A Study of Jōtō Mon'in FUJIWARA no Shoshi’s Salon: ladies-in-waiting in a place creating culture

Here I investigate Jōtō Monin FUJIWARA no Shoshi.s salon. A salon here is defined as the place where cultural activities are performed mainly by a master and ladies-in-waiting. Famous ladies-in-waiting, such as Akazomeemon, Murasakishikibu, Isenotaifu, and Izumishikibu, had served Shoshi. The big salon was constituted by them. In the salon of the court of this era, ladies-in-waiting led cultural activity in many cases. What was needed for a landlady was the capability to take care of human relations between ladies-in-waiting instead of strong leadership. It became clear with the private anthology of waka poems of the ladies-in-waiting belonging to Shoshi.s salon that the ladies-in-waiting performed cultural activity in her salon, supported by Michinaga and Rinshi who are Shoshi.s parents at the beginning. This activity was taken over to the next-generation salon from the mothers ladies-in-waiting to the daughters ladies-in-waiting who served Shoshi and the masters of her blood relatives. It can be said that cultural activities of a new salon, such as making tales and Utaawase, became in full flourish because of the network which Shoshi, ladies-in-waiting connected