Minamoto no Kishi (源基子)
MINAMOTO no Kishi (Motoko) (1049-August 5, 1134) was the daughter of MINAMOTO no Motohira and the grandchild of Imperial Prince Atsuakira, who had the title of Koichijo-in. Her mother was the daughter of FUJIWARA no Yoshiyori. She was the nyogo (consort) of Emperor Gosanjo. She was also known as GENJI no Miyasudokoro and HYOBU no Nyogo. She was the mother of Imperial Princes Sanehito (Heian Period) and Sukehito.
She gave birth to Imperial Prince Sanehito in 1071. She was given the senge (imperial proclamation) of Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) and Nyogo in the same year. She became a Jugo (honorary rank next to the three Empresses: Great Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress) in 1072. She gave birth to Imperial Prince Sukehito in 1073 and entered nunhood when the Retired Emperor Gosanjo passed away in the same year. She passed away in 1134. Her age at death was eighty-eight.
She first served as the nyobo (court lady) for the First Crown Princess Soshi of Emperor Gosanjo. She eventually received the affection of Emperor Gosanjo and gave birth to two crown princes, Sanehito and Sukehito, and became a nyogo despite her late father Motohira having a low social class of Sangi (councilor). Although Imperial Prince Sanehito was made the Togu (Crown Prince), the imperial prince passed away at the age of fifteen in 1085. Although Emperor Gosanjo wrote in his dying will to make the younger brother Imperial Prince Sukehito the next Crown Prince after Imperial Prince Sanehito, Emperor Shirakawa opposed and in the following year promoted the Imperial Prince Taruhito (Emperor Horikawa) to crown prince. The sister of Kishi was the wife of MINAMOTO no Toshifusa, who supported Imperial Prince Sukehito but was overthrown after being suspected of planning treason against Emperor Toba in the Senjumaru Incident (an assassin who failed in an assassination attempt) in 1113, and Imperial Prince Sanehito was led to house confinement and passed away in 1119 from despair before his mother Kishi. Kishi, who was left powerless, spent the rest of her life praying for the peace of the dead and passed away at Kyogokudono (residence facing Higasikyogoku-oji Street in Heiankyo (present-day Kyoto)) of her grandchild, MINAMOTO no Arihito.