Jian 1{1021} 11-12
治安元年十一月・十二月
Translators: Sophie Calderon and Zoe Zhang
Original Text
十一月，一日壬申。春日、平野祭。
Kundoku
十一月、一日壬申（みずのえさる）。春日（かすが）、平野祭（ひらのまつり）。
English
Eleventh Month, first day, mizunoe saru. Kasuga Shrine Rite and Hirano Shrine Rite.
Notes
春日祭 Kasuga Shrine Rite: Kasuga Shrine’s annual autumn rite has traditionally been held in the Tenth Month or the Eleventh Month. This rite was held to pray for good health and a bountiful harvest.
Original Text
二日癸酉，梅宮祭。
Kundoku
二日癸酉（みずのととり）、梅宮祭（うめのみやさい）。
English
Second Day, mizunoto tori. Umenomiya Shrine Rite.
Notes
梅宮祭 Umenomiya Shrine Rite: The Umenomiya Shrine Rite occurred in the Fourth and Eleventh months is said to have begun in the Jōwa era (834-848). Formerly, the Tachibana clan performed the duty of offering gifts to the shrine deity, but as the Tachibana’s fortunes declined the shrine became a court shrine as opposed to a tutelary shrine of the Tachibana.
Original Text
十三日甲申，吉田祭。
Kundoku
十三日甲申（きのえさる）、吉田祭（よしだのまつり）。
English
Thirteenth Day, kinoe saru. Yoshida Shrine Rite.
Notes
吉田祭 Yoshida Shrine Rite: The Yoshida Shrine Rite is held at Yoshida Shrine (one of the three shrines dedicated to worshiping the ancestral deities of the Fujiwara clan together with the Kasuga Shrine and the Ōharano Shrine) in the Fourth and Eleventh months.
Original Text
十八日己丑、園韓神祭。
Kundoku
十八日己丑（つちのとうし）、園韓神祭(そのからかみのまつり）。
English
Eighteenth day, tsuchinoe ushi. Sono and Kara Kami Rites.
Notes
園韓神祭 Sono and Kara Kami Rites: From the Heian period, the Sono and Kara Kami Rites were held after the Kasuga and before the Annual Thanksgiving Rite (Niinamesai) in the Second and Eleventh months (Abe 2023, 66). Kagura and archery were performed to entertain the Sono Kami and the Kara Kami.
Original Text
十九日庚寅，鎮魂祭。
Kundoku
十九日庚寅（かのえとら）、鎮魂祭（ちんこんさい）。
English
Nineteenth day, kanoe tora. Spirit-pacifying Rite.
Notes
鎮魂祭 Chinkonsai: This ritual is customarily held before the Monarch’s First Thanksgiving Rite (Daijōsai) and Annual Thanksgiving Rite (Niinamesai) in the Eleventh Month. Priests perform soul-soothing rituals to protect the body of the monarch and members of the royal family. There is music and rituals conducted around the monarch’s wardrobe.
Original Text
廿日辛卯，新嘗祭。行幸中和院。
Kundoku
廿日辛卯（かのとう）、新嘗祭（にいなめさい）。中和院（ちゅうかいん）に行幸す。
English
Twentieth day, kanoto u. Annual Thanksgiving Rite. [His Majesty] visited the Chūkain.
Notes
新嘗祭 Niinamesai: This ceremony took place in the court in the eleventh month in which Their Majesty offered that year’s grain to the deity and also partook in the eating of the grain. The Kinensai and the Niinamesai are both classical court ceremonies in which the tennō gives thanks for the year’s harvest.
Original Text
廿一日壬辰，節會。依御物忌，無御出。
Kundoku
廿一日壬辰（みずのえたつ）、[豊明（とよのあかりの）]節會（せちえ）。御物忌（おんものいみ）に依って、御出（ぎょしゅつ ）無し。
English
Twenty-first day, mizunoe tatsu. Flushed Faces Royal Banquet. [His Majesty] did not attend to avoid impurity [caused by a dog?].
Notes
物忌み mono imi: mono imi refers to abstinence to avoid impurity, including refraining from eating, drinking, and other actions for a certain period of time.
Original Text
廿二日癸巳，東宮鎮魂祭。
Kundoku
廿ニ日癸巳（みずのとみ）、東宮（とうぐう）の鎮魂祭（ちんこんさい）。
English
Twenty-second day, mizunoto mi. Spirit-Pacifying Rite for the Crown Prince.
Original Text
廿三日甲午，任僧綱。
Kundoku
廿三日甲午（きのえうま）、僧綱に任す。
English
Twenty-third Day, kinoe uma. An appointment to the Office of Monastic Affairs.
Original Text
十二月，一日辛丑。
Kundoku
十二月，一日辛丑（かのとうし）。
English
Twelfth Month, first day, kanoto ushi.
Original Text
二日壬寅。入道。太政大臣。<道長。>室家入道從一位源朝臣倫子，<法名清淨法。>供養无量壽院邊西北院。自今夜三箇夜，不斷念佛。
Kundoku
二日壬寅（みずのえとら）、入道太政大臣（だいじょうだいじん）〈道長〉の室家（しっか）入道從一位（じゅういちい）源朝臣倫子（みなもとあそんりんし）。法名（ほうみょう）清淨法（しょうじょうほう）。无量壽院（むりょうじゅいん）の邊り（あたり）西北院に供養（くよう）す。今夜より三箇夜、不斷念佛（ふだんねんぶつ）。
English
Second day, mizunoe tora. Lay monk and [former] Prime Minister <Michinaga>’s wife Junior First Rank Lady Minamoto no Rinshi <Dharma name: Pure Dharma> sponsored the offering service at the Muryōjuin, located at the Seihokuin for three nights from tonight, with uninterrupted chanting of Amida Buddha’s name.
Notes:
念仏・念佛 nennbutsu: chanting Amida Buddha’s name to be reborn in the Pure Land (practice from the Pure Land sect, which aims to escape from the defiled world). Famous monks from the Pure Land sect include 親鸞 Shinran.
Original Text
十日庚戌，御卜奏。
Kundoku
十日庚戌（かのえいぬ）、[御体]御卜（ごたいのみうら）を奏す。
English
Tenth day, kanoe inu. The [report of the] divination of the Tennō’s health was presented [to His Majesty].
Original Text
十一日辛亥，月次、神今食。
Kundoku
十一日辛亥(かのとい）、月次（つきなみ）「祭」、神今食（じんこんじき）。
English
Eleventh day, kanoto i. Semi-annual Ise Rite. Dining with the Kami.
Original Text
十三日癸丑，定荷前使。
Kundoku
十三日癸丑（みずのとうし）、荷前（のさき）の使を定む。
English
Thirteenth day, mizunoto ushi. The envoy in charge of the presentation of tribute items for the royal mausolea was decided [by the Council of State].
Original Text
十四日甲寅，於清涼殿前庭，有臨時祭童舞。
Kundoku
十四日甲寅（きのえとら）、清涼殿（せいりょうでん）前庭に於いて、臨時祭（りんじさい）童舞（どうぶ）有り。
English
Fourteenth day, kinoe tora. Young performers danced during the Extraordinary Rite in the garden in front of [His Majesty’s] residence (Seiryōden).
Original Text
今日，皇太子參上。
Kundoku
今日、皇太子（こうたいし）參上す。
English
Today, the Crown Prince visited [His Majesty].
Original Text
廿三日癸亥，宇佐八幡宮火災。
Kundoku
廿三日癸亥（みずのとい）、宇佐八幡宮（うさはちまんぐう）火災。
English
Twenty-third day, mizunoto i. The Usa Hachiman Shrine caught fire.
Notes
宇佐八幡宮 Usa Hachimangū: also known as the Usa Shrine, is in the city of Usa in Oita Prefecture and is dedicated to Hachiman 八幡, the deity of archery and war.
Original Text
其日，御佛名間，中宮權亮-兼房、少納言-經隆，於出居座拏獲云云。
Kundoku
其日、御佛名（おぶつみょう）間、中宮權亮（ちんぐうごんのすけ）-兼房（かねふさ）、少納言（しょうなごん）-經隆（つねたか）、出居座（でいざ）に於いて拏獲（だかく）と云云。
English
On that day, people are saying that during the continuous chanting of the Amida Buddha’s name, the Queen Consort’s Household Supernumerary Second-level Manager <Kanefusa> [and] a Junior Counselor <Tsunetaka> were apprehended [following their brawl] in the area of additional seating.
Notes
中宮 chūgū: the principle consort of the tennō
中宮権亮 (~ごんのすけ) chūgū gonnosuke: An official post at the Queen Consort’s Household Agency with a rank below the fifth.