Princess Muneko (original) (raw)

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Empress consort of Japan

Princess Muneko (統子内親王; 13 August 1126 – 20 July 1189), later known as Jōsaimon-in (上西門院), was a princess and an honorary Empress of Japan.[1]

She was the daughter of Emperor Toba and Fujiwara no Tamako. She served as Saiin at Kamo Shrine in 1127–1132. She retired from her service as priestess for health reasons.[2] She served as honorary interim empress of her nephew Emperor Nijō awaiting the appointment of a permanent empress. She retired when her nephew married his aunt, her half-sister Princess Yoshiko.

In 1160, following her mother's example, she was ordained as a Buddhist nun at Hōkongō-in.[2] She lived at Hōkongō-in until forced to relocate in 1181 due to a fire.[2]

1. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, R. A. B. (2014-06-03). Studies In Shinto & Shrines. Routledge. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-136-89294-3.
2. ^ a b c Goodwin, Janet R.; Piggott, Joan R. (2018-07-31). Land, Power, and the Sacred: The Estate System in Medieval Japan. University of Hawaii Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-8248-7546-6.