.[15]
Day by the day, her daughters, the princesses Shōshi and Keishi, were maturing more beautifully than ever. Even as the empress looked after them attentively, however, she lamented her lack of sons and worried about the future. The emperor adored the first princess beyond anything. But the second princess was viewed indifferently by many, a situation that was hurtful to the empress, who thought to herself that her younger daughter was no less inferior, and quite pretty. So the two parents had slightly differing preferences, but they both loved their daughters greatly.
The first princess lived in the eastern side of the Fujitsubo; the western side was occupied by the second. Bustling about, the senior nobles provided the furnishing for the first princess’s room. As for the second princess’s room, officials from the empress’s household all came to furnish it. Each style of decorating had its particular charms. The emperor then divided the nobles, and the empress divided the female attendants to mind each of the princesses’ needs. This was because, as one would expect, some women adamantly expressed their preference to serve the first princess.[16]
For a long time, the Kamo priestess was the tenth princess of Emperor Murakami, Senshi 選子 (964–1035), but upon her resignation, it was decided that the Second Princess, Keishi, would take her place.[17] Both the emperor and the empress could not have been more disappointed. She had just turned three this year, and for her age, her hair was quite long. Once she became the priestess, she would not be able to have her hair cut, so without delay, they undertook the kamisogi ceremony, having her very long and lustrous hair trimmed.[18] Her temperament was docile, and the emperor could not part with her for a moment, so he must have found her very dear to his heart. He continued to lament her selection without bounds.[19]
I had almost forgotten to mention that when the chamberlain and major counselor, Yukinari, had passed away,[20] Kintō, the Novice Major Counselor, also known as the Shijō Major Counselor, composed the following poem:
In front of our very eyes, he has turned into smoke—
how pitiful, indeed, the house consumed by hellish fire.
見るままに人は煙となり果てぬごふ火の家はあはれなりけり[21]
Among those people in this world considered to be particularly refined were: Minister of Popular Affairs Tadanobu, Minamoto Consultant Yorisada (who was the son of Minister of Ceremonial Prince Tamehira), and Middle Captain Sanenari (who was the son of former Chancellor Kinsue). About this time, Sanenari was the right military guards captain, a middle counselor, and concurrently held the post of the senior assistant governor general of Dazaifu. He had one son, Kinnari the consultant, who was also called the Shigenoi captain of the military guards. Kinnari cut an impressive figure, and was an imposing senior noble. Sanenari also had a daughter, who was the wife of Yoshinobu, the provisional master of the empress’s household. Another daughter took Middle Counselor Akimoto for her husband. He was the son of the late Minamoto minister of the ceremonial, Toshikata, but was adopted by Regent Yorimichi. She died upon giving birth to a son, who was now about fifteen or sixteen. He is called Suketsuna the lesser captain.
Captain Kinnari had one daughter, Moshi 茂子, with the Shigenoi Lady.[22] Yoshinobu’s wife adopted her, however, and was raising her with devotion. Kinnari had also introduced into his home a daughter of Empress Ishi’s wet-nurse. She was called Miya no Naishi, and her appearance was very pleasing to the eye.
After losing two of his wives in succession, the empress’s younger brother, Nagaie the provisional major counselor, had thought that he could no longer live in this world. Despite his sentiments, he took a liking to a woman called Chūjō no Kimi, an attendant in the retinue of Retired Empress Shōshi.[23] Together they had many sons.[24]
Perhaps because of a bond from an earlier life, Regent Yorimichi was in a relationship not as public as the others. It was with a woman who attended to his mother, Rinshi, the esteemed nun. He found her to be quite dear to him, and visited her surreptitiously. She eventually found herself in an irregular state, and one began to hear that she was going to have his child. But, deferring to his wife, Takahime, and how she might feel, Yorimichi refrained from telling her. It was said that the woman was the daughter of the former minister of the ceremonial, Prince Tomohira.[25]
After retiring as the Kamo priestess, Senshi meet with her elder brother, the novice minister of war, Prince Munehira (951–1041). She recited:
Today it hits me: we would not be here,
had you not lived beyond these eighty years.
今日ぞ思ふ君にあはでややみなまし八十(やそぢ)余りの年なかりせば
It had truly been a long time since they had last met.[26] The princess had become the priestess when she still very young, and the prince had then taken the tonsure, so how could they have seen each other? They were brother and sister.[27]
I had almost forgotten to mention that while Senshi was still the Kamo priestess, the senior nobles went on a flower-viewing excursion.[28] She sent them the following poem:
None remaining, you were going to visit them all—yet within the sacred ropes,
these flowers, alas, were not flowers.
残りなく尋ぬなれども注連(しめ)のうちの花は花にもあらぬなりけり
Yorimune responded:
Lashed by the winds, we first visited the mountainside—
the flowers within the sacred ropes would not scatter, we thought.
風をいたみまづぞ山べを尋ねつる注連結ふ花は散らじと思ひて
Senshi’s response, according to the collection, was:[29]
None to remain, spring’s coming passing means petals surely scattering—
Do not begrudge these final flowers, oh wind.
残りなくなりぬる春に散りぬべき花ばかりをばねたまざらなん
Minister of Popular Affairs Tadanobu sent the following poem to Regent Yorimichi:
That person—with whom I viewed flowers in the past—has gone again,
but in old age, even spring has forgotten about me.[30]
いにしへの花見し人は尋ねしを老いは春にも忘られにけり
He must have been remembering how the Lord Novice, Michinaga, would invite him before any of the others for these kinds of occasions. Tadanobu was the second son of Minister Tamemitsu of Hōjūji. The regent replied:
Even the spirit in which we go to view the flowers,
that does not feel like the springs of past.
尋ねんと思ふ心もいにしへの春にはあらぬ心地こそすれ
So the days passed, and on the 25th of the 9th month in Chōgen 4 (1031), Retired Empress Shōshi went on a pilgrimage to the Sumiyoshi and Iwashimizu Shrines.[31] All those who served found it to be great honor. Her Eminence departed about noon, with votive paper garlands grandly carried at the front. “It is here!” spectators shouted in delight, everyone’s eyes riveted to the passing procession.
The staff of Her Eminence’s household were: Lord Minamoto no Narimasa, Lord Minamoto no Yukitō, Minamoto no Noritō, Minamoto no Yorikuni, Taira no Norikuni, Fujiwara no Koretō, Fujiwara no Sadatō, Fujiwara no Yoshimichi, Fujiwara no Yasunori, Munenaka,[32] Fujiwara no Norisuke, Fujiwara no Yoshisuke, Fujiwara no Narisuke.[33] There were truly many others serving, and everyone was attired in a dazzling manner. From among the nobles, there were: Minamoto no Takakuni the secretary middle captain, Fujiwara no Tsunesuke the middle controller of the right,[34] Minamoto no Sanemoto the middle captain, Fujiwara no Saneyasu the master of the right capital office, Minamoto no Moroyoshi the senior assistant of the war ministry, Fujiwara no Yukitsune the lesser captain,[35] and Fujiwara no Tsunesue the secretary lesser captain. From among the senior nobles, there were: the Master of the Crown Prince’s Household [Yorimune], Provisional Middle Counselor [Nagaie], Captain of the Left Gate Guards [Morofusa], Captain of the Right Gate Guards [Tsunemichi],[36] and Middle Captain of the Third Rank [Kaneyori].[37] Some wore regular, casual robes with outer jackets, but many others wore hunting robes. The bombycine, lustrous silks, brocades, embroidered fabrics: they were beyond words to describe.
While one’s attention was fixed upon each of the gorgeous details, the retired empress boarded the carriage provided by the governor of Sanuki Province, Lord Yorikuni. Upon panels to each side of the carriage’s front opening, mirrors like moons were affixed and illustrations were drawn: such beautiful details abounded. Accompanying the procession were about ten low-ranking attendants, wearing burgundy hunting robes, trousers, and jackets of all the same color. The eight men guiding the cart were wearing blue hunting robes and trousers with yellow jackets.
Three extra carriages were provided by the master of the crown prince’s household, the provisional major counselor, and the captain of the left gate guards. Decorated to each of their tastes, the carriages’ shutters were half-opened on the sides for the view. Light filtered through the blinds.[38] In the first of the three extra carriages were four nuns: Ben no Ama, Ben no Myōbu, Sakon no Myōbu and Shōshō no Amagimi. In the second carriage were Jijū no Suke, Echigo no Ben no Menoto,[39] Taifu,[40] Hei Shōshō, and Musashi. In the third carriage were Kyō no Saishō, Mino no Shōben, and Hyōe no Naishi. Senji and Sanmi served at the rear of the retired empress’s carriage. Senji was the daughter of the Minamoto Middle Counselor Koreoshi.[41] Sanmi was Daini no Sanmi, the wet-nurse of the emperor. Such were their high reputations, but now they were at the back of the carriage, a situation which was not necessarily a bad thing. The nuns wore light grey; the others, all scarlet. They were to change their clothes every day.
Not many courtiers in hunting attire walked behind these carriages, but Lord Yorimichi accompanied in a Chinese-style carriage. Palace Minister Norimichi followed in the same manner. At a place called Kamo no Kawajiri,[42] the retired empress boarded a boat. The governor of Tanba, Noritō, provided the Chinese-gabled boat, at the stern of which was placed a figure of a horse’s head, decorated with mirrors and precious woods like sandalwood. There were eight oarsmen wearing pale green hunting robes, trousers patterned with gold, and burgundy, sappan-dyed jackets.[43] The subsequent boats then carried the female attendants. Since they sought not to be judged inferior, these vessels were each variously decorated in a delightful fashion. Being on the water is always amusing, yet the scene that day was particularly wonderful.
In the evening, from about seven to eleven, the retired empress arrived at Yamazaki. After having a meal, Her Eminence made her way up to Iwashimizu. At the sacred gate, she entered a carriage, and nobles held torches in their hands, the light from which penetrated between the trees, deep into the mountain. It was a special sight to behold. First was the purification rite, then the offerings were made. Music and dance followed. The tones of the various instruments sounded far superior than the usual. At dawn, Monk Meison officiated over a Buddhist service for the presentation of newly-copied sutras. Afterwards, the retired empress left by boat.
On the 26th, the men rowed the boats down the Yodo River. Everyone had changed their attire according to their tastes. The river seemed to narrow with so many boats on the water. The superintendent of the Hachiman Shrine, Genmyō, presented fruit upon variously decorated shelves which had been set up along the boats’ edges. Just imagining the scene captivates. When the retired empress passed by Mishima Bay, Middle Captain Sukefusa and Lesser Captain Yoshiyori arrived as emissaries from the emperor and crown prince respectively. The boats were stopped and the retired empress had some food brought to her. Afterwards, they received her replies and they returned to convey them to the palace. It was splendid that Her Eminence should have received messengers from both of them.
As the passing currents reflected the shifting scenery, everyone’s eyes remained riveted on the moving landscape visible on the water’s undulating surface. As the waves of Mishimae struck the boats, one’s imagination was rocked by the scenery’s beauty. Meanwhile, Yoshiyori came back saying there was no reply, and he joined the retinue. As the boats continued to travel down the river, they arrived at a place called Eguchi, where courtesans approached on boats topped with umbrellas that had pictures of the moon, their handles coated with lacquer and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Each sought not to be seen as inferior to one another in their decorations. Their voices mingling with the soft waves rippling through the marshes created an atmosphere that could not be expressed other than “eguchi.”[44]
On the 27th, the retired empress arrived at Settsu Province, and she directly proceeded to the Kuma River.[45] The way the stone markers by the side of the road were placed haphazardly, some backwards, was interesting.[46]
Early morning on the 28th, the retired empress arrived at Sumiyoshi. The lord, the palace minister, and everyone else got on horses. They accompanied Her Eminence in attire that was beyond description. There was a purification ritual, and while Her Eminence paid her respects at the shrine, music could be heard from left and right, as though the wind in the pines strummed the strings of a seven-stringed zither. The governor of Kii province, Yoshimune, had prepared a temporary shelter, marvelous beyond words.
As the retired empress made her offerings, Sadayoshi the lesser captain[47] was leaving the palace of the nine-fold clouds as the emperor’s emissary. One imagines what his thoughts may have been as he dipped his oars in the river. Since the journey to Sumiyoshi was long, he must have had many elegant dreams while on route. Meanwhile, Monk Jōki served as a lecturer for the offerings of newly-copied Buddhist scriptures.
Upon finishing her visit to Sumiyoshi, the retired empress headed toward the temple of Shitennōji. Having come so far away from the capital, the travelers were no longer conscious of people’s eyes. Their appearance thus showed little restraint, becoming even less describable in their magnificence. The scene the horses made as they stepped in the waves washing ashore was also delightful.
Such was the scene that many provincial people gathered to watch, so many that there was little room to spare. Even in the capital, such occasions would bring hoards of people to watch, so this was only natural. Mingling among the crowds, one could hear an elderly person exclaiming, while wiping tears across his cheeks, “If I were living in the village of Tōchi in Michinokuni,[48] I would never have encountered this imperial procession. For many years I have lived by Naniwa Harbor without much thought, passing my days by the Bridge of Nagara, wondering if there was any benefit.[49] Today, I can rejoice in my hut of many years, for though it may be roofed with reeds, and though its door is made of woven grass, I had built it in Sumiyoshi, where it is indeed ‘pleasurable to live,’ I finally realize.[50] From now on, with brine-covered ropes, I will pull up this imperial pilgrimage as the example of all that is auspicious.”[51] It was very moving to hear him, and one could not help agreeing with his sentiments. For a thousand years, the pines dotting the coast would, one hoped, relay the memories of this magnificent event through the softly blowing winds and gentle waves.
About six in the evening, her carriage arrived at the western grand gate of Tennōji. Just then, the sun was setting into the horizon beyond the waves. Her Eminence contemplated the sight with reverence.[52] In awe, I wondered what karmic bond from past lives has enabled me to be here and to participate in this marvelous event. Next, services were held for the presentation of newly-copied sutras. Monk Kyōen served as the lecturer. At this time, the secretary of the crown prince’s household, Takasuke, arrived as an emissary from the prince.
Upon her departure on the 29th, the retired empress stopped by the waters of Kamei.[53] After observing the spring, she recited:
Unpolluted is the water of Kamei, scooped in my hands—
the dust within my heart, I wash away.
濁りなき亀井の水をむすび上げて心の塵をすすぎつるかな[54]
That Her Eminence should utter such a poem was truly wonderful.
On the return journey, it was charming how the nobles would race their horses against one another along the road by the seashore. At Naniwa, there was a purification ritual. The third-ranking official from the retired empress’s Household, Munenari, served as the emissary. Her Eminence then boarded a ship, and arrived at Kawajiri. About noon on the 1st of the 10th Month, it started to rain and there was thunder. Many could be heard saying, “This must be a sign that the gods are pleased.”
On the second, the retired empress spent the night at a place called Amanogawa. Her Eminence summoned some courtesans, and gave them some gifts.[55] Everyone also took off what they were wearing and gave them their clothes. As dusk was falling, Her Eminence had people compose poetry. The topic was “Thoughts on the Road from Sumiyoshi.” The captain of the left-gate guards, Morofusa, composed the preface.
Our venerable mother of the cloister made a pilgrimage to the Sumiyoshi Shrine. Beginning with the regent, the minister of the left, senior nobles and lesser nobles, as well as attendants, all gathered in plentiful numbers in splendid fashion. Some traveled by water, dipping their oars from brilliantly decorated ships. Others traveled by land, dipping oil on to the wheels of carriages decorated with gold. Truly, the long-held wish must have been achieved because of the peace prevailing across the four seas. It was late in autumn. The sun’s rays shone low in the horizon. Facing Naniwa, which has been praised in poems from long ago, one almost forgets to leave. Passing Nagara, of which the bridge’s name is still relayed from long ago, one is captivated. Finally, encouraged by the inebriation of wine, each of us composed some poetry. Here are those words.[56]
In that evergreen of the precious pines of the Sumiyoshi coast,
today we can see that our Lady’s life will indeed span a thousand years.
住吉の岸の姫松色に出でて君が千代とも見ゆる今日かな
The regent:
Our Lady’s life extends long before the long Nagara Bridge like
the venerable, numinous pines of Sumiyoshi.
君が世は長柄の橋のはじめより神さびにける住吉の松
The palace minister:
With only one wish I have come to pray at Sumiyoshi,
but on that path, my heart is drawn in a thousand directions.[57]
祈り来しことは一つを住吉の道には心ちぢにありけり
There were many others, but I will stop here. On thin paper of the color of autumn leaves, the women wrote some poems:
Ise no Taifu:
Long to come in this world, we will not forget: at Sumiyoshi Bay–
Waves crashing on the shore, autumnal wind among the pines.
ながらへむ世にも忘れじ住みの江の岸に浪立つ秋の松風[58]
The same person:
Let us see by asking the shoots of the swaying reeds:
Have you ever seen the likes of such a procession in Mishimae?
うち靡く蘆の裏葉に問ひ見ばやかかる御幸はいつか三島江[59]
Ben no Menoto:
Parting the reeds, let us today rest here—
for it is difficult to pass by Matsumae with its waves.
蘆分けて今日はここにも暮らさばやうち過ぎがたき三島江の波
Looking at the pines, one forgets which way to return—
Sumiyoshi is indeed a coast on which it is “pleasurable to reside.”
まづ見れば帰らん方も忘られてまことなりけり住吉の岸
Shōben:
In the capital, people must be impatient for our return,
as the journey’s long path sounds prolonged.
都には侍ち遠なりと思ふらんながらへぬべき旅の道かな
The Sumiyoshi coast, no longer visible in the dance of the waves,
the direction to the capital, I also forget.
住吉の岸見えぬまで浪寄れる都の方も忘れぬるかな
To Sumiyoshi, there must have been imperial pilgrimages,
but this was exceptional at Mishimae Harbor!
住吉にまづも御幸はありけめどこはめづらしき三島江の浦[60]
Ben no Menoto:
Had the pillars not remained here in Tsu Province—
not knowing, I would have passed on by.
橋柱残らざりせば津の国の知らずながらや過ぎはてなまし[61]
Shōben:
I had only heard, but it was true:
sad is it to recede from Sumiyoshi like its waves.
音にのみ聞きしもしるく住の江の波たちかへることぞものうき
Musashi:
No need to stop at this harbor—yet why
row the boat through the reeds to return?
とまるべき浦にもあらぬをいかなれば蘆分け船の漕ぎ帰るらん
Ise no Taifu:
Since leaving the capital, autumn has turned to fall—
no wonder the journey seems long.
都出でて秋より冬になりぬれば久しき旅の心地こそすれ[62]
Hyōe no Naishi:
As a pilgrimage of our Lady, whose name is most esteemed,
harbor this as an example of what is most extraordinary.
名に高き君が御幸ぞ住吉のうらめづらしきためしなりける
Ben no Naishi:
Gazing, wishing to stay watching Sumiyoshi bay—
ah, no wonder these pines passed all these years here.
ながめつつ見まくぞほしき住みの江の松もむべこそ年の経にけれ
Ben no Myōbu:
As you, oh ropes, pull the boats up shallow rapids, pull
this special pilgrimage of our Lady into the future as the exemplar.
浅瀬ゆく綱手の縄もめづらしき 君が御幸をためしには引け
I jotted down only a few of these poems by the female attendants.
About two in the morning, the retired empress disembarked from her boat and headed toward the capital. She arrived there at dawn, so the servants woke up hurriedly. During Her Eminence’s absence, it had been very difficult for them to forget the splendor of her departure. So, excited about her return, they rushed to open the gate. It was amusing to see some of the early morning faces, straight out of bed, or how some were wearing their garments inside out, just arising from their beds.[63] For those who accompanied the retired empress, the images of the past several days—the time spent atop the waves or amidst the reeds—these continued to reverberate, especially for the young attendants, who dwelled fondly on those memories. For a while, Her Eminence’s pilgrimage occupied much of society.
Since Princess Keishi’s selection as the next Kamo priestess, the emperor and empress showered attention over their daughter. These days the princess spent all her time with her parents. In the 10th month, she had her Putting-on-of-the-Trousers Ceremony. The attendants were wearing robes in the color combinations of chrysanthemums and fall leaves.
On the designated day for the princess’s move, inauspiciously, the emperor and empress would not stop crying in the empress’s quarters, where they had embraced the princess all day long. The wet-nurses were Tanba Middle Captain Masamichi’s daughter, Gon Chūnagon no Kimi; “Upward-looking” Provisional Middle Counselor Tadasuke’s[64] daughter, Chūnagon no Naishi no Suke; and Miya no Naishi, who became the wife of Captain of the Guards Kinnari.
Jijū no Kimi, a very pretty attendant who had been in service for many years and was also serving as a handmaid, carried the princess to the carriage. When the princess was to enter the carriage, she refused to leave Jijū’s arms, pleading, “Ride inside with me.” Since it could not be helped, the empress gave Jijū a clove-dyed robe of the forbidden color so that she could ride in the same carriage. “For each station in life, there is an appropriate happiness,” she exclaimed. Chūnagon no Suke and Tanba Chūjō no Kimi[65] were supposed to ride with the princess, but because of this change, Chūnagon was designated to carry the ceremonial sword from the emperor. The other wet-nurses rode in the other carriages. The princess was only three, but her hair was long, and she appeared to be about six years old. Yet as her tearful refusal to part with Jijū showed, she was still very much a normal child. (After her marriage to the captain of the guards, Miya no Naishi was not allowed by her husband to appear at court.)
Among the emperor’s wet-nurses, there was a person named Daini no Sanmi, who was the child of Takatsukasadono Rinshi’s wet-nurse. Among Daini no Sanmi’s children, she had a son, Tanba Governor Noritō, whose residence on Sanjō Avenue was the princess’s destination. Sakaki branches decorated the premises in an interesting manner that indicated the special occasion. The thoughts of both the emperor and the empress remained with the priestess, and they sent emissaries incessantly to inquire after her.[66] Since Their Majesties were so worried about her, and wished to hear of her condition, the nobles all clamored to get in Noritō’s Sanjō residence. They then went to the palace. “Have you been to see the priestess?” the emperor would inquire. If the courtier replied, “No, not yet,” it was very disappointing. But if he replied, “Yes, I have,” His Majesty would go on to demand, “Who else did you meet there? Was there anything happening?” So who would not try to visit the priestess first?
Captain of the Left-gate Guards Morofusa was the son of the late Prince Tomohira. He was also the provisional master of the crown prince’s household, but he was appointed the superintendent of the Saiin. The head administrator for the Saiin was Secretary Controller Minamoto no Tsunenaga, who was the son of Michikata, the middle counselor governor of Dazaifu. He was the grandson of Rokujō Minister of the Left Shigenobu.
In the 4th Month, on the day of the Lustrations Services before the Kamo Festival, the priestess entered the Palace Table Office. Since it was close to the residential palace, the female attendants went back and forth. The manner in which they came to the palace, crossing the dew-strewn walkways with the accompaniment of male attendants, was elegant indeed. The reader may imagine the attire of the female attendants at the Lustration Services. Their fans were from the nobles, who had each tried to outdo one another in their gifts to their favorites. Inside the palace, however, the emperor could only worry over his daughter.
At the end of the 8th Month, the empress traveled to the Saiin. Her Majesty had on a sappan-dyed, red robe of varying gradations, layered with a grass-green robe. She was truly elegant and appeared radiant. During the few months that had passed, the priestess had grown considerably, the empress observed with deep emotion. She could not help feeling that her short stay of two nights was hardly adequate. The arrival of the emperor’s emissary, who had made his way through the morning dew, was also quite affecting.
The 10th Month saw the Seasonal Change of Dress; the following month, the Gosechi Ceremonies, and the Special Festivals. So the days passed, without one being able to rest at ease. Princess of the First Rank Shōshi was not let out of sight day and night, raised with devoted care. There was some talk that she would probably visit His Majesty, but it was put off because there was some question whether it would be appropriate with her exalted status and coiffure. Her parents made certain that she received the utmost attention, far beyond the ordinary. Nobles came to her day and night, playing football, shooting toy arrows, and delighting her with games. On the Day of the Rat, Provisional Second-Ranking Official Kanefusa recited, while playfully fingering a tuft of lily turf, the following poem:[67]
How absent-minded, today on the Day of the Rat,
to have picked instead the lily turf to pray.
おぼつかな今日は子の日を山菅のひきたがへても祈りつるかな
Idewa no Ben[68] responded:
From now on, put aside the pine, the lily turf
we’ll pull to compare for longevity.
今よりは松をもおきて山菅の長きためしにひきやくらべん
The exchange was delightful. Nobles came and played with toy bows and arrows. Observing the scene, Taifu recited:[69]
From today, the Day of the Rat, with both pines and birch bows,
let us pull and aim with both for a thousand years.
今日よりは子の日の松と梓弓諸矢に千代をかけてひかなん
I have forgotten the response.
A new year began [Chōgen 6 (1033)]. The days quickly passed with the usual ceremonies. Since it was the year for the priestess to move to the Murasakinoin, the emperor and empress attentively directed the preparations.[70] At the palace, artisans at the office of painting and at the office of palace works were occupied in illustrating the trains and Chinese jackets of the female attendants. They were also working on pretty ink-line drawings, later colored with paint. As for the empress, she supervised her household staff, sending them to the office of dyeing and the office of silk fulling. At the purification rites, the attendants wore robes the color of yellow eight-fold globeflowers. Using starch, they stretched several layers of these robes together, under which they also wore a blue, single-lined robe. These countless layers trailed out of their carriages splendidly, as though they were flowers that glistened under the evening sun.
On the day of the Kamo Festival the attendants wore robes of the same color, front and back. Two women were attired in dark red, two in light red, with respectively the same colored robes and jackets. Dark red, light red, purple, globeflower yellow, bluish sappanwood burgundy—two attendants each were attired in these colors. On the return to Murasakino, they were dressed in unevenly-dyed robes. Their trousers, upper robes, trains, and Chinese jackets were all made of light-woven material. Decorated with gold, embroidered, or illustrated according to their taste, their wardrobe seemed coolly refreshing and most elegant. The nobles, starting with Yorimichi and Norimichi, attended to make for a splendid occasion. There was not a single noble who did not attend. These days were filled with spectacular sights.
After the festival, things quieted down. Around the palace, the emperor was feeling some ennui, so the retired empress came. She stayed at the upper Kokiden imperial apartment. Her attendants stationed themselves in the lower Kokiden, going back and forth from their duties. For them, it was a delightful change of pace, for they had not stayed in the palace for quite a while. The crown prince’s first prince, Chikahito, also lived at Jōtōmon’in (the Tsuchimikado mansion), so during the retired empress’s absence, he, too, came to the palace and stayed with the crown prince at the Shōkyōden. Princess Shōshi was one year younger than Prince Chikahito. So, though it was still far too early, people were saying: “What a wonderful couple they would make.” And, indeed, it was very true.
The princess went to visit the retired empress at the Kokiden. Since she was a child, the visit occurred during the day.[71] Accompanied by Yorimichi, she came from the Fujitsubo. With a pink robe the color of dianthus layered with a purple, iris-colored robe, she appeared as though cherry blossoms had overflowed from her in profusion. Incomparably beautiful, she had a most distinguished air, and her appealing style was in the latest fashion. She was nine this year.[72] Her parents were happily proud of her growth. The retired empress, too, thought her extraordinarily pretty, especially since she was not used to seeing such fine girls, having raised only the two princes.
As for the Kamo priestess, she radiated such beauty that one just wanted to embrace her. Looking at her, one felt as though one were looking at a wild carnation. Mimasaka no Sanmi exclaimed, “I have seen many other high-born people, but there has been no one like these two princesses. I was able to see close at hand the second princess of Emperor Ichijō, Bishi, since she was raised by former Retired Empress Senshi. She was indeed winsome, but really not comparable to these two.” Her proud expression as she extravagantly praised the two princesses of Emperor Go-Ichijō was appealing.
Empress Ishi came to visit at night, entering the Fujitsubo Imperial Apartment of the Seiryōden. Opening the middle door between the Fujitsubo and Kokiden imperial apartments, she conversed with the retired empress in such a casual manner that reflected their wonderful intimacy. Usually, relationships between high-born people do not achieve any closeness of this sort. Pleading embarrassment, they do not reveal anything about themselves, and their attendants, too, are cautious. The emperor and the crown prince also paid a visit to the retired empress. To say that their visit was splendid would be too obvious. After staying for about a month, they departed. The crown prince had two daughters by Princess Teishi, but the retired empress was distant from them, having never met them.[73]
This year, too, during the Tenth Month, there was an imperial visit to the Saiin. This time, the empress stayed for just five to six days. A kōshin night fell sometime after the 20th of the 10th month, during the empress’s stay.[74] Nobles gathered at the Murasakinoin and summoned those in the field of music, and those in the field of poetry. Everyone was there, reciting poetry, and making merry. Among the summoned professionals were those of low status, but they joined in the amusements.
Provisional Major Counselor Nagaie:
Evergreen for thousands of years, the sakaki—
Shall we try hanging their mulberry strips on the scattering autumn leaves?
よろづ代に色も変らぬ榊葉の散るもみぢ葉に木綿やかけまし[75]
In chilling clarity, frost descends upon the branches and leaves—
the moon at dawn reflected by the white chrysanthemums.
色寒み枝にも葉にも霜降りて在明の月を照らす白菊[76]
Captain of the Left-Gate Guards Morofusa:
Tonight, the moonlight shines without a shadow,
urging a look at the remaining chrysanthemums.
今宵しも 隈なく照らす 月影は 残りの菊を見よとなるべし[77]
There were many others, but I will not list them. A female attendant:
Under the moonlight, the white chrysanthemums shine like a mirror,
reflecting our polishing and planting.
月影に照りわたりたる白菊は磨きて植ゑししるしなりけり
There were more of these poems, too, but I will not list them.
On a bright, moonlit night, Provisional Master of the Empress’s Household Yoshinobu playfully uttered:
Only the sakaki struck my eye
榊のみこそことに見えけれ
In response, a female attendant provided the opening:
Though there, within the sacred fence, are fall leaves and the shining moon . . .
神垣は月も紅葉もありけれど
The empress would have like to stay a little a longer in a leisurely manner. However, her having to leave was indeed a trying part of being someone of her station.
[1] “The numerous other lords” presumably refers to Michinaga’s other sons, such as Nagaie.
[2] Emperors and empresses used palanquins. Since Shōshi had taken the tonsure, however, she used a carriage, which, being less formal, allowed her to travel more freely.
[3] Ishi and Go-Ichijō had two girls, Shōshi (1026–1105) and Keishi (1029–1093). After Keishi, they had no more children.
[4] Sonshi’s marriage is described in Book 21 (EM 2:393-4, FF 619). Morofusa was the son of Prince Tomohira, and thus the brother of Takahime, Yorimichi’s wife. In Book 12, the narrator describes Yorimichi looking affectionately at Masunomiya, as he was known in childhood (EM 2:57, FF 434). Yorimichi goes on to adopt Morofusa in 1020 (documented in, for example, Sakeiki, Kannin 4 [1020), 12th Month, 26th Day). Technically, Morofusa and Sonshi were thus nephew and aunt.
[5] This ceremony normally occurred when boys and girls were three years old.
[6] Princess Shōshi’s hakamaki no gi occurred on the 20th of the 11th Month, Chōgen 3 (1030), according to Nihon kiryaku. This is the first dateable event in the zokuhen, though, strangely, the narrator does not give the year. She may be playing with the time gap of about two to three years between the seihen and the zokuhen, a space which parallels the eight-year gap in the narrative of Genji monogatari after Genji’s death.
[7] The Heian vocabulary of colors in fashion was especially rich, often alluding to nature. In describing the wardrobe, the narrator pays close attention to color, as the general dress itself was uniform, aside from the type of fabrics and patterns. Beyond single hues, there are also color combinations, as in kōbai (plum), which could signify the hue of pink plum blossoms, but also a combination of layers in reds and pinks. The silk used in such robes was relatively transparent, opening up such possibilities of layered color combinations. While one can imagine many of these colors in their descriptive names, there is some debate about their actual hues. In rendering them into English, I have often resorted to directly translating the variety of flora. For color reproductions and explanations, see Yoshioka Sachio’s work Nihon no iro jiten (Kyoto: Shikōsha, 2000).
[8] The preface is found in Honchō monzui (SNKBT 322). There, it is attributed to Tadanobu, who may have written it as a surrogate for Yoshinobu. If Tadanobu were the author outright, he would have composed the first poem.
[9] Norimichi alludes to the ceremony. Continuing from the last verse, the pine substitutes as the princess. The tall tree stands for the emperor, who tied the cords of his daughter’s trousers.
[10] For information about the monetary privilege being conferred here along with her rank, see FF 390–91.
[11] According to Sonpi bunmyaku, Norimichi had seven boys and three girls, but the count here refers to his children by his principal wife, Fujiwara no Kintō’s daughter.
[12] Yorimune was Norimichi’s elder half-brother. To open the sequel, the narrator seems more concerned with introducing the various households, rather than advancing the chronology of events.
[13] Enshi lived from 1016 to 1095. Princess Shūshi had taken Buddhist vows in 1024, thus the appellation Saki no Ippon no Miya 前一品宮 (the earlier princess of the first rank).
[14] Because of the relationship between Takahime and Genshi’s mother, Yorimichi had adopted Genshi, so he is speaking as her guardian. These episodes initially seem to introduce the various households in the post-Michinaga era. However, it is soon apparent that the narrator is focused on the potential entrants to the rear court of Go-Ichijō. While these women all eventually become consorts to the next emperor, these considerations illuminate the new order at court, with Ishi, Michinaga’s daughter, losing her powerful father’s protection from rivals. Her interior ruminations tie her to former marginalized consorts, highlighting how even Michinaga’s daughter could see her fortunes fade quickly in the wake of their father’s death. Of course, as the narrator suggests, the lack of a male heir severely hampered Ishi’s security.
[15] Here is an example of shinnaigo, interior monologue, that is more a hallmark of the earlier chapters. Notably, such shamanic teleportation into the minds of personages occurs mostly with troubled thoughts that cannot be otherwise uttered publically, yet demand utterance for purging their corrosive potential.
[16] This episode mirrors the competition of earlier chapters, but being full sisters of the emperor, the implications and purport are different. They later enter the courts of G-Reizei and Go-Sanjō respectively, but neither had children. (Keishi bore two babies, but they died soon after birth.) It is not clear why exactly the emperor had this preference.
[17] Senshi resigned on the 22nd of the 9th Month, Chōgen 4 (1031), and she took Buddhist vows on the 28th (Shōyūki). She had served as priestess for fifty-seven years. The divination for her successor occurred on the 16th of the 12th Month of the same year (Sakeiki).
[18] Girls started to grow out their hair from when they turned three years old. The kamisogi ceremony marked the first time a girl had her hair trimmed. It usually occurred from three to five or six years of age. As the Saiin, Keishi presumably would not be able to have her hair trimmed because of the Buddhist association with the taking of the tonsure.
[19] It seems that the narrator is here attempting to mitigate the favoritism that the emperor had earlier shown to her elder sister.
[20] Yukinari had died on the 4th of the 12th month, Manju 4 (1027), see EM 3:172–74.
[21] This poem is also found in Saneyori shū as Saneyori’s poem, perhaps for a completely different occasion. (Saneyori was Kintō’s son.) “Hi no ie” (house of fire) alludes to the parable of the burning house from the third chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The saving of humankind is there likened to the saving of children from a burning house. At the same time, “gō ka” ごう火 alludes to the fires that consume one’s souls for having done misdeeds.
[22] Kinnari’s wife was the daughter of Fujiwara no Sadasa. Earlier, it was stated that Kinnari was also known as the Shigenoi captain, but his wife’s appellation, relayed here, suggests that the Shigenoi mansion came to Kinnari as his wife’s property.
[23] Chūshō no Kimi, Ishi 懿子, was the daughter of Ōmi Governor Minamoto no Takamasa.
[24] According to Sonpi bunmyaku, they had three sons and two daughters.
[25] The woman is identified as Gishi 祇子, but her parentage is unclear. She may have been the child of Fujiwara no Yorinari (a son of Prince Tomohira by a concubine). In either case, Tomohira was Takahime’s father as well, so Gishi would have been a half-sister, or a niece, to Yorimichi’s principal wife.
[26] If Senshi had not seen her brother since her nomination in 975, it would have been 56 years since they last met. Prince Munehira took the tonsure in 980.
[27] They were both the children of Emperor Murakami, but Senshi’s mother was Fujiwara no Anshi, whereas Munehira’s mother was Fujiwara no Masahime.
[28] According to the Nyūdō Udaijin shū, Yorimune’s personal poetry anthology, which also records the subsequent exchange, the nobles went from Kannon’in (perhaps by Daiunji in Iwakura) to Urin’in (located in Murasakino in the vicinity of the Saiin). As Senshi alludes, they were traveling at the capital’s northern outskirts. The flowers here are cherry blossoms. She implies that the flowers around her precincts must not have counted as flowers, as they did not visit her.
[29] Senshi’s next poem is actually not found in either Nyūdō udaijin shū or Daisaiin shū. Senshi’s poems both begin with the same phrase.
[30] Goshūishū, poem 113 (SNKBT 43). Tadanobu was sixty-four.
[31] “Perhaps the main reason [for this pilgrimage] is pleasure. Thousands of people were involved. Everyone thought it strange,” records Fujiwara no Sanesuke (Shōyūki, 25th day, 9th Month, Chōgen 4 [1031]).
[32] His name is notated in kana. He has not been identified.
[33] I have provided the family names of these courtiers.
[34] Tsunesuke was the son of Fujiwara no Takaie.
[35] Yukitsune was the son of Fujiwara no Yukinari.
[36] Fujiwara no Tsunemichi was the son of Yasuhira, the brother of Sanesuke.
[37] Fujiwara no Kaneyori was the son of Yorimune. The senior nobles are listed only by their positions, whereas the nobles are listed by name. The former were prominent and recognizable by their titles alone.
[38] This description of the light filtering through the blinds suggests the perspective of someone in the carriage. Such brief observations, as well as the nature of this record, implies a narrative voice belonging to an attendant in the retired empress’s retinue, perhaps charged specifically with writing this record
[39] She is identified as Fujiwara no Kenshi, the daughter of Murasaki Shikibu and Fujiwara no Nobutaka. She was in Jōtōmon’in’s service and was the wet-nurse to Emperor Go-Reizei.
[40] Ise no Taifu (or Tayū), known for her poetry.
[41] The text originally reads “the Minamoto Major Counselor,” but I have corrected the text according to Iwano Yūkichi”s findings, quoted in Matsumura, Eiga monogatari zenchūshaku, 6:232.
[42] Where the Kamo and the Katsura Rivers merged in the area of Toba, south of the capital.
[43] The pale green (rōsō, rokusan) is the prescribed color for officials of the sixth rank.
[44] The above passage deploys rhetoric related to the image of the river for literary effect. For instance, the scenery “strikes” the imagination as waves “strike” the boats. In this last sentence, “eguchi” is used as a pun to mean “not utterable.”
[45] Perhaps present-day Hiranogawa.
[46] The sentence is puzzling. I have followed the Shōgakukan editors’ interpretation, but Shōshi is traveling by boat, so the observation about stone road markers seems misplaced, though perhaps they were visible from the river.
[47] Sadayoshi was the elder brother of Yoshimune. They were the sons of Minamoto no Tsunefusa.
[48] Aside from the place name, “tōchi” is synonymous with “a far away road.” Michinoku, or Ōshū was the northernmost province, the hinterlands of Heian Japan.
[49] Naniwa and Nagara no Hashi were famous places in the area of Sumiyoshi. Here they double as poetic puns. “Nani” (what) of Naniwa leads to “nani to mo oboezu” (without much thought), and “nagara” leads to “nagara ete mo” (passing my days).
[50] Sumiyoshi literally means “pleasurable to live.”
[51] The man refers to tsunade (ropes which are used to pull boats on to the shore) in an evocation of the sea.
[52] Shōshi here contemplates the setting sun to mediate on the Pure Land, a practice called nissōkan, one of the sixteen Pure Land meditative practices listed in the Kanmuryōjukyō. Paradise was believed to lie to the west of Shitennōji, beyond the sea. The temple’s western gate was thus considered the eastern gate to paradise.
[53] A sacred spring just outside of Shitennōji’s precincts. A water basin made of white stone in the shape of a turtle collected the water, which dripped out in jewel-like drops from the turtle’s mouth (EMZ 6:246).
[54] This poem is also found in Shin kokin wakashū and Shoku shikashū.
[55] According to Sakeiki (9th month, 24th day, Chōgen 4 [1031]), 300 hiki (one hiki equals 107 square feet) of silk was prepared as payment, offerings, and gifts for the pilgrimage.
[56] The preface is recorded in its original kanbun.
[57] The poet elides his sentiments. He had come to pray only for his patron’s longevity, but the beautiful scenery proved to be distracting. Behind this reading lies another that evokes, through mention of the path and the context of the pilgrimage, the spiritual journey and its challenges.
[58] “Nagaraemu” puns with Nagara Bridge. Many of the following poems also play with the bridge’s name and the pun with “long” and “while doing something.”
[59] “Mishimae” puns with “mishi” (to have seen). Many of the following poems also play with this pun.
[60] The previous imperial pilgrimage to Sumiyoshi was undertaken by Fujiwara no Senshi in 1000.
[61] By this time, the bridge had fallen apart, and only the pillars remained.
[62] Shōshi and her retinue left the capital on the 25th of the 9th Month, and they arrived back in Amanogawa on the 2nd of the 10th Month. This poem is attributed to Jōtōmon’in Shinsaishō in Goshūishū (SNKBT 345). Incidentally, this poem is not found in Ise Taifu shū.
[63] During the night, people turned their garments inside out to use as blankets.
[64] Tadasuke apparently earned this sobriquet (Abugi no Chūnagon) for looking up at the sky all the time (EM 2:380, FF 261).
[65] Two of the wet-nurses identified just before.
[66] In Sakeiki, Minamoto no Tsuneyori writes, “There was an imperial summons for me. His Majesty spoke of the Princess’s departure all night. I stopped by to see the Empress. She, too, spoke of the same” (12th Month, 15th day, Chōgen 4 [1031]).
[67] For information about the festivities on the First Day of the Rat of the New Year, see FF 378–79. Yamasuge (lily turf) is an archaic name for yaburan, literally, “bush lily” (Liriope platyphylla). The leaves are evergreen, and were collected on the Day of the Rat along with other wakana, spring shoots, for consumption as an elixir. However, as Kanefusa’s poem shows, pine seedlings were most desired as ceremonial symbols of spring and longevity.
[68] Idewa no Ben (1007?–1055), the suspected author of Books 31 through 37, was the daughter of Dewa Governor Taira no Suenobu. She first served Shōshi, then Ishi, and finally Princess Shōshi after Ishi’s death.
[69] Matsumura concludes the poet here is Ise no Taifu (Eiga monogatari zenchūshaku, 6:265), but the Shōgakkan editors are more doubtful (EM 3:219, note 15).
[70] It was customary for new Priestesses to spend three years in purification, then move to the Saiin in Murasakino.
[71] Usually, such visits occurred at night.
[72] In Chōgen 6 [1033], even in traditional count, she would be eight.
[73] Princess Teishi 禎子 was the daughter of Emperor Sanjō and Michinaga’s daughter, Kenshi. Her two daughters at this time were Princess Ryōshi 良子, born in 1029, and Princess Kenshi 娟子, born in 1032. Teishi was also the mother of Go-Sanjō (born 1034, so not yet in this chronology), the first emperor in 170 years born from a non-Fujiwara mother. The narrator’s observation about Jōtōmon’in’s distance may reflect the tensions that Teishi’s status posed to the Fujiwara, despite the fact that Teishi was Jōtōmon’in’s niece.
[74] In Chōgen 6 (1033), kōshin would have fallen on the 28th of the 10th month (Eiga monogatari zenchūshaku, 6:272). Kōshin occurred every sixty days in the sexagenary calendar. On this day, worms in human bodies purportedly escaped during sleep to the heavens to report on its hosts misdeeds, shortening their lives. To prevent this from happening, aristocrats stayed up all night, playing games, composing poetry, or engaged in prayer (FF 120).
[75] Yū are woven bark or paper hung on sakaki or elsewhere around the shrine precincts (in this case the Saiin) as markers of purity and divinity. Since the sakaki is an evergreen plant, Nagaie proposes to hang the yū associated with the sakaki on the fall foliage to prevent their scattering.
[76] This poem is also found in Shoku Gosenshū, with a kotobagaki stating that the topic was “moonlight on the last chrysanthemums.” Moreover, Fujiwara no Yoshitada’s kanbun preface for this occasion, preserved in Zoku Honchō monzui (Kokushi taikei 29.2:171), corroborates this topic, although it dates Ishi’s visit as happening on the 10th of the 10th Month, Chōgen 8 (1035). However, the reference to “ariake no tsuki,” the moon as it appears at dawn after the 16th of the lunar month, would then seem to be inappropriate, despite the presence of chrysanthemums and the moon. The Shōgakkan editors suggest that there were two waka gatherings, one in Chōgen 6 and the other in Chōgen 8, that were subsequently confused, not only in Eiga, but in Shoku Gosenshū. Nagaie’s poem was, in their interpretation, correctly ascribed in Eiga as part of the kōshin celebrations on the 28th of the 10th Month, Chōgen 6. The theme, “moonlight on the remaining chrysanthemums,” was presumably for the later occasion in Chōgen 8, contrary to the preface in Shoku Gosenshū.
[77] This poem matches the theme of “moonlight on the remaining chrysanthemums,” and was probably recited at the party in Chōgen 8 (1035).