[Biographies of Famous Women of Past and Present] Shizuka Gozen
|Shizuka Gozen [■ is stop + ran] is a |Shirabyoshi (female dancer) of the |Capital. She was |deeply loved by |Lord Yoshitsune, but when the |Judge (Yoshitsune) was |fleeing from the |pursuers of |Kamakura, she |lamented their parting at |Yoshino and |remained in the |Imperial Capital.
After that, she was |summoned to |Kamakura and |performed a dance before the |Lord of the Shogun's office. Her |fame is |known to |people of the |world.
Also, |imagining |Shizuka's |heart:
The lamp is of no use on the snowy road.
* "Lord of the Shogun's office" refers to the Minister of the Right (Ukonoe no Daisho). Here, it refers to Minamoto no Yoritomo.
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Shizuka was a woman who lived through the turbulent era from the end of the Heian period to the beginning of the Kamakura period. Born as the daughter of the Shirabyoshi Iso no Zenji, she also followed in her mother's footsteps and became a Shirabyoshi. She was deeply loved by Minamoto no Yoshitsune and became his concubine. After the Genpei War, she fled Kyoto with Yoshitsune, who was in conflict with his brother, and Shizuka also followed a tragic fate.
Dates of birth and death unknown
A Shirabyoshi is a type of song and dance performed by a woman dressed in men's clothing while singing imayo or roei. According to the 'Tsurezuregusa', it began when Shizuka's mother (Iso no Zenji) was taught by Fujiwara no Michinori to dance wearing a white suikan (robe), an eboshi (cap), and carrying a sayamaki tachi (sword).
Nyudo Michinori selected interesting elements from dance techniques and taught them to a woman called Iso no Zenji, who then performed the dance. Because she wore a white suikan and carried a sayamaki tachi, and wore an eboshi, it was called 'otokomai' (men's dance). Zenji's daughter was called Shizuka. She inherited this art. This is the origin of the Shirabyoshi.
Also, regarding the origin of the name Shirabyoshi, the 'Heike Monogatari' states the following:
The beginning of the Shirabyoshi was when Chizai of the Island and Waka no Mae, two women, performed a dance during the reign of the Retired Emperor Toba. At first, they danced wearing a suikan, a tate-eboshi, and carrying a white sayamaki, so it was called 'otokomai'. However, from the middle period onwards, the eboshi and sword were removed, and only the suikan was used. That is why it was named 'Shirabyoshi'.
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Regarding Shizuka's life, details such as her meeting with Yoshitsune and the circumstances of how she became his concubine are unknown.
What the 'Azuma Kagami' records begins from the point where Shizuka, who followed Yoshitsune as he fled Kyoto, was captured by mountain monks after parting with Yoshitsune at Yoshino and sent to Kyoto. Below, I will provide a loose translation of several relevant passages.
● November 6, Bunji 1 (1185)
The party of Yoshu (Minamoto no Yoshitsune) who fled the capital consisted of four people: Minamoto no Arikuna, Hori Kagemitsu, Musashibo Benkei, and Shizuka. They boarded a ship from Omo-hama, but the party was separated due to a storm.
● November 17, Bunji 1 (1185)
There was a rumor that Yoshitsune was on Mount Yoshino in Yamato Province, but the warrior monks could not find him. At night, his concubine, Shizuka, descended Fujio-zaka and arrived at Zao-do. Suspicious of this, the monks took Shizuka to the Shikkobo, where the Yoshino Shugyo (administrator) questioned her about the details.
Shizuka explained, "Yoshitsune came to this mountain from Daimotsu-no-ura and stayed for five days, but upon hearing rumors of a monk uprising, he disguised himself as a mountain ascetic and fled. At that time, Yoshitsune gave me gold and silver and assigned menial servants to escort me to Kyoto, but they stole my treasures and abandoned me in the deep mountain snow. That is how I came to be lost and arrived here."
The next day, following Shizuka's account, they searched Mount Yoshino, but Yoshitsune could not be found. The Yoshino Shugyo, feeling pity for Shizuka, decided to send her to Kamakura after properly thanking her for her efforts.
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Shizuka was sent from Yoshino to Hojo Tokimasa's residence in Kyoto, where she was interrogated. Her testimony was then reported to Yoritomo in Kamakura.
● December 15, Bunji 1 (1185)
A messenger from Lord Hojo. Shizuka's testimony: "I left the capital with Yoshitsune and boarded a ship at Daimotsu-no-ura, but it was shipwrecked and we could not cross the sea. We stayed at Tenno-ji that night, and Yoshitsune fled from there. At that time, he told me to wait there as he would send someone to pick me up within a day or two, and if the promised day passed, I should leave immediately. After waiting for a while, a horse arrived to pick me up, and without knowing which way I had traveled, I arrived at Mount Yoshino on the third day, where I stayed with Yoshitsune for five days. That was our parting, and I do not know Yoshitsune's whereabouts since then. I was captured by the Yoshino Shugyo after braving the snow of the deep mountains and arriving at Zao-do."
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The new year began (four months after Shizuka was captured at Yoshino), and Shizuka was sent to Kamakura with her mother.
● March 1, Bunji 2 (1186)
Today, Yoshitsune's concubine, Shizuka, accompanied by her mother, Iso no Zenji, arrived at Lord Hojo's residence in Kamakura from Kyoto. They entered the residence of Adachi Shin-zaburo (Kiyotsune).
The following month, Shizuka was ordered by Yoritomo and Masako, who were visiting Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, to perform a shirabyoshi dance.
● April 8, Bunji 2 (1186)
The Second Rank and the Lady of the Shogun (Yoritomo and Masako) visit the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Shizuka is summoned to the corridor to perform a dance. She had been ordered to dance before, but she had resisted, claiming she was ill and that, as a humble concubine of Yoshitsune (Yoshitsune), it would be a disgrace to appear in such a place. Masako persuades Yoritomo and Shizuka. Shizuka decides to dance and begins to sing as follows:
〽 Stepping through the white snow on the peaks of Mount Yoshino,
I long for the traces of the one who has gone within.
Truly, this is a magnificent sight at the shrine. Everyone is moved by her wonderful singing voice, but Yoritomo is enraged, asking how she could sing of parting with the rebel Yoshitsune when she should be celebrating the Kanto prosperity at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Masako intercedes for her.
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At this time, Shizuka was pregnant with Yoshitsune's child. Yoritomo ordered, "If it is a girl, spare her, but if it is a boy, kill him." Then, in July, Shizuka gave birth to a boy.
● July 29, Bunji 2 (1186)
Shizuka gives birth to a boy. This is Yoshitsune's son. It is decreed that if the child born is a boy, his life must be taken while he is still an infant so that he does not become a future threat. Today, Adachi Shin-zaburo (Kiyotsune) is sent to abandon the baby at Yuigahama Beach. Kiyotsune tries to take the baby, but Shizuka cries and refuses to hand him over. Her mother, Iso no Zenji, takes the baby and hands him to Kiyotsune. Masako pleads with Yoritomo, but her request is not granted.
● September 16, Bunji 2 (1186)
Shizuka and her mother set out on their return to Kyoto. Masako and the princess pity Shizuka and bestow many treasures upon her.
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Shizuka's story ends here.
From this point on, it is unknown whether she returned to Kyoto or headed to Yoshitsune in Hiraizumi, Oshu, and her final moments remain a mystery. Like Yoshitsune, various legends about the place of Shizuka's death remain throughout Japan.
The lamp is of no use on the snowy road ❄
Reference: National Diet Library Digital Collections, "Ehon Yoshitsune Ichidaiki", "Tsurezuregusa, Volume 2", "Tsurezuregusa Bundansho, 7 Volumes [7]", "Tsurezuregusa, 2 Volumes [2]", "Senryudo Gafu 4, Figures Section 5, Plants and Insects Section (Shirabyoshi Shizuka)", Wikipedia "
Shizuka Gozen", "Shirabyoshi"
Author's Note: I will update this as needed when I decipher new characters or notice typos or misreadings. For details, please read the "About/Disclaimer" page. 📖