The Pitiful Emperor Ichijo, Toyed With by the 'Michinaga Theater'

"With all due respect, the omen of your passing has appeared."

When Oe no Masahira (Kenji Taniguchi) announced this,

"I did not ask about the length of my life."

Michinaga (Tasuku Emoto) replied.

No, he definitely heard it! Because it seems impossible that they weren't talking loudly on purpose right next to the Emperor's bedchamber!

Perhaps Michinaga intended this as a move to corner Emperor Ichijo in an "indirect" and "natural" way to make himself look as good as possible, but this situation is far too malicious.

It is clear that they let him hear it on purpose, and it served as the "final blow" to mentally corner Emperor Ichijo (Akihisa Shiono).

By the way, this Oe no Masahira who performed the divination is the husband of Akasome Emon (Kaname Ouki), a lady-in-waiting to Shoshi (Ai Mikami), so he is completely on Michinaga's side, and it is doubtful whether this omen itself is even true.

In short, could this conversation have been a play staged by Michinaga?

Now, the curtain has finally risen on the "Michinaga Theater"!

What was the cause of Emperor Ichijo's death?

Emperor Ichijo passed away just one month after falling ill. There are no clear records left, so the cause of his death is not well understood.

At the very least, it is hard to believe that hearing about his own lifespan would lead directly to his death just because he was shocked. In this era, there was no medical way of thinking, and divination was everything, with prayers being the main form of treatment. Such things could not possibly cure an illness. Even so, it is unnatural for him to have died so suddenly at the young age of 32, so I have thought a little about the reasons.

1. Genetic abnormalities due to consanguineous marriage

Actually, Emperor Ichijo's parents, Emperor Enyu and Fujiwara no Senshi, were also cousins. Senshi's father Kaneie's older sister, Anshi, was Emperor Enyu's biological mother. Marriage between cousins was common in this era, and the general understanding was that it was fine as long as the parents were different.

Michinaga even achieved the "three empresses from one family" feat later on by forcing his own daughter to marry his own grandson, which was quite an extreme act.

Could it be that because this was repeated endlessly from the past, there was some kind of genetic abnormality? As evidence, Emperor Ichijo was sickly from a young age and was bedridden and near death many times.

We cannot know the disease that caused his death now, but he may have had a congenital defect in his body.

2. Michinaga cornered him from behind

According to an article I found while searching online, there is an anecdote that despite Emperor Ichijo wishing for a 'burial' while he was still alive, Michinaga forgot about it and had him 'cremated' instead.

No, no—
I find it hard to believe that such a careless mistake could happen, no matter what.

It makes me suspect that there must have been a
reason why he had to be 'cremated'. Judging from the diary he left behind and other anecdotes, Michinaga seems to have had a personality that combined boldness with sensitivity; while he made many careless mistakes, it is also evident that he carried out very detailed schemes when it served his own interests.

If I read between the lines, I imagine that if he were plotting something, he was a man capable of very precise calculations.
Furthermore, wasn't he skilled at psychological warfare, making those around him do things naturally without having to get his own hands dirty?

Regarding Emperor Ichijo, even if it wasn't the direct cause, the numerous blatant pressures he received from Michinaga—starting with Shoshi's entry into the palace and the prayers at Mount Ontake—may have been factors that gradually shortened his life.

From the moment two princes were born to his own granddaughter, Emperor Ichijo was no longer needed by Michinaga.
It seems he was single-mindedly aiming for the timing of the abdication.
Emperor Ichijo himself must have felt all that 'pressure' more than anyone else, and it was constantly weighing heavily upon him.

Honestly, in another time, they would have been uncle and nephew, friendly relatives, but because of their high status, it's a troublesome situation.

Even his final wish was not granted.

When the time finally came for his passing, Akihisa Shiono was so handsome that he looked beautiful even with his head shaved, evoking even more pity and making my eyes well up with tears.
Thinking that I will never see this beauty again is truly a shame.

Atsuyasu for the Crown Prince...

Michinaga declared in front of the four counselors—Minamoto no Toshikata (Daisuke Honda), Fujiwara no Koretou (Keita Machida), Fujiwara no Narinobu (Hitoshi Kaneda), and Fujiwara no Yukinari (Daichi Watanabe)—that he wanted to see his own grandson (Atsuhira) ascend to the throne with his own eyes.

Three of them agreed readily, but only Yukinari had a stern expression, which was likely because he was turning various schemes over in his mind.

なんせ道長を崇拝してますから。

He seemed to be thinking hard for Michinaga's sake, wondering if there was a definitive way to push for Atsuhira as Crown Prince.
That is why he presented to Emperor Ichijo the precedent from 150 years prior, where Emperor Tenmu made the fourth prince, Prince Korehito, the Crown Prince instead of the first prince, Prince Koretaka.

Even then, because the head of the Fujiwara clan, Yoshifusa, who was the guardian of the fourth prince, Prince Korehito, held overwhelming power as a maternal relative compared to the Ki clan, who were the guardians of the first prince, Prince Koretaka, it was decided by the situation to make Korehito the Crown Prince, and he later ascended the throne as the 56th Emperor Seiwa.

The precedent Yukinari cited to persuade Emperor Ichijo was spot on, and the sight of the Emperor hanging his head, unable to retort, was truly pitiful.

Emperor Ichijo's only wish was to make Teishi's memory,
Atsuyasu the Crown Prince

Even though he thought that he and Michinaga would implicitly disagree, he had hoped that this Yukinari would be an ally, but he was told of a precedent he couldn't even argue against...

I believe Yukinari also persuaded Ichijo when Shoshi became the Empress.
The realization of the first 'two empresses under one emperor' in history was also due to Yukinari's advice.
Yukinari admired Michinaga, and because Michinaga knew that, he gave implicit instructions without having to order him directly, and used Yukinari for the most crucial matters.

Could there be a conspiracy as brilliant as this, where he doesn't even have to dirty his own hands?

Under normal circumstances,
Atsuyasu should be the next Crown Prince.

Although Atsuyasu had taken Buddhist vows, he was the first prince born to Emperor Ichijo's Empress.

Moreover,as mentioned last time,it was customary for the throne to alternate between the two lineages of Emperor Reizei and Emperor Enyu (Bando Minosuke), so after Emperor Ichijo of the Enyu line, it should have been Emperor Sanjo of the Reizei line.

Michinaga was anxious because if he installed Atsuyasu as Crown Prince at this point, his own grandson Atsuhira would have to wait until the turn after next.
Although the drama does not touch upon it, Michinaga had actually fallen seriously ill several times, and at this point, his diabetes had already worsened, so he could not afford to be patient and had to force his way in at all costs.
Michinaga first applied silent pressure on the sickly Emperor Ichijo to abdicate, and proceeded with the plan using Yukinari as the lead.

Michinaga-kun, who overturns customs solely for his own sake, has completely plunged into the dark side.
The way he mentally cornered Ichijo is even more ruthless than his father Kaneie, whom he despised so much.

Has he completely forgotten that Emperor Ichijo's mother was his own sister, Senshi (Yoshida Yo), who cherished him?

It is I who governs,
not the Empress.

It is no wonder Shoshi is angry.
She entered the court for Emperor Ichijo at only 12 years old without understanding why, and after Empress Teishi passed away, she raised Atsuyasu for seven years, so even without a blood connection, they were like family, and it is natural that she felt affection for him.
Moreover, for her, making Atsuyasu the next Crown Prince was an important promise she made to Emperor Ichijo.

Just as she says in the drama,
~Atsuhira will have his turn~

By the way, Emperor Ichijo passed away at 32; at this point, Atsuyasu was 12, and Atsuhira was only 3.
Atsuhira still had a long way to go, but only Michinaga was anxious for his own convenience.

~It is I who governs~
The look in his eyes when he said that and glared at Shoshi was truly cold.

Shoshi realized her father's inner darkness and immense power and had no choice but to back down, but from this point on, she began to grow stronger.
Furthermore, she observed the movements of the court nobles during this period very closely, and the fact that she would later hold great power in the court suggests she may have inherited her father's talents after all.
This was the great scene ofShoshi's awakening.

And Shoshi at this moment also overlaps with the young Michinaga.

Even so, Emperor Ichijo, whose final wish was not granted, was truly pitiful.
After all, to build the golden age of the Fujiwara clan, one cannot just do things nicely.
At the very least, Michinaga-kun had to become ruthless around here, or else it wouldn't make sense.

The descendants of Nobunori and
the future of Koshoshi

The descendants of Nobunori are connected to the Taira clan

I, who haven't even properly read The Tale of Genji, naturally didn't know about Murasaki Shikibu's siblings, so the sudden death of Nobunori (Takasugi Mahiro) at this timing was a complete surprise, and I was shocked by this development.

In the drama, Nobunori is Mahiro's younger brother, but since both of their birth years are unknown, there is a theory that he was an older brother, so it is unclear.

Actually, this Nobunori already had a daughter of Fujiwara no Sadanaka as his wife at this point, and they had a son named Sadamoto.
Kunitsuna was born as the great-grandson of this Sadamoto, and he achieved an exceptional rise to success by serving as a provincial governor to accumulate wealth and being promoted to Senior Second Rank Gon-dainagon.

Nobunori's father Tametoki was Senior Fifth Rank Lower Grade, and Nobunori was Junior Fifth Rank Lower Grade, so this was the greatest leap forward in the family's history.

Kunitsuna's four daughters each became wet nurses for emperors or Taira no Tokuko, and among them, Suko, who became the wet nurse for Emperor Antoku, became the wife of Taira no Shigehira, the fifth son of Kiyomori.
Yes, thatShigehira who burned down the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji during the Nanto burningis the one.

Suko shared the fate of the Taira clan and jumped into the water at Dan-no-ura, but she was pulled out by the Minamoto clan and survived. After holding a memorial service for her husband Shigehira, who had been beheaded, she became a nun and spent the rest of her life serving Taira no Tokuko, who had become Kenreimon-in.

When I think about how what is being depicted in the current Taiga drama connects to what lies ahead, history is truly fascinating.

What is even more interesting is that Kujo Kanezane, a descendant of Michinaga, disparages Kunitsuna as a 'person of low birth,' but in the first place, both the families of Michinaga and Mahiro are of the same Fujiwara clan, branching off from Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu six generations prior.
Although the struggle of Michinaga and Mahiro with their difference in status was depicted, from the perspective of us ordinary people in later generations, it seems like a case of the pot calling the kettle black within the same clan, but it clearly shows how great the pride of the Fujiwara regency family was in being special.

The most successful person in the family is the daughter, Katako

Do not be surprised by the success of Nobunori's descendants.
Katako (Sara Minami) also rises to the Junior Third Rank, achieving great success.

Unlike her mother, she seems to have been a social and glamorous woman, and she had romantic relationships with numerous high-ranking nobles.
・Yorimune (Kaisei Kamimura), Michinaga's second son whose mother is Akiko
・Sadayori, son of Fujiwara no Kinto
・Minamoto no Asato, nephew of Michinaga's legal wife, Rinshi
・Married Kanetaka, the second son of Michinaga's second older brother, Michikane (there are various theories)

She gave birth to a daughter with Kanetaka, and it was around the same time as the birth of Imperial Prince Chikahito (Emperor Go-Reizei), born to Michinaga's daughter Yoshiko, and she was appointed as his wet nurse.

It is unclear how far this work will depict, and it might be a leap to say that Katako is Michinaga's daughter, but at least in the drama, Michinaga may eventually learn that Katako is his own child, and the path of her marriage to his nephew Kanetaka and becoming the wet nurse to his grandson might be a plotline orchestrated by Michinaga, who is still alive at this time.

After she was widowed by Kanetaka, she remarried Takashina no Nariaki, and from his official title, Dazai no Daini, Katako also came to be called 'Daini no Sanmi'.

Will she also have a deep relationship with Sojumaru (Kentaro Ito)?
However, if Nobunori had been there when Katako brought Sojumaru home to talk, it would have been an interesting scene, but that is also a pity.

Now, the 'Dark Michinaga' who has suddenly awakened is approaching the day when he will be in high spirits and recite that 'Full Moon Poem'.

【Reference Articles】
・President Online
・Toyo Keizai Online
・Nihon Jitsugyo Publishing
・Waraku