Princess Reishi (1270–1307)

Princess Reishi (礼子内親王, Reishi Naishinnō, 1270 – 1307) was a Japanese princess of the late Kamakura period. She was the daughter of Emperor Kameyama and Fujiwara (Higashinijo) Inshi, a daughter of Fujiwara (Saionji) Sanekane.

Princess Reishi served as the 32nd Saiin (Imperial Princess serving at Ise Shrine) from 1275 to 1287. During her tenure as Saiin, she resided in the Ise Province and performed religious duties at the Ise Grand Shrine, dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu. She was appointed Saiin following the abdication of Emperor Kameyama, continuing a long-standing tradition of imperial princesses serving at this important Shinto shrine.

Her life, like that of other Saiin, was governed by strict rules of ritual purity and seclusion. While the Saiin held significant religious and symbolic importance, they also played a role in maintaining imperial influence in the Ise region. Princess Reishi’s time as Saiin reflects the complex interplay of religion, politics, and gender roles within the Kamakura court.

Following her retirement from the Saiin post in 1287, little is definitively known about the rest of her life. She died in 1307.