[Section l] The Abdication Ceremony

On the twenty-ninth day of the first month in the fourth year of Kangen [l246], the monarch Go-Saga abdicated at the Tominokôji Palace.¹ It is hard to record everything that happened at that time. It was all so splendid. Ben no Naishi:

kyô yori wa                                     From this day forth

waga kimi no yo to                           can I not but think,

nazuketsutsu                                     "This is my lord’s world,"

tsukihi shi sora ni                             when I look up at the sun

augazarame ya                                   or the moon in the sky?²

[Section 2] The Enthronement Ceremony

On the eleventh day of the third month, the enthronement ceremony was conducted at the Council of State.¹ Needless to say, the various ceremonies on this bright spring day were splendid. People appeared so novel. Ben no Naishi:
 

tamayura ni                                     Figures clothed

nishiki o yorou                                 briefly in brocades

sugata koso                                     are more novel still,

chitose wa kyô to                             as today begins my lord’s

iya mezuranare                                 one thousand-year reign.
 

On the first day of the fourth month, the Hirano Festival was held.¹ The presiding official was the Tsuchimikado major counselor Akisada, the controller was Tsunetoshi, the carriage officer was Suketsugu, and the general assistant was Tokitsuna. Ben no Naishi used the young maple combination for her skirt display.²

It was pleasant when someone said, "Give the female courtier water to cleanse her hands," and someone else moistened a piece of paper, inserted it in a cleft stick, and thrust it ceremoniously into the carriage. She was enjoying the scenery in the shade of a pine tree with a cool breeze blowing. Ben no Naishi:
 

yorozuyo to                                     I pray to the mighty gods

kimi o zo inoru                                 that our lord’s reign

chihayaburu                                     will last a myriad years,

Hirano no matsu no                         as long-prospering

furuki tameshi ni                                as the pines at Hirano Shrine.

[Section 4] The Messenger to Matsunoo Shrine in the Fourth Year of Kangen

On the same day, Shôshô no Naishi went to Matsunoo Shrine as the official messenger.¹ The presiding official was the middle counselor of the second rank Yoshinori, the controller was Chikayori, the general assistant was Tamenawa, and the carriage officer was Kanetomo. Shôshô no Naishi used the sweet-flag combination for her skirt display.²

Hearing the cuckoo’s first song as it perched atop a densely foliaged tree, Shôshô no Naishi composed this:
 

chihayaburu                                     A cuckoo at mighty

Matsunoo yama no                         Matsunoo Mountain!

hototogisu                                       Today the gods, too,

kami mo hatsune o                         are surely listening

kyô ya kikuran                                to its first song.

[Section 5] The Messenger to the Naishidokoro

On the thirteenth day of the fourth month, Ben no Naishi went to the Naishidokoro as a special messenger.¹ Since she went by way of the Eaves Corridor and the Giyôden Altar Corridor,² she could see the moon shining clearly as it traversed the sky deep in the night. Ben no Naishi:
 

masukagami                                     I serve a lord

kumoranu michi ni                            whose reign is as unclouded

tsukaete zo                                         as a clear mirror,

sayakeki tsuki no                             thus I can behold

kage mo mirubeki                             the light of the pure moon.

[Section 6] The Katsumi Poem

On the fifth day of the fifth month, someone had brought some katsumi¹ to the Dining Room.² His Lordship had said, "Take it and show it to His Majesty with a poem attached."³ Since Ben no Naishi had thought the katsumi stalks were sweet-flags, she had attached a sweet-flag poem—an amusing mistake. Ben no Naishi:
 

katsumi ouru                                     Not knowing

Asaka no numa mo                            the katsumi

mada shirade                                     of Shallow Marsh,

fukaku ayame to                                 I was deeply sure

omoikeru kana                                     they were sweet-flags.
 

After the twentieth day of the fifth month, when the cloudless dawn moon was particularly pleasant, Ben no Naishi thought it was very elegant that His Lordship held a linked verse gathering in his retiring room.¹ Only Taie and Tametsugu were present,² so the number of people attending was very small. His Lordship said, "It would be nice to hear Kôtô no Naishi play the biwa next,"³ but the moon was close to setting, therefore everyone went home. She hated to see the occasion end, so she lingered for some time beside the fishing pavilion.⁴ Ben no Naishi:
 

tsuki o mite                                         If I gaze at the moon,

omoi mo ideba                                     remembering the past,

onozukara                                            I will no doubt

shinobarenubeki                                 remember this

ariake no sora                                     pale dawn sky.

Shôshô no Naishi’s reply:
 

omoiiden                                             I do not say,

nochi to wa iwaji                                 "I will surely

ima no ma no                                        recall it later!"

nagori nomi koso                                 I miss it right now,

ariake no tsuki                                     this dawn moon!
 

For Kikôden night,¹ on the seventh day of the seventh month, Head Chamberlain—Middle Captain Masaie was appointed manager of the festivities. In the Dining Room, Kôtô no Naishi set up the bridges on the koto and played a little to check the tuning. The sound of her testing the tuning was very pleasant. When people said such things as "Could it be because the head chamberlain—middle captain is managing things? Tonight’s rain falls ever so quietly," Shôshô no Naishi composed this poem:
 

shimejime to                                     By the nature of the rain

koyoi no ame no                               falling quietly tonight,

furumai ni                                         we can guess

bugyô no hito no                             the mood

keshiki o zo shiru                             of the person in charge.

When she composed her poem, it was delightful that Lady Dainagon found the poem amusing enough to smile.² Everything was prepared: looking out from the Consort’s Apartment and the Two-Bay Room,³ the faint shadows created by the torch light were so pleasant that Shôshô no Naishi composed this poem:
 

tomoshibi no                                     The Herdsman thought he would

kage mo hazukashi                            steal across the Heavenly Stream

ama no gawa                                     this rainy night, but now,

amemoyo ni to ya                             is he unable to cross

watarikanuran                                    embarrassed by the torch light?

Ben no Naishi’s reply:
 

hoshiai no                                         Show me the light of the stars

hikari wa miseyo                             meeting in the abode of clouds,

kumoi yori                                        close to His Majesty’s

kumoi wa chikashi                             Royal Palace,

kasasagi no hashi                             O bridge of magpies wings.⁴

[Section 9] Moonlight Meditation

On the sixteenth day of the eighth month, His Majesty went to the Gosechidokoro.¹ The Madenokôji major counselor Kinmoto, the commander of the left gate guards Sanefuji, the head chamberlain—middle captain Masaie, the head chamberlain—controller Akitomo, and others presented themselves, and there was music. While His Majesty was away, Lady Chûnagon no Suke, Lady Kunaikyô, and Ben no Naishi were among those who went out under the outer eaves of the Dining Room. It was unbearable seeing the moon only faintly beyond the edge of the Horse Screen near the railing.² "It makes me think of the Nijô consort of the distant past, whose residence in the Kôrôden corresponds to the First Wing Chamber here.³ I wonder if people of her time also worried about seeing the bright moon," she said. Ben no Naishi:
 

mukashi yori                                     Must it be a flaw in my heart

kumorazu to iu                                 that I cannot clearly see the moon,

tsukikage o                                        though it is said

sayaka ni minu wa                             to have been unclouded

kokoro nariken                                   from times past?⁴
 

kumo no ue ni Since you dwell,

nao suminagara after all, above the clouds,

aki no yo no should you not be able

tsuki o sayaka ni to see the moon clearly

nado ka mizaran even on this autumn night?⁵

[Section l0] The Fields Outside the Walled Enclosure

On the final day of the eighth month, Shôshô no Naishi, one of the female courtiers who was to be in charge of the Nyokudokoro¹ and who was to proceed to the Suzaku Gate,² became ill, and Ben no Naishi was sent as her substitute. The wind which was blowing was very cool, and the fields were pleasant.³ Ben no Naishi:
 

ôuchi ya                                             I have come to visit

furuki mikaki ni                                 the ancient wall

tazunekite                                           of the Royal Palace,

miyo aratamaru                                 when there is to be

kyô ni mo aru kana                             a new honorable reign today.

[Section 11] Chrysanthemum Covers

On the eighth day of the ninth month, someone from the consort came bearing some silk covers for chrysanthemums.¹ Ben no Naishi put the particularly attractive ones on some of the chrysanthemums in the Dining Room Courtyard. She had been concerned about the dew that night, but on the morning of the ninth the whole bed looked as though it were in bloom.² It was very delightful. Ben no Naishi:
 

kokonoe ya                                         Since these are the chrysanthemums

kyô kokonuka no                                 for today, the ninth,

kiku nareba                                         at the nine-fold palace, I view them,

kokoro no mama ni                             having let them bloom

sakasete zo miru                                  to my heart’s content.³
 
 
 

On the first day of the tenth month, there was a meeting to decide the day for the annual prayers commemorating the death of the former sovereign Tsuchimikado, so the appointments ceremony, scheduled for the first, was postponed until the eleventh.¹ The Ômiya major counselor Kinsuke, the Madenokôji major counselor Kinmoto, and others went to the Guards’ Headquarters to conduct court affairs.² The chamberlains Tsunetoshi, Munemasa, Mitsukuni, and others also went there to decide upon matters concerning the prayers.³ It was announced that the Golden Wheel Ritual, Calamity-Averting Rite,⁴ and the like were to begin on the nineteenth with the chamberlain—gentleman—in—waiting Munemasa as manager.⁵ There was a violent hailstorm that day, and the weather turned very cold. Much intrigued, Ben no Naishi composed this poem:
 

yao yorozu                                         An answer to those

inoru shirushi mo                             myriad prayers has appeared,

arawarete                                           countless numbers

arare tama chiru                                 of hailstones

kazu mo miekeri                                 scattering down.

[Section 13] A Great Purification Ceremony at the Riverside

On the twenty-fourth day of the tenth month, a great purification ceremony took place at the riverside.¹ It would be commonplace to call the occasion splendid. As Ben no Naishi looked out from the temporary building for His Majesty,² the distant river sand looked white and the river breeze was refreshing. Ben no Naishi:
 

kyô shi koso                                     It is likely indeed

kiyoki kawara no                             that today is the beginning

isagoji ni                                         of a reign as endless

chiyo hen kazu mo                           as the number of grains of sand

torihajimurame                                on this beautiful river beach.

[Section 14] Viewing the Moon and the Snow

On the night of the fourteenth day of the eleventh month, a delightful snowfall covered the road and collected in drifts. Since the men on night guard duty, the Kazan’in consultant—middle captain Morotsugu and others such as the head chamberlain—middle captain had gone to the retired sovereign’s residence,¹ several female courtiers left for the Seiryôden. The icy bamboo leaves blowing in the wind outside sounded charming. Moreover, the moon and the sky, clouding over as if it were going to snow again, had much to recommend it. The Ômiya major counselor Kinsuke, the Madenokôji major counselor Kinmoto, and others who were at the palace watched the scene from the South Hall throughout the night.² It became piercing cold before dawn, and they told some courtiers to bring firewood from the Courtiers’ Hall.³ The courtiers said that the firewood supply there was exhausted, so they used withered branches from a bush-clover plant north of the Spacious Hall,⁴ a most elegant expedient. Ben no Naishi:
 

shimogare no                                 Indeed it is

furue no hagi no                             for budding spring

orimatsu wa                                     that we burn as firewood

moeizuru haru no                             the ancient frost-withered branches

tame to koso mire                             of the bush-clover.⁵

    Not a cloud obscured the late moon⁶ the bright light on the snow was delightful. Ben no Naishi had gone out to the railing beyond the His Majesty’s Apartment⁷ to gaze at moon when Middle Captain Kintada came along with the Ômiya major counselor’s inkstone, which he said he had been asked to fetch. She wondered where the letter’s destination might be. Ben no Naishi:
 

akeyarade                                        Still in the depth of night,

mada yo wa fukaki                         dawn has not yet broken.

yuki no uchi ni                                 Surely the letter-bearer

fumi miru michi wa                         will see no path

ato ya nakaran                                 as he treads through the snow.

    On the same night, the fourteenth, Shôshô no Naishi had gone to the Nyokudokoro⁸ where, still unwell, she was lying sound asleep. Along toward dawn, she awoke and heard the sound of shoes plodding through deep snow in the distance. Despite her illness, she got slowly out of bed. She heard a voice say, "A message from the Ômiya major counselor." She pushed open the double doors.⁹ Although it was still dark, the whiteness of the snow on the Palace Meadow¹⁰ created such an unforgettable scene that words fail to describe it adequately. She opened the letter and read the following poem from him:
 

kokonoe ya                                     How must it appear

ôuchiyama no                                 at the nine-fold

ikanaran                                          Royal Palace Mountain,

kagiri mo shirazu                             this white snow accumulating

tsumoru shirayuki                             in limitless deep drifts!¹¹

Shôshô no Naishi’s reply:
 

kokonoe no                                     Tracing tracks

uchino no yuki ni                             in the snow

ato tsukete                                         of the Palace Meadow

haruka ni chiyo no                             within the nine-fold palace,

michi o miru kana                             we see a thousand-year path.¹²

    This following poem was sent to Ben no Naishi from Shôshô no Naishi on the morning after the snow:
 

kokonoe ni                                         On Royal Palace Mountain

chiyo o kasanete                                 thousand-year reigns accumulate

miyuru kana                                       into nine-fold layers,

ôuchiyama no                                     like the white snow

kesa no shirayuki                                seen this morning.

Ben no Naishi’s reply:
 

michi shi aran                                     Considering the thousand-year

chiyo no miyuki o                             righteous path of our lord,

omou ni wa                                         neither the passing of time

furu tomo nobe no                               nor the falling of snow

ato wa mienan                                     will obscure the meadow path. ¹³

[Section 15] The Messenger to Yoshida Shrine

On the seventeenth day, the snow was still very deep. On the way home from having served as the messenger to Yoshida Shrine, Ben no Naishi told the attendants to take her carriage to the Suki Nyokudokoro,¹ which she was curious to see. The general assistants, Tamemochi and Kanetomo, and the chamberlains of sixth rank accompanying the carriage said that it was too late at night to make such a long detour, but she was determined to go. "There are precedents indeed for messengers on the return from Yoshida Shrine to visit the Nyokudokoro," she said. "Well, if there really are precedents," they said, and they made the long journey.

    The gate guard was very slow in opening the gate, so they said angrily, "Is this the first time this has happened? It has always been the custom for the female courtier to come here on the return from Yoshida Shrine. Why are the gates suddenly kept closed?" She found it amusing to think that even their scolding words to the gate guard were likely to become precedents:
 

towamashi ya                                     Would I ask why this visit

tsumoreru yuki no                             in the depth of night

fukaki yo ni                                         through deep drifts of snow,

kore mo mukashi no                             were it not to follow

ato to iwazu wa                                     precedents of the past?

[Section 1]

¹ Tominokôji Palace was one of the many detached palaces (satodairi) that served as royal residences during the Kamakura period (1185—1333) after the practice of rebuilding the Royal Residential Palace (Dairi) within the Greater Royal Palace (Daidairi) was abandoned in 1219 (Ôta 1987, 789—90). The Tominokôji Palace, located to the east of the Greater Royal Palace, served as the detached palace of Go-Saga (1222—72; r. 1242—46) and his consort, Ômiya’in (1225—92, Fujiwara [Saionji] Kitsushi), during his rule as titular monarch. Even after Go-Saga’s abdication, he and Ômiya’in continued to live at the Tominokôji Palace, after which it was called the retired sovereign’s residence (in no gosho). The Kan’in Palace, located to the southeast of the Greater Royal Palace, served as the main detached palace after the enthronement of Go-Saga’s eldest son, Go-Fukakusa (1243—1304; r. 1246—59). Ben no Naishi lived at the Kan’in Palace in Go-Fukakusa’s service until it was destroyed by fire on the first day of the second month of 1249 (see Section 81). Go-Fukakusa moved to the Tominokôji Palace, where Go-Saga and Ômiya’in had lived, after his parents moved to the nearby Madenokôji Palace, also owned by the Saionji family, Ômiya’in’s relatives. After living at the Tominokôji Palace for over two years, Go-Fukakusa’s court returned to the Kan’in Palace when reconstruction was completed on the twenty-eighth day of the sixth month of 1251 (Section 138). For details on the Kan’in Palace, see Section 26, note 2.

² "My lord" refers to Go-Fukakusa, the eighty-ninth sovereign of Japan, who was only three years old when he was enthroned. His parents, Go-Saga and Ômiya’in, deposed him in 1259 in favor of his younger brother Kameyama (1249—1305; r. 1259—74), the ninetieth sovereign. This lateral move set up a dispute in the line of succession that resulted in an uneasy alternation between the Jimyôin (Go-Fukakusa’s descendants, also Senior or Northern Court) and the Daikakuji (Kameyama’s descendants, also Junior or Southern Court) lines until the reign of Go-Daigo (1288—1339; r. 1318—39). Go-Daigo’s failed attempt to maintain succession in the Daikakuji line and to restore power to the royal family during the short-lived Kenmu Restoration (1334—36) hastened the collapse of the Kamakura shogunate and gave impetus to the usurpation of power by Ashikaga Takauji (1305—58), founder of the Ashikaga shogunate. The succession dispute was concluded in 1392 when Go-Komatsu (1377—1433; r. 1392—1412) of the Jimyôin line (the Northern Court monarch, r. 1382—92) was declared the descendant of the main line of succession. In the translation, Go-Fukakusa is most often referred to as "His Majesty."

[Section 2]

¹ "Council of State" (Daijôkan) refers to both the supreme organ of government and to the building located in the central portion of the southeastern corner of the Greater Royal Palace, which housed its members: ministers of state (daijin), major counselors (dainagon), middle counselors (chûnagon), and consultants (sangi). For details, see McCullough and McCullough 1980, 2:796—801.

[Section 3]

¹ Hirano Shrine, relocated in 794 to the Kita ward of Kyôto, was founded by Kanmu (737—806; r. 781—806) when he moved to the new capital in Yamashiro province from the former capital in Yamato province. Considered one of the original Twenty-two Shrines (Nijûnisha) by the Heian court, Hirano Shrine received royal patronage and special privileges, such as visits by crown princes before investiture (McCullough and McCullough 1980, 1:119). Traditionally, the Hirano Festival took place during the fourth lunar month, as did other Shintô kami observances (kamigoto) celebrated at the Kamo, Inari, Yamashina, Matsunoo, Umenomiya, Hirose, Tatsuta, Hiyoshi, and Yoshida shrines (1:334).

² Young maple (wakakaede), a summer color combination for robes, worn from the beginning of the fourth lunar month, traditionally noted as the advent of summer, with all five robes and linings [in] a light sprout-green, with a chemise of white or scarlet-pink (Dalby 1987, 27). The fabric, a translucent gauze-woven silk called ra, was lined, thus giving the impression of coolness without achieving that effect for the wearer of the garment (24).

[Section 4]

¹ Matsunoo Shrine, located in the Nishikyô ward of Kyôto, was one of the original Twenty-six Shrines (Nijûrokusha). These were Shintô shrines supported by the government. Its festival was formerly celebrated during the fourth lunar month on Matsunoo Mountain.

² Sweet flag (shôbu), another color combination for summer with robes arranged as follows: (1) deep blue-green; (2) pale blue-green; (3) white; (4) deep plum-pink; (5) pale plum-pink; with a white, raw silk chemise (susushi) (Dalby 1987, 25).

[Section 5]

¹ Naishidokoro (also Kashikodokoro, or Unmeiden), a building located east of the Jijûden in the Royal Residential Palace, housed the replica of the sacred mirror, one of the three royal regalia said to legitimize the rule of the royal family. Naishi were responsible for safeguarding the royal regalia: the replica sacred mirror, the replica sacred sword, and the original sacred jewels (threaded into a necklace). The original sacred mirror is housed at the Grand Shrine of Ise and the original sacred sword is preserved at the Atsuta Shrine near Nagoya. Replicas of the sacred jewels were never made (Holtom 1972, 44).

² The Giyôden, southeast of the Shishinden, housed valued treasures such as heirloom musical instruments. The Eaves Corridor (Konrô) extended from stairs on the east side of the Shishinden to the Giyôden. The eaves of this corridor covered a raised, hard-packed dirt floor (dobisashi) called the Giyôden Altar Corridor (Giyôden no Dan no Ue). Dobisashi corridors connected most of the subsidiary buildings in the original Royal Residential Palace and probably were also used in detached palaces such as the Kan’in Palace. The Shishinden, located to the northeast of the Seiryôden in the Royal Residential Palace, was the main ceremonial building where Buddhist services, coming-of-age ceremonies (genpuku) for monarchs and crown princes, and annual ceremonies (nenjû gyôji) were conducted. Like other buildings in the Royal Residential Palace, the Shishinden was built with cypress-bark roof, raised-floor construction, and unpainted wood surfaces. The South Court of the Shishinden contained the famous trees: the Cherry Tree of the bodyguards of the left and the Orange Tree of the bodyguards of the right. The Shishinden in the Royal Residential Palace was sometimes called the Naden (South Hall).

[Section 6]

¹ The sweet-flag festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month, was intended to ward off the diseases that accompany hot weather. Sweet-flag (Acorus calamus var. angustatus) leaves and/or roots were stuffed under the eaves of private dwellings and palace buildings, made into "medicinal balls," and formally presented to the monarch by court physicians at the Sweet-flag Banquet. There was, however, no custom for substituting katsumi (a kind of wild rice) for sweet-flags in the capital. Because there was no such custom Ben no Naishi is surprised and makes her "amusing mistake." When Fujiwara Sanekata (d. 908) was appointed governor of Mutsu province, he discovered that sweet-flags did not grow there. Therefore, he ordered that katsumi from the Asaka Marsh be substituted for sweet-flags. For details, see McCullough and McCullough 1980, 1:412. The Shallow Marsh (Asaka no Numa) was located in Asaka-gun in Fukushima prefecture (formerly Michinoku province). There is a play on asaka (shallow) and fukaku (deep) in her poem. Asaka is a pillow word (utamakura) dating back to Man’yôshû times.

² The Dining Room (Asagarei no Ma) was located in the northwestern portion of the Seiryôden, the monarch’s residence, south of the Hand-Washing Room (Michôzu no Ma), overlooking the Dining Room Court (Asagarei no Tsubo). Some of the monarch’s meals were served in the Dining Room.

³ "His Lordship" probably refers to the regent, Fujiwara Sanetsune (1223—84).

[Section 7]

¹ A retiring room (onchokurô) was a place where regents (sesshô, kanpaku), ministers of state (daijin), major counselors (dainagon), and other high-ranking officials rested between court duties. Tamai again thinks that "His Lordship" is a reference to Sanetsune (Tamai 1958a, 8).

² Taie, listed as "Kataie" in Gunsho Ruijû, has not been positively identified. Tamai believes that it could have been an abbreviation for Tameie, son of Fujiwara Teika. Iwasa Miyoko thinks the custom of abbreviating names was usually applied to those of low rank and suggests Minamoto Masaie as a possible candidate. Both Tamai and Iwasa agree that Tametsugu may refer to Ben no Naishi’s older brother, known later as a portrait painter.

³ A court title used as a sobriquet. Kôtô no naishi refers to the head post among four positions of female courtiers (naishi no jô). This particular kôtô no naishi bore three children by Go-Saga while in his service, so she enjoyed some privileges at Go-Fukakusa’s court. Perhaps she transferred from Go-Saga’s service to Go-Fukakusa’s when the latter ascended the throne.

⁴ Fishing pavilion (tsuridono), a corridor-like building which projected out toward a pond in a south garden in a "sleeping hall" style (shindenzukuri) architectural complex.

[Section 8]

¹ The Tanabata Festival (Kikôden) occurred on the seventh day of the seventh month to celebrate the annual meeting of the stars Altair (Herdsman) and Vega (Weaver Maid). The couple met by crossing a bridge made of magpie wings (kasasagi no hashi) spanning the Heavenly Stream (Ama no Gawa, the Milky Way) for one night together after a year apart. Thereafter, the couple was separated for another year until the trajectory completed its cycle for another annual visit. This festival was adopted from the Chinese, whose virilocal marriage practices required the Weaver Maid to cross the Heavenly Stream to visit the Herdsman on his side of the river. In Japan during the Heian (794—1185) and Kamakura periods when uxorilocal marriage practices prevailed, the Weaver Maid remained in her residence and the Herdsman crossed the river to visit her. Iwasa states that here Kikôden refers to a court ceremony in which nine torch platforms were set up in the Seiryôden courtyard with offerings, cloth, thread, musical instruments, and other objects placed on a table. The person placed in charge of the festivities was known as the manager (bugyô).

² Throughout this translation "Lady" approximates the honorific suffix "dono" attached to the sobriquets of Dainagon, Chûnagon no Suke, Kunaikyô no Suke, Azechi no Sanmi, Hyôe no Kami, and Kôtô no Naishi indicating female courtiers higher in rank than Ben no Naishi and Shôshô no Naishi. The use of "dono" in the nikki indicates the desire of the author to note distinctions in rank between Ben no Naishi and Shôshô no Naishi and female courtiers of higher rank. Ben no Naishi, Shôshô no Naishi, and Shônagon no Naishi are referred to throughout the work without the honorific suffix "dono." It would rob the nikki of its proper flavor to leave out this honorific suffix because the society it depicts was highly conscious of rank. "Dono" attached to a male name is usually translated as "Lord."

³ In the Royal Residential Palace, the Kokiden Royal Apartment (Kokiden no Ue no Mitsubone), one of two Consort’s Apartment (Ue no Tsubone), was located in the northeast corner of the Seiryôden just north of the Two-Bay Room (Futama). One of the functions of the Two-Bay Room was to serve as a chapel for Buddhist monks on night duty. Tamai thinks that the two rooms may have been combined into one room at the Kan’in Palace.

⁴ There is a play on kumoi (abode of clouds; Royal Palace); kasasagi no hashi (a bridge made by the wings of magpies) suggests a stairway (mihashi) at the royal palace.

[Section 9]

¹ Gosechidokoro (synonymous with Gosechi no Tsubone and Gosechi no Tokoro), temporary residential quarters for dancers performing in the Great Thanksgiving Service (Daijôsai) of the eleventh month. The quarters were usually in the various sections of the Jôneiden in the Royal Residential Palace. For details, see McCullough and McCullough 1980, 1:376—77.

² The Horse Screen, a single-paneled screen, stood near the railing at the northern end of the corridor connecting the west side of the Seiryôden to the east side of the Dining-Room Courtyard (Asagarei no Tsubone). Ben no Naishi makes the poetic gesture of worrying because she was not able to see the mid-autumn moon on a clear night, famous for being the brightest and most beautiful for moon-viewing. The mid-autumn moon disappointed Ben no Naishi because it was only faintly visible to her on the fifteenth, the time when the viewing most likely occurred. (In lunar reckoning, the full moon predictably fell on the fifteenth. Although the event probably took place on the fifteenth, the entry is dated the sixteenth.)

³ The Nijô consort, Fujiwara Kôshi (842—910), is said to have been the person who prompted Ariwara no Narihira (825—80) to write the famous Tsuki ya aranu poem (see McCullough l968, 71). According to the Tales of Ise (Ise Monogatari), Kôshi was staying in the western wing of a house in the eastern part of the capital with her aunt, Former Consort Junshi (809—71), at the time of her putative affair with Narihira, not at the Royal Palace as Ben no Naishi assumed. The Kôrôden (Royal Kitchen) was located directly west of the Dining Room Court and Table Room Court (Daibandokoro no Tsubo) in the Seiryôden of the Royal Residential Palace. Presumably, the corresponding structure at the Kan’in Palace was the First Wing Chamber (Ichi no Tai).

⁴ Since the Royal Palace was "above the clouds" (see Section 8), the moon should have been visible. Perhaps it also refers to the moon of Buddhist enlightenment rather than just to the clear moon of mid-autumn.

⁵ There is a pun on sumi, a form of sumu (live; be clear). The poem could also be read as: "Even as the moon shines brightly above the clouds, why do you not see the clear sight of the autumn moon?" Sei Shônagon mentions being worried and restless because she wondered whether the weather would be clear or overcast. If the weather were clear, the Weaver Maid and the Herdsman would be able to meet; if it were overcast, then they would be denied their annual assignation.

[Section 10]

¹ The Nyokudokoro (or Nyokodokoro) was an office established on a temporary basis to help prepare items necessary for the Great Thanksgiving Service which took place in the first year of a new reign, or in the second year if the reign began after the seventh month. Preparations for the service began as early as the fourth month and as the eleventh month approached, the activities increased rapidly. Two female courtiers appointed to the Yuki (eastern district) and Suki (western district) sides were required to report to the Suzaku Gate for the ceremony. Because Shôshô no Naishi became ill, Ben no Naishi was sent as her replacement. Certain districts were chosen to supply new rice: from Ômi province for the Yuki eastern side and from Tanba or Bitchû provinces for the Suki western side. For details, see McCullough and McCullough 1980, 1:375—78.

² The Suzaku Gate was the site for great purification ceremonies (ôharae) performed monthly on the last day of the month from the eighth until the eleventh month when the Great Thanksgiving Service took place. It was the main palace gate leading out onto the main north-south thoroughfare known as Suzaku Ôji. The Suzaku Gate, located on the southern boundary of the palace, was probably in ruins by Ben no Naishi’s time.

³ "Fields" is an approximate translation of mikakigahara (fields [outside] the walls) a term associated in early poetry with the environs of the Yoshino royal villa. Here it refers to the area outside Suzaku Gate.

[Section 11]

¹ Held on the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Yang Banquet (Chôyô no En, also Chôyô no Sechie) was one of the Gosechi banquets held at court. The banquet imitated the chrysanthemum banquets of China and was based on the belief that chrysanthemum blossoms and their scent possessed the power to avert diseases and promote longevity. The flowers were placed inside floss silk covers to protect the flowers from fading caused by the dew. On the ninth day of the ninth month, custom dictated that one rub the dew-soaked scented cloth on one’s face to receive the legendary benefits of the chrysanthemum (McCullough and McCullough 1980, 1:272).

² Apparently the attractive covers resembled actual chrysanthemums in bloom when placed over the entire bed growing in the Dining-Room Courtyard, thus prompting the poem.

³ The poem makes clever use of the "k" sounds in kokonoe (nine-fold; Royal Palace), kokonuka (the ninth), and kokoro (heart).

[Section 12]

¹ Appointments ceremonies (jimoku) were court functions to determine appointments of various government officials other than those of minister of state. Ceremonies for provincial offices were conducted in the first month (unless they were postponed until the second or third month) and were called spring appointments (agatameshi no jimoku). Ceremonies for central offices were held in the autumn and was known as fall appointments (tsukasameshi no jimoku). Special appointments ceremonies (rinji no jimoku) were held at various times. The postponement of the appointments ceremony from the first to the eleventh month added another function to be performed on that occasion. This was the fifteenth annual worship service performed on the death date of the former sovereign Tsuchimikado (1195—1231; r. 1198—1210), who died on the eleventh day of the third month of 1231. Tsuchimikado, son of Go-Toba (1180—1239; r. 1183/1184—98), was the father of Go-Saga and the grandfather of Go-Fukakusa.

² The Guards’ Headquarters (Jin no Za) was the place where senior nobles sat during Shintô rituals, banquets, appointments ceremonies, and other court events.

³ Shikiji was a general term for head chamberlains and fifth- and sixth-rank chamberlains.

⁴ Little seems to be known about the Golden Wheel Ritual (Konrin no Hô) and the Calamity-Averting Rite (Tenchi Saihen Sai). Apparently they consisted of prayers for the souls of the dead to prevent calamities such as earthquakes, floods, and famine.

⁵ The nineteenth was presumably the day of the prayers.

[Section 13]

¹ A great purification ceremony (ôharae), part of the Great Thanksgiving Service, was performed after the accession of a new monarch. The simple rites, such as ceremonial hand-washing, followed by cleansing rituals performed by Department of Shrines (Jingikan) officials in which the monarch went to the west side of the dry bed of the Kamo River, were preceded by a magnificent procession that began at the royal palace to the rolling of drums. For details, see McCullough and McCullough 1980, 1:376.

² A structure provided for royal use by the riverside.

[Section 14]

¹ Retired Sovereign Go-Saga, father of Go-Fukakusa.

² For South Hall, see Section 5, note 2.

³ The Courtiers’ Hall (Tenjô no Ma), located along the southernmost portion of the Seiryôden, served as the headquarters for senior nobles of first through the third ranks (kugyô) and male courtiers of the fourth and fifth ranks (tenjôbito) while on court duty. The room contained a duty board for courtiers on assignment, a royal chair (goishi), some lacquered dining tables, and a free-standing screen known as the Partition of the Annual Ceremonies (Nenjû Gyôji no Sôji) (McCullough and McCullough 1980, 2:843).

⁴ Spacious Hall (Hirogosho), apparently a building located to the north of the Shishinden within detached palaces such as the Kan’in and the Tominokôji Palaces, which substituted for the Jijûden, originally designed as a royal residence for monarchs. At detached palaces, these buildings sometimes were called the North Wing Chambers (Kita no Tai) of the Shishinden. According to The Clear Mirror (ca. 1376) which contains an entry based on Ben no Naishi Nikki, the terms Hirogosho and Kita no Tai, both seem to refer to buildings located north of the Shishinden (corresponding to the Jijûden at the original Royal Residential Palace). Both the Kan’in and the Tominokôji Palaces had Spacious Halls.

⁵ There are a couple of engo (word associations) and pivot words (kakekotoba) at work in the poem. Furue (ancient branch) and furu (fall) are linked to shimo (frost); moeizu (sprout; bud) and moe, a form of moyu (burn), are related to orimatsu (firewood).

⁶ Properly speaking, ariake no tsuki (late moon) means the moon in the second half of the lunar month, which is still in the sky at dawn. Here the date is the fourteenth.

⁷ His Majesty’s Apartment (Tsune no Gosho) is identified by Iwasa as a room to the north of the Royal Bedchamber in the Seiryôden in the Royal Residential Palace; Tamai does not indicate a location.

⁸ For Nyokudokoro, see Section 10, note 1. Later it is recorded that Shôshô no Naishi was in charge of the Suki side and that Kôtô no Naishi was responsible for the Yuki.

⁹ Double doors (tsumado) opened out from the center connected interior room to exterior hallways surrounding "sleeping-hall" style structures. These hinged double doors were usually placed on the corners of buildings, rather than centered along a broader axis. Double doors were permanent fixtures, unlike paper-covered sliding doors (fusuma) in "sleeping-hall" style interiors which functioned as movable walls separating areas within the main room (moya) inside buildings.

¹⁰ The Palace Meadow refers to the site of an open area within the former Greater Royal Palace.

¹¹ Kokonoe (nine-fold; Royal Palace) is a decorative preface (joshi) for Ôuchiyama (Royal Palace [Mountain]). Here Ôuchiyama means Uchino (Palace Meadow) the site of the former palace, where the Great Thanksgiving Service was to take place.

¹² The poem wishes the new monarch a long reign.

¹³ This poem also hopes the monarch will have a long reign. There is also a pun on furu (fall as of snow; a form of fu, elapse). Michi shi aran can mean both "there will be righteousness" and "there will be a path."

[Section 15]

¹ For Suki and Yuki, see Section 10, note 1. Ben no Naishi wants to visit her sister Shôshô no Naishi at the Suki Nyokudokoro. Yoshida Shrine is located in the northeastern section of Kyôto on the eastern bank of the Kamo River. The Yoshida festival was celebrated twice a year: on the middle Day of the Rat in the fourth month and on the middle Day of the Monkey in the eleventh month. The date in question here is the latter, which was celebrated on the seventeenth day (middle Day of the Monkey) of the eleventh month in 1246. The female courtier assisting the royal messenger to the Yoshida Festival had the responsibility of organizing the offerings placed before the altar.