Episode 431 - The Tale of Nakako, Part 1

This is one of those episodes that happened entirely by serendipity. I wasn't aware of Dr. Rowley's book--it came out when I was in grad school and didn't really focus on anything being published outside my specialty--but happened across a copy at a used book store back in late January. Just the dust jacket pitch was enough to make me think, "oh yeah, this is definitely at least one good episode of material." Turned out, it was two.

For this first episode in particular, there were two things I really struggled with. The first was how much time to spend talking about Nakako's father, Nakanoin Michikatsu. Obviously, given the biases of the written record, he's the one we just have far more information on compared to his daughter--and his reputation was a big part of how she got her job in the first place. And yet, the episode is about her, not him. I tried to balance these two factors as best I could, but it was a real struggle to do.

The other struggle was more ethical than structural. When I do episodes like this that focus heavily on a single book--especially one that I think is accessible and well-written for more popular audiences--I always have in the back of my head that I don't want to include everything. My hope is that at least a few folks will be intrigued enough by these episodes to go out and buy Dr. Rowley's book. And yet, to make a good episode I also want to include the best and most interesting details from the story, which would seemingly make the book 'unnecessary.' So, I was constantly struggling with what to include and exclude from this narrative so that there's something of interest left for folks who want to get the book and explore further.

If you're wondering what got cut, for this episode in particular two things come to mind. First, Dr. Rowley spends a good amount of time on two other women who crop up as a part of Nakanoin Michikatsu's story: the wife of his protector Hosokawa Yusai, whose name was Numata Jako, and Yusai's daughter in law Hosokawa Tama (sometimes known by her baptismal name Hosokawa Gracia). Both are fascinating figures, and Gracia in particular is someone I might do either an episode or newsletter on at some point. Second, Dr. Rowley spends a lot of time on what we know about life in the Imperial Palace and the role of the palace women, in far greater detail than I went into. So if you're curious about either of those things, pick the book up!