Minushi no Himemiko (水主皇女)
Minushi no Himemiko (year of birth unknown - September 22, 737) was the daughter of Emperor Tenchi. Her mother was Kurome no Iratsume, the daughter of KUROKUMA no Shutokuma.
She was also called 'Moitori.'
She outlived all of Emperor Tenchi's other children.
However, unlike other princesses, there are almost no detailed records relating to her and there are therefore many uncertainties regarding what type of life she led. It seems that Minushi no Himemiko served Emperor Gensho at her last years. When she was unable to come to the Imperial Palace because of illness, Emperor Gensho ordered the composition of a poem themed on snow to console her. The poem written by ISHIKAWA no Uchimyobu is compiled in "Manyoshu" (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), the 4439th line of the volume 20.
It seems that Minushi no Himemiko was a dedicated Buddhist; she purchased rice and crop fields in Hirose County of Yamato Province and presented them to Gufuku-ji Temple in 734. "The Minushi-no-miya Sutra," which was created by Minushi no Himemiko, became popular to the extent that it was loaned to many places for transcription, and even an index was made. On March 23, 737, she was promoted to Third Rank but passed away on September 22 of the same year.
Poems Related to Minushi no Himemiko
The following poems are recorded in Manyoshu.
When Emperor Gensho came to the well near the Headquarters of the Outer Palace Guards, he ordered ISHIKAWA no Asomi Kietsuoba, a senior court lady (uchinohimetone), to write the following snow-themed.
It snows heavily outside/ Branches of pine bow to the ground/ Without enjoying the scenery/ Lady is in bed behind the screen: Volume 20-4439
At that time, Imperial Princess Minushi was ill in bed. She was unable to come to the Imperial Palace for several days. Therefore, His Imperial Majesty ordered court ladies to compose poems themed on snow and dedicated them to Princess Minushi. Although many court ladies created their own verses, only Ishikawa no Myobu succeeded in creating the verses of this quality and in presenting the verses to the emperor.