Gion no Nyōgo

Japanese: 祇園女御 - ぎおんにょうご

Years of birth: Unknown. A woman from the late Heian period. Origins unknown. She is said to have been a water-drawing woman beside Gion Shrine, or the wife of Minamoto no Nakamune, and is also said to have been the wife of Nakamune's son Korekiyo. She was discovered serving as a lower-ranking court lady for the Shirakawa-in Emperor, and gained his favor. In 1105, she built the Amida Hall southeast of Gion Shrine, held grand ceremonies, and used the hall as her residence. Although she was not granted the title of Nyogo, she was commonly referred to as Gion no Nyōgo. She was also known as Higashi no Mikado and Shirakawa no Dono, and wielded great influence. Around 1104, she adopted Fujiwara no Kinzane's daughter, Shōshi (Empress of Emperor Toba, and mother of Emperors Sutoku and Goshirakawa, Taikenmon'in), and raised her as the adopted daughter of Emperor Shirakawa. In 1111, she built Itoku-ji Temple on the grounds of Ninna-ji Temple, and used it as her residence in her later years. There is a theory in the Tale of the Heike that Taira no Kiyomori was an illegitimate son of Emperor Shirakawa, born to a consort who was bestowed upon Tadamori, but this theory is not very credible. It could be related to the fact that Masamori and his son Tadamori gained the favor of the consort (the consort performed a memorial service for all Buddhist scriptures at Masamori's Rokuharamitsu-ji Temple in 1113), approached Emperor Shirakawa, and advanced into the government. There is also the "Busshari Sosho," which says that Kiyomori was the son of the emperor and the consort's younger sister.

(Yoko Sakurai)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

生年：生没年不詳
平安時代後期の女性。出自未詳。祇園社脇の水汲み女,また源仲宗の妻などといわれ,仲宗の子惟清の妻説もある。白河院の下級官女として仕えていたのを見いだされ,院の寵愛を得る。長治2(1105)年祇園社の東南に阿弥陀堂を建て,盛大な儀式を営み,堂を邸宅とした。女御宣旨は下らなかったが祇園女御と通称される。東御方,白河殿とも呼ばれ権勢をふるった。長治1(1104)年ごろ,藤原公実の娘璋子(鳥羽天皇の后で崇徳,後白河両天皇の母待賢門院)を養女に迎え,白河法皇の養女として育む。天永2(1111)年仁和寺内に威徳寺を建立し,晩年の住居とする。『平家物語』には平清盛を,忠盛に下賜された女御の生んだ白河法皇の落胤とする説があるが,信憑性は薄い。正盛,忠盛父子が女御に取り入って(女御は永久1〈1113〉年に正盛の六波羅蜜寺で一切経供養を行う)白河法皇に接近し,官界へ進出したことと関係するか。清盛を法皇と女御の妹との子とする「仏舎利相承」もある。

(櫻井陽子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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