Jotomon-in Temple

Japanese: 上東門院 - じょうとうもんいん

Year of death: Shoho 1.10.3 (1074.10.25)
Year of birth: Eien 2 (988)
Empress of Emperor Ichijo in the late Heian period. Fujiwara Shoshi. Daughter of Fujiwara Michinaga and Minamoto Michiko. In February 999, she was appointed to the rank of Junior Third Rank. On November 1, she received an Imperial Order to Carry a Palanquin and entered the Imperial Court. On that occasion, she traveled to the Imperial Palace from the residence of Hata no Renri, a member of the Treasury, in Saikyo, which was the auspicious place for entering the Imperial Court, with 40 carefully selected ladies-in-waiting. In the second year of the Choho era, Empress Sadashi became empress on the same day. This was because Michinaga felt that Emperor Ichijo's first son (Prince Atsunari) had been born to Sadashi, even though Shoshi was still a small child, and forced the establishment of two empresses at the same time. Fujiwara Yukinari, referring to Sadashi, a nun, justified the establishment of two empresses at the same time, the first time in history, by saying that if the Fujiwara Empress had become a nun, it would be an obstacle to the rituals of the clan. In 1008, she gave birth to Prince Atsunari (Emperor Go-Ichijo) at Tsuchimikado Palace (Kamitomon Palace). The vivid details of her birth, in which she received precepts and had her hair down while many evil spirits and monsters appeared, while onmyoji (exorcists) prayed and monks chanted sutras, and she gave birth with her hair down, are described in Eiga Monogatari and Murasaki Shikibu Nikki, the diary of Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting to Shoshi. In 1651, an incident occurred in which the Empress Dowager and the prince were cursed by Fujiwara no Ise, Takashina Mitsushi, and Minamoto no Hoso. In the same year, she gave birth to Prince Atsunaga (Emperor Gosuzaku) at Kamitomondai. In 1652, her husband the Emperor died, and the following year she became Empress Dowager. She continued to host banquets and Buddhist ceremonies thereafter. In 1018 (Kannin 2), she became Grand Empress Dowager at the coming-of-age ceremony of Emperor Ichijo, and entered the Kokiden, the residence of the legitimate empress, at the Imperial Palace. As the head of the harem, she was the guardian of the children of her family. She also participated in Buddhist ceremonies hosted by Michinaga, and in 1022 (Jingan 2), she built Kannon-in at Ninna-ji Temple. In 1026, she became a nun at Jotomon-tai with six ladies-in-waiting, and took the name Jotomon-in. Her position as Grand Empress Dowager was suspended, but her old titles and other titles were left unchanged. Her posthumous name was Shojokaku. An additional 200 households were added to her fiefdom. In 1037, she built Bodaiju-in at the cremation site of Emperor Goichijo, who had died the previous year. In 1037, she shaved her head and received the precepts at Hosho-ji Temple. She lived to the age of 87, and as such was outlived by her children and grandchildren.

(Kyoraku Mahoko)

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

Japanese:

没年：承保1.10.3(1074.10.25)
生年：永延2(988)
平安時代後期の一条天皇中宮。藤原彰子。藤原道長と源倫子の子。長保1(999)年2月著裳して従三位。11月1日輦車宣旨を得て入内。その際,厳選した女房40人らと共に,入内の吉方に当たる西京の大蔵属秦連理宅から内裏へ赴いた。長保2年中宮。同日中宮定子は皇后になった。これは,彰子がまだ幼いにもかかわらず,定子に一条天皇第1皇子(敦康親王)が誕生したことに危機を感じた道長が皇后並立を強行したもの。藤原行成は尼である定子らを指し,藤氏皇后が出家していては氏の祭祀に支障があると史上初の皇后並立を正当化した。寛弘5(1008)年土御門第(上東門第)で敦成親王(後一条天皇)を出産。邪気,物怪が多く出現し,陰陽師の祈り,僧侶の読経のなか,戒を受け頭頂部の髪を下ろして出産に臨んだ生々しい様子は『栄花物語』や彰子に仕えた女房紫式部の『紫式部日記』などに詳しい。寛弘6年には藤原伊周,高階光子,源方理らにより中宮と親王が呪詛される事件が起こる。同年上東門第で敦良親王(後朱雀天皇)を出産。寛弘8年夫天皇が死亡し,翌年皇太后になった。以後も饗餞,仏事を主催する。寛仁2(1018)年後一条天皇元服により太皇太后となり,内裏では嫡后の居所である弘徽殿に入る。後宮のトップとして一族の子女の後見をする。道長主催の仏事にも参加し,治安2(1022)年仁和寺に観音院を建立した。万寿3(1026)年女房6人と共に上東門第で出家し,上東門院と号す。太皇太后宮職は停止されたが,年官などは旧のままに置かれた。法名は清浄覚。封戸200戸を加えられる。長暦1(1037)年,前年死亡した後一条天皇の火葬所に菩提樹院を建立。長暦3年法成寺で剃髪,受戒。87歳と長生きしたため,子や孫に先立たれる結果となった。

(京楽真帆子)

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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