Fujiwara no Takaiko


Fujiwara no Takaiko, commonly known as Empress Nijō, was the mother of Emperor Yōzei, the 57th emperor of Japan, who lived during the Heian period. The daughter of Fujiwara no Nagayoshi and sister of Fujiwara no Mototsune, she was the consort of Emperor Seiwa who later became the empress dowager.
One of her poems is included in the Kokin Wakashū. Her other children were Prince Sadayasu and Princess Atsushi.

Early life and family

Fujiwara was born in 842 to Fujiwara no Nagayoshi and Fujiwara no Otoharu, the latter a posthumous title holder of the rank of shoichii. She was the full sister of Fujiwara no Mototsune. The daughter of a nobleman who was chosen as a gosekmaihime was a prerequisite for future entry into the Imperial Court in Kyoto as a candidate for empress, but by this time her biological father, Nagara, had already died of illness, leaving her without a guardian, so it is possible that Takaiko was also adopted by Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, who had also adopted her older brother, Mototsune. However, because the Emperor was still a child, Takako did not actually enter the Imperial Court until seven years after Gosekmai, later than Fujiwara no Tamiko, the daughter of Nagara's other brother, Fujiwara no Yoshiaki.

Overview

When Emperor Seiwa was the crown prince, Takaiko served at the residence of the Emperor's grandmother, Empress Dowager Fujiwara no Junshi. In 859, at the age of 9, at the Daijosai ceremony following the accession of Emperor Seiwa, she performed as a dancer in the goseki dance and was promoted to Junior Fifth Rank. In 866, at the age of 25 and two years after Emperor Seiwa's coming-of-age ceremony, Takaiko entered the Imperial Court and became a consort. Her title was jonei-den.
On January 2, 869, Takaiko gave birth to Imperial Prince Sadaakira who was to later become Emperor Yōzei. On January 8, 876, she was awarded the rank of Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, and on January 8, 877, the rank of Junior Third Rank. With the accession of her son to the throne in 876, Takaiko became Crown Princess and was granted the position of Empress Dowager in 877. Takaiko was awarded the rank of Junior First Rank in 881, and given the honorific title of Empress Dowager the following year.
Takaiko did not, however, get along with her brother, the powerful regent Fujiwara no Mototsune, nor with Fujiwara no Yoshiko, her half-sister and foster mother of Minamoto no Sadamichi. Some believe that Takaiko's actions of neglecting Mototsune, and favoring Ariwara no Fumiko, led Mototsune to abandon his familial ties and reject Takaiko and Emperor Yōzei. However, it was Emperor Seiwa himself who appointed Ariwara no Fumiko as his concubine and fathered several princes and daughters with her. Despite Takaiko's producing Prince Sadaaki, Prince Sadayasu, and Princess Atsuko with Emperor Seiwa, Seiwa also allowed numerous women to enter the court regardless of clan or surname, resulting in numerous other princes. Mototsune's decision to allow his daughter Yoriko, who was of comparative low maternal descent, then his daughter Kasuko, also of low descent, to enter the court, in the hopes of giving birth to a grandson, may have provoked Takaiko's resentment. posits the theory that Fujiwara Yoshiko was secretly working behind the scenes.
In 884, Emperor Yōzei abdicated his title. The official reason given was illness, but the Emperor's defeat in imperial virtue was due to his beating his wet-son, Minamoto no Masu, to death.
Due to these circumstances, Prince Sadayasu, Yōzei's younger brother and Taikako's second son, was not chosen as the next emperor, and Prince Tokiyasu was instead. Furthermore, when Emperor Kōkō's illness worsened, Minamoto no Sadamichi was selected as the next emperor, over Prince Sadayasu. This was unprecedented for a prince who had once left the imperial family and been demoted to commoner status to ascend to the throne.
In 896, during Emperor Uda's reign, Taikako was suspected of having an affair with Zensuke, the head priest of Toko-ji Temple, which she had built during the Gangyo era, and was deposed from her position as Empress Dowager; the following year, the Emperor's birth mother, Princess Banshi, was promoted from Crown Princess to Empress Dowager. After Princess Banshi's death, in 943, Taikako was restored to the throne by imperial edict of Emperor Suzaku.

Other speculation

Based on historical sources such as the Tales of Ise and the Tales of Yamato, it is speculated that Takaiko had a romantic relationship with Ariwara no Narihira before entering the Imperial Court. It has also been suggested that the delay in Takaiko's entry into the Court was not simply due to Emperor Seiwa's age, but also because Yoshifusa, her guardian, was hesitant to allow her to enter after learning of her relationship with Narihira.

Works

One of Taikako's poems is included in the Kokin Wakashū.

Western books cited