On the 7th of the 7th month,[1] in the garden in front of Empress Shōshi’s hall, cords dyed in the rustic, dappled style, threaded with crystal beads of various colors, were entwined around the plants. Emperor Heijō’s words, “if you want to see it,”[2] shows how there must have been no one quite like our empress in adroit sophistication. Her female attendants composed some poetry.
As polished beads these white dewdrops will last forever
at the empress’s palace that will endure for a thousand generations.
白露も玉を磨きて千代経べき秋の宮には尽きせざりけり
Because they came from the sky where the stars were reunited,
these dewdrops must be like polished beads.
ゆきあひの空より置ける露なればことに玉をば磨くなりけり
Strung along the threads offered on Tanabata—drip drop,
some dewdrops happen not to disappear.[3]
七夕の糸にひかれてたまさかにかく消え残る露もありけり
There were many other poems like these, but I stopped, thinking there was no reason to write them all down. This record is just an inferior glimpse of this special occasion.
The previous emperor was called Retired Emperor Go-Suzaku. His Majesty’s daughter of the Takakuradono, Fourth Princess Baishi 禖子, was the Kamo priestess. Although she was still quite young, she composed poetry very well.[4] Her attendants would propose poetic topics, and hold poetry contests, amusing themselves morning through evening with verses.[5] The princess also sponsored a contest with tales, having some people write new tales for the occasion.[6] Divided into left and right teams, twenty members in all were there. It was very delightful. Lately, though, the princess had been feeling unwell day and night. Finally she lost her mind.[7] Her guardian, the Lord Yorimichi, lamented this frightening illness.
As people lamented the burning down of the Ichijōin, one night, the inner imperial palace and the Daigokuden was completely consumed by fire.[8] It was truly shocking. It happened in the sixth year of the Tengi era.[9] In the same year, on the 23rd of the 2nd month, there was a fire at Hōjōji.[10] The hundred statues of Śākyamuni, the hundred statues of Kannon, the Amida figure, the seven Yakushi sixteen feet tall—how splendid they had been! To see them standing while shining in the blaze was terribly distressing. The retired empress’s statues had also been so marvelous. Yet they, too, were reduced to smoke all in a matter of one night, and climbed up towards the heavens. Of course, this was all tremendously heart-wrenching. Someone recited the following poem.
Divided after the smoke, the keepsake relics—
with even their loss, how much sadder is this world.[11]
わかちけん煙の後の形見だになき世はまして悲しかりけり
With nothing but all of these terrible happenings in the world, the lord was filled with sorrow. He had the Kamo priestess, Princess Baishi, step down, and had Princess Seishi 正子, the daughter of Enshi the Reikenden consort assume this position.[12] Although she resigned, the former priestess did not recover at all. Consort Enshi occasionally went to visit her daughter.
Meanwhile, Umetsubo Consort Seishi admirably dedicated herself to practicing her Buddhist devotions. Observing the moon bending down toward the western horizon, she uttered:
Were I not rushing toward rebirth, would I be, upon seeing this light,
lamenting my life already half over?
急がずばひかりを見てぞ嘆かまし半ば過ぎゆくわが身なりとて
While she was suffering from an illness, she heard the sound of cicadas, and very affectingly pronounced:
Not even ‘til tomorrow, will I be able to hear it, I feel—
making today’s cicada’s cry all the sadder.
明日までも聞くべきものと思はねば今日ひぐらしの声ぞ悲しき
Because his daughter had shaved off her hair completely as a nun, Minister Norimichi viewed her with great poignancy. Having thought of her as an extraordinary child, he had raised her with the utmost care. Now, to see her in nun’s garb was therefore quite heartbreaking, and the cause for much regret. Fortunately, to her father’s delight, she recovered gradually from her illness. Let her at least live a long life, her father prayed, abandoning all other desires. But after his death, would she end up even weaker, finding life to be a lonesome burden? Filled with such worries, he wished that she would not be alive after his death. At the same time, however, he did not want to have to confront her death, which would no doubt be devastating to him. What was he thinking? His conflicted ruminations led to nowhere.
Minamoto Major Counselor Morofusa’s son was called Toshifusa the new middle counselor. When the former Kamo priestess, Princess Kenshi 娟子, the second princess of Retired Emperor Go-Suzaku, was living with her mother, Empress Teishi, he furtively visited her by using her wet-nurse’s daughter as an intermediary. Eventually he secretly brought her to his house.
When their relationship was discovered, both the emperor and crown prince thought it quite awkward, but the prince, since he was her full-brother, was especially aggrieved. His Highness complained to His Majesty, “This is not a matter about which I alone should be concerned,” and urged action. Toshifusa humbly accepted the emperor’s reprimand,[13] but the crown prince was still not satisfied, saying forcefully, “his crime was far weightier than this.” His Highness even expressly forbade his mother, Empress Teishi, from corresponding with the princess. Although Her Majesty had been quite fond of her daughter, their connection was thus completely severed.
What will happen next, Morofusa anxiously wondered. Morofusa had a wonderful residence on Rokujō, where he was housing the princess. His wife, Sonshi 尊子, took care of all Her Highness’s numerous needs. Princess Kenshi was truly splendid in her beauty. As for Middle Counselor Toshifusa he looked as though he could have come out of a romance. He was that elegant and handsome.
The crown prince’s consort was the former Kamo priestess, Princess Keishi 馨子. She had borne him a son and daughter, but they both died soon after their births, much to the prince’s dismay and sorrow.[14] His other consort, Moshi, the daughter of Yoshinobu, the master of His Highness’s household, fell ill and died inside the prince’s quarters in the palace.[15] The prince grieved over her pathetic end. How deep must their sorrow be for the princess’s adoptive mother (Yoshinobu’s wife) as well as her real mother (Kinnari’s wife)? The intensity with which the prince mourned her death could not have been surpassed. She had given birth to a son and four daughters, although the second princess had passed away.[16] There were many sad and moving things that happened.
When the cherry blossoms were at their peak, the empress’s attendants went to see the flowers on a brightly moonlit night at the Horse Racing Hall.[17] Countless trees were all abloom, looking precisely as though snow had completely blanketed them. It was like the scene described in the poem, “unbeknownst to the sky.”[18] Though they could have kept on looking forever, they could not very well do so. As they left, they recited:
The cherry blossoms—their beauty never tires, but like rising spring mists,
are we to rise up and leave after standing just a while?
桜花飽かぬにほひを春霞立ちながらのみ見てや帰らん
Darkening the sky, is it snow? I looked—only to see the misty
moon with swirling cherry blossoms.
かきくらす雪かと見れば朧なる 月に散り交ふ桜なりけり
Even in raking up the cherry petals scattered in the moonlit garden,
this evening’s enchantments were beyond compare.
月影に散りしく庭の桜花かき集めてもたぐひなきかな
Even the manner in which the ladies were viewing the flowers appeared enchanting. Still, there might have been people who did not find the evening to be so wonderful.
The atmosphere when the emperor had courtiers play football before his presence was also quite splendid. At that time, Empress Kanshi had a bough of a blooming cherry tree placed in the well by her apartment. Her attendants composed some poems.
[Missing poems.][19]
Although Empress Shōshi and Empress Kanshi 寛子 were living together, since they were presently not at the real palace, they found the space to be cramped. Thus, whenever there was an event either of them wished to go and to observe, they alternately visited the imperial apartments to provide more room.
Consort Kanshi 歓子 had long remained at her parent’s home, so the emperor constantly summoned her to the palace, but she did not immediately come. Instead, she went to visit her brother, His Holiness Jōkaku at Ono, which she wished to visit upon hearing of its beauty. Feeling at peace, she spent her days performing Buddhist devotions. The autumn scenery of the mountain village and the cries of the deer permeated her body. The poem, “autumn is the loneliest,”[20] came to her mind, and she felt that she understood its spirit perfectly. When the emperor’s messengers came parting the mists, the atmosphere was enchantingly just like a scene out a romance. When courtiers came and played music for entertainment, the delights of that occasion continued to reverberate long after their departures, especially for her younger attendants. His Majesty sent Jijū no Naishi, who had served at the palace, to see to Kanshi’s needs at Ono. The construction of the rooms and the furnishings were all pleasing to eye. Kanshi had raised the back of the thin curtains of her dais, so that, while she did not purposefully make herself visible, one could see her profile, which looked as charming as a picture. Her attendants also conducted themselves in subdued elegance. Jijū no Naishi served Kanshi for just two or three days and then excused herself.
The crown prince’s consort, Keishi the former Kamo priestess, found herself with child. Worried about her, His Highness commissioned prayers and various other rites for her sake. Her main support was Minamoto Major Counselor Morofusa, who continued to serve her as of old. Coincidentally, Palace Minister Morozane’s wife, Reishi (Morofusa’s daughter), was in a similar trying state. The former priestess eventually gave birth to a prince. Even people with no connection celebrated the birth. Of course, Lord Yorimichi and the other nobles rejoiced. As for the palace minister’s wife, at the beginning of the 9th month, she started to suffer greatly, causing much worry. Yet without any trouble a radiant baby boy was born.[21] Minamoto Major Counselor Morofusa could not have been more delighted at the safe delivery for both Keishi and Reishi.
Prospective wet nurses gathered around the former Kamo priestess, each one more confidant of her qualifications that the next. The daughter of Owari Governor Norifusa and the wife of Lesser Captain Minamoto no Masanaga were selected. Another lady chosen was the wife of Mimasaka Governor Minamoto no Sukesada and the daughter of Kunitsune. Myōbu no Kimi, a child of Keishi’s own wet nurse, also served. (Myōbu no Kimi had given birth to a child by the captain of the right-gate guards.)[22] Besides these ladies, there were many others, and even more had wanted to come and serve. “Wait a while. Come later,” the lord instructed to the ladies, such as the daughter of Mino Governor Minamoto no Sanetomo, who were turned away. The bathing ceremonies were magnificent. The daughter of Sanetō also served. A lady who had borne a child to Koichijōin’s son, Middle Captain Nobumune, also came; she had already served as a wet nurse during Keishi’s previous pregnancies. They all had, each in their own way, attractive features. But, as usual, the female attendants competed with one another to be the most stylish. They decorated the hems of their sleeve openings by embroidering cranes, turtles, pines, bamboo, and other auspicious patterns, trying cleverly to outwit the others. Because the birth on the 5th happened to coincide with the chrysanthemum banquet on the 9th, one could see that some of the ladies based their garments on the poem, “among the chrysanthemums.”[23]
From the 7th of the 9th month, the birth celebrations began. The attendants wore trains of damask in light silk. Their Chinese jackets were also made of thin silk, on which patterns were outlined in gold and silver. Stalks of chrysanthemums and pines were charmingly embroidered on the jackets and the trains. Their upper robes were made of bombycine, but their trains and Chinese jackets were of thin silk with gold and sliver accents. The bombycine was too thick for ornamentation, and the other garments were embroidered because painting the patterns did not seem likely to produce a desirable effect.
But all too soon, just as he was born, the crown prince’s young son passed away. The prince lamented this startling, pitiful death. Society, too, mourned the death. Because of these tragic circumstances, the birth celebrations at Palace Minister Morozane’s residence on the seventh night were low-key. There was, for instance, no music. Although the fiftieth-day celebrations and the hundredth-day celebrations for the son of Reishi and Morozane occasioned marvelous splendor, one could still not help mourning for the young prince’s passing.
The year changed anew.[24] Time went by with the usual ceremonies.
Meanwhile, Minister of Popular Affairs Nagaie began suffering from an insatiable thirst, and his condition deteriorated. “What is the matter?” Empress Shōshi anxiously inquired after the master of Her Majesty’s household. His children were filled with worry, too. Nagaie had one daughter and two sons. His daughter was married to Major Counselor Nobunaga, the son of Minister of the Left Norimichi. His elder son, Tadaie, was a middle counselor, serving concurrently as the captain of the right-gate guards. His other son, Sukeie was a middle captain of the second rank. All of them had attractive figures and were especially beautiful. The minister of the left’s son, Nobunaga (who was also an attendant), had married the daughter of his maternal uncle, Shijō Middle Counselor Sadayori. However, they had separated, and Nobunaga then married Nagaie’s daughter. Nagaie thought his gifted daughter to be unparalleled among other daughters of this world, and had wished to have her enter the palace. The presence of Empress Shōshi convinced him, though, to give up this idea. Besides, his illness had now been afflicting him for several months, making him feel rather helpless. Forlornly he gazed at the moon, and even the sound of the wind moved him to think only of the sadness of this world.
Eventually on the 9th of the 11th month, Nagaie succumbed and passed away. Everyone lamented this poignant loss. In the 10th month, Sukeie had just become a consultant. When people told the father this auspicious news, the minister could only nod a little, and was not able to say a word. From twenty days prior to his demise, he apparently could not speak. What must have been the feelings of his wife? Her fortune was indeed a marvelous one in this world, and though her husband’s death did not mean the annulment of all her happiness, her grief must have been immense when she gratefully recalled her husband’s exceptionally long years of devotion to her.[25]
Around this time, Minister of the Right Yorimune also fell ill, and he resigned as a major captain. On the 27th of the 12th month, Minamoto Major Counselor Morofusa assumed this post. Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention that when Minister of the Left Norimichi resigned as the major captain as well, Palace Minister Morozane replaced him. “It is regrettable when a young man is not able to assume a concomitant post as a major captain of the imperial bodyguards,” Norimichi reflected. “When I was still a stripling, Regent Yorimichi resigned and offered me the post. I was very happy then.” When the people of his household heard of their master’s words and his resignation, they grumbled among themselves, “Look, if he could do just as he pleased like this, he should have offered Major Counselor Nobunaga, his own son, the post.” Yet the minister did, after all, think that a young person should serve, so he acted according to his judgment.[26]
On the 3rd of the 2nd month of the following year [1065], Minister of the Right Yorimune passed away. It came very suddenly. That three august personages should die in quick succession[27] was truly distressing – even commoners grieved. Of course, the retired empress, as well as Lord Yorimichi, mourned their passing, too.
Lord Yorimichi had built a marvelous hall in Uji, and was in retirement there.[28] Perhaps to absolve himself of the sins of catching fish in weirs along the river, the lord wished to sponsor Eight Expositions on the Lotus Sutra. Although it was said there was no precedent for such an event at Uji, the lord nevertheless went ahead with his plans.[29] The Eight Expositions took place on the 25th of the 9th month [1065].[30] People brought plentiful offerings. Although the occasion called for somber attire, one could hardly expect Empresses Shōshi and Kanshi to appear drab. Empress Kanshi wore two sets of reddish brown robes with a darker lining. As usual, in an almost blinding fashion, her upper robe was covered with chrysanthemums and autumn foliage in gold and silver. Empress Shōshi had on vermillion, fulled robes and a two-ply, white-patterned, gentian upper robe. While these were nothing out of the ordinary for them, their clean, formal lines were very beautiful. Her Chinese jacket was reddish brown, and her train in chrysanthemum.
The next day, Empress Shōshi wore purple robes layered in decreasing intensity of color, and also red robes in the same fashion. She also had on a fulled, blue-green robe, and a damask upper robe. With so many layers, the effect was like looking at the pages of a book. Her Chinese jacket was dyed gentian, her train yellow. She also wore numerous red trousers, layered in decreasing intensity, so that at the end, the trousers were white. Her attendants had on trousers and upper robes in colors according to their own tastes.[31] Their trains were dappled in the rustic manner, and decorated with outlined patterns of gold and silver. Everyone’s garments were very pretty and well-arranged, but they had clearly expended much energy especially on the background illustrations on their layered, gradated robes.
On the day that the fifth fascicle of the Lotus Sutra was to be expounded, Kanshi was in her own rooms, where she was able to see all the ceremonies as though they were right in front of her face. She also was able to see in this manner the procession of monks carrying torches. Her attendants were wearing on that day numerous layers of white robes, and displayed their sleeves from under the blinds. Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, the completely white robes were quite beautiful in their purity. They sat facing the area where Empress Shōshi was situated.
Beginning with the major counselors, people carried their offerings. There was much to see in the spectacular procession. The retired empress’s offering consisted of an artificial udumbara flower. Middle Captain Nobumune of Sanjōin carried her gift in the procession. Senior Empress Teishi presented flower baskets, decorated with beaded, hanging cords, and filled with various chrysanthemums. The assistant in Her Majesty’s household, Kinmoto, carried the baskets one on top of the other. Empress Shōshi’s offering was a miniature fence with intertwining yellow and white chrysanthemums, made with gold and silver. Lesser Captain Motonaga of the fourth rank, the son of Yoshinaga, the new major counselor, carried the empress’s gift. Empress Kanshi’s offering consisted of wish-granting jewels tied with golden threads. Since there were three of them, they were carried by Middle Captain Minamoto no Takatsuna, Assistant to Her Majesty’s Household Moromoto (also a controller), and Munetoshi, the son of Minister of Popular Affairs Toshiie. Crown Prince Takahito’s offering was a golden pitcher and water basin, presented by Controller Sukenaka. Consort Kanshi’s offering consisted of mirrors for mirror stands, which were carried by Lesser Captain Atsuie. The lord’s first princess, Yūshi, offered an incense box with four incense jars, surrounded by chrysanthemums made of gold, which was carried by Tadatoshi the former lesser captain. The former Kamo priestess, Princess Kenshi 娟子, also presented a golden pitcher and water basin, presented by Lesser Counselor Sanemune.
I do wonder whether recording such ritual in this detailed manner every time I hear about them is appropriate, but what would be the point otherwise? Just because the sutras exist and are familiar does not mean that monks do not help us by elaborating on the way to achieve rebirth in paradise. I write thinking of my record in similar terms.[32]
In awe at the magnificence, one quite forgot the reverence with which one ought to behold the procession of offerings. Minister of the Left Norimichi, Minister of the Right Morozane, and Palace Minister Morofusa each had in their hands a fan, which looked like a giant butterfly. The regular senior nobles used as incense burners what looked like a five-leafed branch. The rest of the nobles used small dishes. Minamoto Major Counselor Morofusa was presently called the palace minister. In any event, his son, Toshifusa the middle counselor, came with a branch of a cherry tree, attached with a ball. After being reprimanded by the emperor for his affair with Princess Kenshi, he was now forgiven, but he did not enter inside His Majesty’s blinds as in the past. The chamberlains entered the procession carrying their firewood and water buckets while chanting the poem, “cutting firewood, drawing water.”[33] At the same time, in the southwest quarter, there was some dance and music, which were alluringly splendid as usual. The sermon on the day of the fifth fascicle truly inspired awe and reverence. One was even made to wonder if there was ever such a wonderful event in this world.
All too soon the service ended, and everyone left as the night drew late. Empress Shōshi departed in a hand-drawn carriage. Crowds of nobles tried to clutch the shafts of her carriage. Their figures illuminated in torchlight were captivating. The female attendants returned to their mistresses’ chambers by traversing the connecting walkways between the various wings. Time passed with nothing else to surpass this magnificent occasion.
The Changing of the Robes, the Gosechi Festival, and the Special Kamo Festival passed, and a new year arrived.[34] The various ceremonies of the new year also went by according to custom. It was said that there would be an imperial procession to the Uji residence, but it was canceled, much to the emperor’s regret.
In the 5th month, the retired empress was staying at the palace [the Kayanoin] for the planned Eight Expositions on the Golden Light Sutra. Empress Kanshi was staying in the imperial apartments. (It had been decided that, at the Kayanoin, the hallway from the northeast door of the Seiryōden would be temporarily called the Kokiden apartments.) The space was just enough for the empress’s use, though in fact, it could not even fit her curtained dais. The narrow floor beams provided room for two mats, around which the attendants hung curtains as an improvised dais. They also hung curtains of small-patterned Chinese brocade with painted pictures as makeshift walls. The edging of her “dais” curtains were also of Chinese brocade. Finally, the back and edging of her “dais” mats, too, were not of common materials, but had a special air.
Empress Shōshi’s apartment was to the west of where Retired Empress Jōtōmon’in was staying. Out of custom, it was called the Fujitsubo. The retired empress would open the connecting door between their rooms to visit. The empress was still so youthful, pretty, and charming that she could be called a “little princess.” She was just like a freshly picked flower. “Oh, why should you stay there where it is so cramped? Come up here, for I am wasting all this space,” the retired empress proposed to the empress. Since it was truly confined in her room, Her Majesty went down to the retired empress’s room in the main hall.
From the eastern wing, the emperor came down, and reclining against a pillar, he joined in the conversation. With the empress and the emperor to her left and right, the retired empress looked truly splendid, though this was, of course, nothing new. As for the retired empress herself, how could she not feel tremendous joy in observing the two before her in their glory.[35] The attendants serving Their Majesties all attired themselves with impeccable style according to the season. In the garden, the spring flowed with a refreshing coolness, visible through the bamboo blinds. Pinks and flowering orange trees had been planted. Viewing the sinking moon, an attendant of the empress uttered:
Let the ever-more flowing water of the spring teach you—
oh, descending moon of the summer night—not to sink away!
出でまさる泉の水にならはなん入り方になる夏の夜の月
Thus did time speed away.
The Buddhist statues Empress Shōshi had commissioned were now completed, so Her Majesty returned to the Nijōdono for their dedication. The attractive holy figures, an Amida triad three feet high, were made of sandalwood. Again, the Eight Expositions on the Lotus Sutra were held to dedicate these images. The female attendants wore robes of gentian, chrysanthemums, and autumn foliage. They changed their garments every day. The younger attendants especially competed with one another to be the most stylish, but since it will be repetitive, I will not record their attire on this occasion. The empress stayed there at her guardian Yorimichi’s residence for a while.
The imperial excursion to Uji that had been canceled in the spring took place on the 9th of the 10th month.[36] To say that it was splendid would be a platitude. Since there is no way I can describe the occasion adequately (I may in fact do such a poor job that people will lose their interest), I will stop here.
Though there was no calamity that would call for a change in the era name, suddenly, something strangely upset Yorimichi the Uji Lord. Towards the end of Emperor Go-Reizei’s reign, the lord had isolated himself at Uji, and absolved himself of court affairs. It was true that he did not enjoy an amicable relationship with the crown prince, though I have not detailed those matters here. After all, how could I possibly have made a tale out of that difficult and complicated period, people have commented. The crown prince here refers to Emperor Go-Sanjō.[37]
[1] The year of this Tanabata event is not clear.
[2] An allusion to a Kokinshū poem that was attributed to the Nara Emperor: “The bush clover’s dew / vanished as I grasped the drops / to string them like beads, / so if you want to see it / you must see it on the boughs” 萩の露玉にぬかむととれば消ぬよし見む人は枝ながら見よ (Trans. McCullough, Kokin Wakashū, 57). Contrary to the emperor’s words, Shōshi has indeed threaded the dew, the narrator implies.
[3] The Tanabata Festival was also celebrated to confer blessings on the arts such as poetry and sewing. One of the things offered were threads woven in various colors. The poem also makes use of the pun on “happens to be” (tamasakani) and “beads” (tama), which I tried to evoke through “drip drop.”
[4] Baishi was born in 1039, and her appointment as Saiin came in 1046.
[5] According to Hagitani Boku in Heianchō uta-awase taisei, from 1046 to 1081, there were at least twenty-five poetry contests sponsored by the princess.
[6] This monogatari awase, known as the Rokujō Saiin monogatari awase, occurred on the 3rd of the 5th month, Tengi 3 (1055). Princess Baishi was also known as the Rokujō Saiin after her grandfather, the Prince Rokujō, aka Prince Tomohira. The Takakuradono was Yorimichi’s residence, where she was being raised after the death of both of her parents. Her mother was Genshi, Prince Atsuyasu’s daughter adopted by Yorimichi.
[7] According to Chūyūki, Baishi fell ill in Tengi 6 (1058) and resigned as the priestess. Becoming deranged and losing her memory, she remained in this condition for several decades. Munetada records upon her death on the 13th of the 9th month in Eichō 1 (1096).
[8] In fact, the fire at the palace came before the Ichijōin conflagration, which had taken place on the 8th of the 1st month, Kōhei 1 (1059). The palace caught on fire on the 26th of the 2nd Month, Kōhei 1. See Book 36.
[9] Perhaps because of these devastating fires, the era name was changed on the 29th of the 8th Month to Kōhei.
[10] As one can see from the dates, the fire at Hōjōji thus took place merely three days before the fire at the palace.
[11] The poem alludes to Śākyamuni’s cremation, after which his disciples divided his remains as keepsakes. These later became the venerated holy relics that circulated widely throughout the Buddhist world. The poem testifies to the intensity of the fire that left the grounds barren, as Hyakurenshō corroborates (2nd month, 23rd Day, Kōhei 1).
[12] Seishi was the fifth daughter of Emperor Go-Suzaku. The divination for her appointment took place on the 27th of the 6th month, Kōhei 1 (1059).
[13] In Hyakurenshō, Toshifusa is said to have been sequestered to his house for one to two years as punishment for “raping” Princess Kenshi (Kōhei 3 [1060], 12th month, 11th day). According to a much later entry in Honchō seiki on the occasion of her death, the affair happened in the 9th month of Tengi 5 [1057] (Kōwa 5 [1103], 3rd Month, 12th day). This affair is reminiscent of the one between Korechika’s son, Michimasa, and Emperor Sanjō’s daughter, Tōshi, who had also been a priestess. As in that case, the offense could be related to their former sacred status, but it most likely had to do with their secretive nature, one that humiliated their male relatives.
[14] Records indicate Keishi bore children in 1052 and 1062. One died in about half a year; the other died shortly after birth.
[15] Her death in the palace indicates that the prince did not let her leave (as would be convention in order to maintain ritual purity at the palace), demonstrating his devotion.
[16] None of their daughters had yet died. The second princess, Shunshi 俊子, would die in 1132.
[17] This Umabadono was presumably that of Kayanoin, the functioning palace at the time.
[18] “The breeze under the cherry trees with their scattering blossoms is not chilly / yet a snow unbeknownst to the sky is falling there” 桜散る木の下風は寒からで空に知られぬ雪ぞ降りける (Shūishū).
[19] In the various manuscripts of Eiga, nine lines are left blank, presumably with the intention of filling them in later. Three poems thought to be from this same occasion can be found in Shijō no Miya Shimotsuke shū.
[20] Mibu no Tadamine’s poem from the Kokinshū: “Of the year’s seasons, / autumn is the loneliest / at a mountain house. / How often I lie awake, / roused by the cry of the stag” (Trans. McCullough, 55).
[21] He was Moromichi, a future Fujiwara regent. His birth occurred on the 11th of the 9th month, Kōhei 5 (1062).
[22] If we assume this was Kōhei 5 (1062), the captain would be Yoshinaga, Yorimune’s son. However, since the chronology here meanders, one cannot be certain of the identity. Furthermore, nothing is known about Myōbu no Kimi.
[23] By Ise, the poem reads: “The crane among the chrysanthemums covered by mists—how many thousand generations has it counted so far?” 霧かかる菊の中なるあしたづは今いくたびの千代かぞふらん (Ise shū). According to the preface, it was composed on the occasion of Retired Emperor Yōzei’s 70th birthday.
[24] These events would indicate that the previous year was Kōhei 5 (1062), but the subsequent events are from Kōhei 7 (1064).
[25] Nagaie’s last wife, Minamoto no Ishi 懿子 was a relatively lower-ranking woman of the fifth rank, which no doubt colored people’s assessment of her fate as being tremendously fortunate, even in the face of her husband’s painful death.
[26] Nobunaga was already forty-one, whereas Morozane was still twenty-one. Also, Norimichi might have been repaying Yorimichi (Morozane’s father) for his prior generosity in allowing Norimichi to succeed him as the regent and the head of their clan.
[27] Although not depicted in Eiga, the master of the crown prince’s household, Yoshinobu, died six days after Yorimune. Thus, as the narrator comments here, three sons of Michinaga died in close succession: Nagaie in the 11th month of 1064, Yorimune and Yoshinobu in the 2nd month of 1065.
[28] Services establishing Byōdōin as a temple had occurred in 1052.
[29] This last sentence suggests that the subsequent record of the Eight Expositions describes an event at Uji. However, the content indicates that they were held at Kayanoin.
[30] These Expositions were held in conjunction with a memorial service for the late Emperor Go-Suzaku, featuring a dedication of the Lotus Sutra in his own hand and a Śākyamuni triad (Fusō ryakki).
[31] Prior to this sentence, there probably was some text, now missing, describing the robes of the empress’s attendants.
[32] The metaphor may seem sacrilegious, but it implies a didactic function for the text, which could serve as a manual or reference for such rituals. Of course, it could also serve as a cover for what might have been more straightforward curiosity for many readers.
[33] The chamberlains are engaged in an enactment of a section from the “Devadatta” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, in which a king (the Śākyamuni) totally expends himself to learn the Buddhist law from a seer: “At once he accompanied the seer, providing him with whatever he needed, picking fruit, drawing water, gathering firewood, setting out meals, even offering his own body as a couch and seat, never stinting in body or mind. He served the seer in this manner for a thousand years, all for the sake of the Law…” (Trans. Burton Watson, The Lotus Sutra, 183). The allusion refers to a poem by Gyōki, anthologized in Shūishū: “Only by chopping firewood, picking herbs, and drawing water does one finally make the teachings of the Lotus Sutra one’s own” 法華経を我が得しことは薪こり菜摘み水汲み仕へてぞ得し.
[34] From the preceding narrated event, the new year would be Jiryaku 2 (1066), but the subsequent events are from Jiryaku 3.
[35] Although they were her niece and nephew, they were also her grandchildren.
[36] From detailed descriptions in Fusō ryakki and Imakagami, we learn that the excursion departed on the 5th and returned to the capital on the 7th of the 10th month, Jiryaku 3 (1067).
[37] The last clarification shows a retrospective view anticipates the crown prince’s reign as Go-Sanjō, one that saw increased tensions between the Fujiwara regency and the imperial house.