Lady Nijo's Own Story: The Candid Diary of a Thirteenth-Century Japanese Imperial Concubine

Lady Nijo, a lady–in–waiting of the thirteenth–century Japanese Imperial Court, was a small child when the young ex–Emperor Go Fukakusa took her under his protection. She was between twelve and thirteen years old when he made her his mistress, and for more than a decade after that the lovely young girl from one of Japan's most noble families lived at the court as an honored Lady in the ex–Emperor's entourage.

As a historical work, the book documents the routine of long-ago court life, wit…