Ben no Menoto

Ben no Menoto
弁乳母
Born
Fujiwara no Akiko
藤原明子

c. 995
Died1076
OccupationMenoto
SpouseFujiwara no Kanetsune
ChildrenFujiwara no Akitsuna
FatherFujiwara no Junji
RelativesFujiwara no Nagako (Granddaughter)
FamilyFujiwara Clan

Ben no Menoto (弁乳母), (995-1076) was the menoto of Princess Teishi, the daughter of Emperor Sanjō. Her real name was Fujiwara no Akiko.

Life

Ben no Menoto was the menoto (wetnurse) of Princess Teishi. She was born in 995, with the personal name of Fujiwara no Akiko, though little other information is known about her childhood. She began her service in 1013, and was supposedly on good terms with Suō no Naishi. She was also a poet, and her poems are collected in the Goshūi Wakashū In 1027 the mother of Princess Teishi, Empress Dowager Fujiwara no Kenshi (Known as Empress Dowager Biwadono in retirement) died. After her death, Ben no Menoto wrote a stanza about seeing the withered iris scent bags still being hung above the old chambers where the Empress Dowager used to stay.

Roots out of season I leave hanging there.

A court lady, Gō Jijū (Daughter of Akazome Emon) responded with her own stanza.

Though there are iris leaves.

In 1076 Ben no Menoto passed away.

Poetry

JapaneseRōmajiEnglish

白川の近きわたりにちる花は梢に懸る波かとぞみる

Shirakawa no chikaki watari ni chiru hana wa kozue ni kakaru nami ka to zo miru

The flowers that fall at the approach of the Shirakawa River
are like waves on the treetops.

References

  1. ↑ "Book 34: The Star that Awaits the Night – Takeshi Watanabe". Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  2. 1 2 Royston, Clifton Wilson (1974). The Poetic and Poetry Criticism of Fujiwara Shunzei (1114-1204). University of Michigan.
  3. 1 2 3 4 日本人名大辞典+Plus, デジタル版. "弁乳母(べんのめのと)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  4. ↑ 小項目事典, デジタル版 日本人名大辞典+Plus,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典. "藤原妍子(ふじわらの けんし)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 Kenko; Chomei (2013-12-05). Essays in Idleness: and Hojoki. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-14-195787-6.
  6. 1 2 Kenko, Yoshida (2009-01-01). Essays in Idleness. Cosimo, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60520-805-3.
  7. ↑ 犬養廉 (1986). 和歌大辞典 (in Japanese). 明治書院. ISBN 978-4-625-40029-2.