Ben no Naishi (a maid of honor to the Empress) (弁内侍)
Ben no Naishi (dates of birth and death unknown) was a female waka poet of Kamakura period. She was also called Gofukakusa-in no Ben no Naishi. Her father was FUJIWARA no Nobuzane, her elder sister was Sohekimonin no shosho (minor captain), and her younger sister was Shosho no naishi (a maid of honor to minor captain) of Gofukakusa-in. She was one of the Nyobo sanjurokkasen (Thirty-six Immortal Lady Poets).
She served since the time when the retired Emperor Gofukakusa was the Togu crown prince, and retired with his abdication in 1259. The famous "Bennonaishi nikki" (The Diary of Bennonaishi) was a piece of work during the first half of that period. She had a daughter (Middle Counselor of Shin Yomeimon-in) with FUJIWARA no Masahira, and became a priest at death of the younger sister in 1265. Her name can be seen in "The Existing Thirty-six Immortal Lady Poets" compiled in 1276. According to "Tsukuba questions and answers" she was also an author of renga (linked verse), and her verses were also selected in "Tsukuba shu".