Background
She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Go-Ichijō. Her mother was Fujiwara no Ishi.
章子内親王二条院
She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Go-Ichijō. Her mother was Fujiwara no Ishi.
She became the consort of Emperor Go-Reizei. Shōshi was proclaimed a princess shortly after her birth. She is said to have been a docile and beautiful princess.
In 1030, along with her chakko (着袴) ceremony, she was conferred the rank of jusangū, first rank (准三宮・一品).
With Fujiwara no Yorimichi"s daughter still very young, it is thought that Shōshi may have been used as a sort of compromise candidate due to Jōtōmon-in"s connection with Michinaga"s family. In 1045, she became a court lady as Chikahito ascended to the throne, and in 1046, Shōshi assumed the rank of chūgū.
The Eiga Monogatari records that later, when Yorimichi"s daughter Hiroko joined the court, Princess Shōshi preferred to remain in the rank of chūgū, instead of becoming kōgō as was usual. This may have been a response to an incident in which the previous emperor Go-Suzaku"s chūgū Princess Teishi, Shōshi"s cousin, was pushed into the position of kōgō by the entry of Yorimichi"s adopted daughter Genshi as chūgū and wound up alienated from the court.
In 1068, Go-Reizei died, and in 1069, Shōshi cut her hair to become a nun.
She assumed the rank of Grand Empress Dowager, and in 1074 became known as Nijō-in by imperial proclamation. She died in 1105, at age 80. Princess Shōshi"s mausoleum, along with her father"s, is at Bodaijuin no Misasagi in Kyoto.