Gion no nyogo (Gion consort) (祇園女御)
Gion no nyogo (year of birth and death unknown) was a favorite consort of the Cloistered Emperor Shirakawa in his later years.
There are many opinions regarding her family background, such as the opinion that she was the wife of MINAMOTO no Nakamune, the opinion that she was the wife of Nakamune's son, MINAMOTO no Korekiyo, and the opinion that she was a nyobo (a court lady); however, details are unknown. Although she was not given official permission to entitle as a Nyogo (a high-ranking lady in the court, or a consort of an emperor), she was called Gion no nyogo or Shirakawa dono after the places where she lived.
In 1105, it is said that she built a hall at the southeast of Gion-sha Shrine, placed Joroku Amidabutsu (Amitabha statue with the height of one jo and six shaku, about 4.85 m), and decorated it with gold, silver, and gems and the state of 'unsuitably luxurious beauty' which surprised the ears and eyes of the world (."Chuyuki", the diary of FUJIWARA no Munetada.)
From early on, TAIRA no Masamori attended on her, and she had a mass service with Complete Buddhist Scriptures on October 1, 1113 at Rokuharamitsu-do hall which Masamori built. She made Kentaimon-in (FUJIWARA no Shoshi, real mother of Emperor Sutoku and Emperor Goshirakawa) an adopted daughter. At the time when the Cloistered Retired Emperor demised, she was given white clothes (mourning attire) together with other nyobo.
In "Kojidan" (Talks of the Past), there is a tradition that Kato dayu Nariie, who was told by TAIRA no Masamori to serve fresh meat of fowl as a meal of Gion no nyogo, Nariie daringly breached the ban on killing animals and fishes imposed by Emperor Shirakawa in order to avoid punishments from his master. It is said that Gion no nyogo made Kiyomori TAIRA, who was a child of her younger sister, her adopted son. It is said that the reason why Kiyomori was not appointed to an ordinary rank of 'jo' (Lieutenant) but to a higher rank of a officer of Hyoe-fu (Headquarters of the Middle Palace Guards) was that he had the support of Gion no nyogo.