Private Genealogy of Empress Danrin by Sonoko Sugimoto (Volumes 1 & 2)

Set in the Heian-kyo, a city swirling with conspiracies where vengeful spirits run rampant in the darkness and Emperor Kanmu has relocated the capital from Nagaoka-kyo, the protagonist is Tachibana no Kachiko, the great-granddaughter of Tachibana no Moroe. She was a woman of peerless beauty and intelligence. Because of this, she was taken in by Emperor Saga, the second son of Emperor Kanmu (formerly Prince Kamiyo). His older brother was Emperor Heizei. When Kusuko of the Fujiwara Shikike family came to the palace as a lady-in-waiting for the Emperor's daughter, she caught his eye. Her cousin, Tachibana no Hayanari, known as a genius, was sent to Tang China along with Kukai and Saicho. From the Nara period through the Middle Ages, the great clans known as Genpei Tokitsu (Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, and Tachibana) flourished under the authority of the Emperor. While the Minamoto and Taira clans appeared much later in the late Heian period, the 'Fuji' and 'Tachi' of the Fujiwara and Tachibana clans were divided into the Southern, Northern, Ceremonial, and Capital branches, competing for power. The Tachibana clan, from which Empress Danrin (Kachiko) originated, joined forces with the Northern Fujiwara branch to reach the pinnacle of human status from the end of the Nara period to the early Heian period. The story spans the reigns of the 50th Emperor Kanmu, followed by Emperors Heizei, Saga, Junna, Ninmyo, and Montoku. It is a historical novel that vividly unearths events buried in the flow of history, focusing on the dark struggles of empresses, princes, princesses, parents, siblings, and the competition for imperial succession and power.
The story begins with the rebellion of Kachiko's grandfather, Tachibana no Naramaro, who was branded a criminal against the Imperial Court. It covers the Rebellion of Emi no Oshikatsu (Fujiwara no Nakamaro), a powerful official of the Southern Fujiwara branch who had ousted Naramaro but was defeated by his political rival, Dokyo; the assassination of Fujiwara no Tsugutada, the head of the Fujiwara Shikike family and the official in charge of building Nagaoka-kyo; the Kusuko Incident, where Tsugutada's daughter plotted to restore the retired Emperor Heizei to the throne and move the capital back to Heijo-kyo; and the Jowa Incident, where Kachiko's cousin, Tachibana no Hayanari, supported Prince Tsunesada—the son of Emperor Junna and Empress Masako—in a struggle for the position of Crown Prince against Kachiko's beloved grandson, Prince Michiyasu (later Emperor Montoku). It depicts the rise and fall of the Tachibana clan, the enduring love of Tachibana no Hayanari (one of the 'Three Brushes' of the era) for Kachiko, and the friendship between Emperor Saga (formerly Prince Kamiyo) and Kukai, as well as the rivalry between Kukai, who founded the Shingon sect after returning from Tang, and Saicho, the founder of the Tendai sect. It also portrays the marital ties and senior retainers of the brothers Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga, the military power of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro who sent his daughter to Emperor Saga, the capital plagued by famine and disease, and Tachibana no Kachiko, who ascended to the position of Empress amidst the fierce power struggles within the Fujiwara clan. It is a life of an empress filled with turmoil, coloring the dawn of the Fujiwara era, featuring a vast number of characters, their interconnected relationships, and a series of events and conflicts. Aside from the fact that Emperor Kanmu moved the capital from Heijo-kyo to Nagaoka-kyo and then to Heian-kyo, this era is a mysterious early Heian period that is not very well known. After all, The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji were written nearly two hundred years after the era of Emperor Kanmu. It is a dense historical novel that makes one wonder how the author managed to write so much. In the following era, the Fujiwara clan would increasingly place their daughters in the palace, and the sons born to them would become Crown Princes and eventually ascend to the throne, seizing power. The author writes about the next era in a previously read work about the life of a lady-in-waiting in a desolate landscape. Please read both books, covering the hundred years from Emperor Kanmu to Emperor Uda, including Kachiko's son, Emperor Ninmyo, and her grandsons, Emperors Montoku, Seiwa, Yozei, Koko, and Uda.
Afterword: Prince Takaoka, the Crown Prince of Emperor Heizei who was deposed in the Kusuko Incident, became a disciple of Kukai and went to Tang China but never returned. Another prince, Prince Abo, was exiled to Dazaifu but was eventually pardoned and returned to the capital. His wife was Princess Ito, a daughter of Emperor Kanmu, and their sons, Yukihira, Mamoru, and Narihira, were demoted to subject status and took the surname Ariwara. It is said that Narihira was three years old at the time. Also, Prince Tsunesada, the Crown Prince of Emperor Junna and Empress Masako, was deposed in the Jowa Incident. Later, his mother, Empress Masako, had a temple built for him called Daikaku-ji, which was located where Emperor Saga's detached palace once stood. Sagano in northern Kyoto is a place associated with Emperor Saga, and stone pagodas for Emperor Saga and Empress Danrin are built on the grounds of Seiryo-ji, also known as the Saga Shakado. Danrin-ji, located west of Seiryo-ji, is one of the five great nunneries of Kyoto founded by the Empress. It is the oldest Zen temple in Japan, and the Empress's temple name was given to her as her posthumous name.
Regarding the Ariwara brothers, Yukihira's daughter bore a son to Emperor Seiwa, but she did not desire the throne. Her interactions with the ama (female divers) Murasame and Matsufusa while Yukihira was in Suma later became the 'Shiokumi' dance and were cited in the 'Suma' chapter of The Tale of Genji. As for Narihira, it goes without saying, but regarding his descendants, one of his sons took the name Takashina, and three or four generations later, a woman known as Ko-no-Naishi married Fujiwara no Michitaka and gave birth to Empress Teishi. His younger brother, Otohito, founded the Oe family, and Oe no Masafusa was active in the late Heian period.
Emperor Saga had nearly fifty princes and princesses, most of whom were demoted to subject status; this was the beginning of the Saga Genji. Minamoto no Toru, a politician and man of culture, was also a son of Emperor Saga. Kiyomizu-dera was built by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who pacified Mutsu, and as he was the first subject to be granted permission to build it, there is a monument to him on the grounds.