Saigyo no Musume (the Daughter of Saigyo) (西行の娘)
Saigyo no musume (estimated year of her birth and death 1137 - 1199) was a Buddhist nun in the end of the Heian period and the early Kamakura period. She was the daughter of Saigyo Hoshi (Buddhist priest Saigyo) (Yoshikiyo SATO), and she is generally called 'Saigyo no musume' because neither secular name nor posthumous Buddhist name is known.
Saigyo no musume appeared in "Saigyo Monogatari" (a story of Saigyo)
Saigyo no musume is known for an episode depicted in Saigyo Monogatari saying that when becoming a monk, Saigyo left home after shaking off his daughter who was clinging to him.
Other than the above, several episodes are seen in the printed books of Saigyo Monogatari published in the Edo period, including the ones saying 'the father and his daughter met again,' and 'she became a Buddhist nun upon her father's exhortation,' and 'after becoming a nun, she was engaged in ascetic practices everyday, together with her mother, at Amano located on the foot of Mt. Koya,' and 'she had no relationships with men throughout her life.'
However, it is considered that Saigyo Monogatari itself didn't reflect historical facts because it depicted Saigyo's long distance trip to Oshu (Tohoku region) etc. as a one-time trip, although Saigyo in fact made such a trip several times in his life. In addition, the content of Saigyo Monogatari varies widely among various manuscripts and printed books, and only the episode concerning the scene of his becoming a monk was depicted in the manuscripts of the old age (for example, Den Abutsuni Shahon (the manuscript attributed to Abutsuni) in the middle of Kamakura period). Judging from the above, it is highly possible that other episodes were added afterward and therefore, some people assert that it is impossible to find out historical facts based on these manuscripts and printed books.
Saigyo no musume as a real person
Although the fact that Saigyo had a daughter can be confirmed by other documents of the same age, their descriptions are fragmentary and many things, including her name, are not known. According to "Hosshin-shu" written by KAMO no Chomei, Saigyo asked his younger brother to take care of his daughter when he became a monk. As seen from the above, there exist many records whose descriptions differ widely from those of Saigyo Monogatari.
Remains related to Saigyo no musume
There exist remains at Kamiamano, Katsuragi-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, the place where Saigyo's wife and a daughter are believed to have lived while being engaged in asectic practices. The tomb which is believed to be that of Saigyo's wife and daughter. Saigyodo,' which is believed to have been reconstructed after the hermitage of Saigyo's wife and daughter. Four Hokyoin-to pagodas, which were constructed in memory of Saigyo's wife and daughter.