Fujiwara no Genshi (藤原原子)

FUJIWARA no Genshi (around 980? - September 12, 1002) was a wife of an Imperial Family member who lived in the middle era of the Heian period. She was a wife of Emperor Sanjo when he was the Crown Prince. She was the second daughter of FUJIWARA no Michitaka, Sessho (regent), and her mother was TAKASHINA no Kishi (a daughter of TAKASHINA no Naritada). FUJIWARA no Korechika, FUJIWARA no Takaie, and FUJIWARA no Teishi (Empress of Emperor Ichijo) were her siblings.

In March of 993, she celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony. In February of 995, she became a wife of Imperial Prince Okisada (later Emperor Sanjo) (at the age of 14 or 15, according to "Eiga monogatari" (literally, a tale of flowering fortunes: a historical story book)). She lived in Shigeisha (a building in the Imperial palace), was called Shigeisha-nyogo (a consort living in Shigeisha) or Uchinomikushige-dono (the name of a place in the Imperial palace), and was loved by the Crown Prince tenderly. It is said that she had modern (at that time) and flamboyant characters, and the scene of her visiting her elder sister, Teishi, was depicted in "Makura no soshi" (the Pillow Book).

However, in only three months after she started living in the Imperial palace, her father, Michitaka died, and in addition, her brothers, Korechika and Takaie, lost their power bases in the government, making the influence of the Nakano-kanpaku family lost. After that, she could get no powerful guardian nor could she give birth to a child, and died on September 12, 1002, chasing after her elder sister, Teishi, and her younger sister, Mikushiro-dono (the fourth daughter of FUJIWARA no Michitaka). Died at the age of 22 or 23 (according to "Okagami" (literally, the Great Mirror)). It is said that she vomited blood unexpectedly and died suddenly. Therefore, FUJIWARA no Seiko, Senyoden (a building of the imperial place) no nyogo, who was also a wife of the Crown Prince (and became Empress later) was suspected of this incident (according to "Eiga monogatari").

[Original Japanese]