Fujiwara no Anshi

was an Empress consort of Japan. She was the consort of Emperor Murakami of Japan. She was the daughter of Fujiwara no Morosuke (藤原師輔). Fujiwara no Anshi managed to acquire great influence over the Emperor, and has been called the most influential woman of the Imperial Court for twenty years. Her sister Toshi (d. 975), married to the Emperor's half brother Prince Shigeakira (904-954), had an affair with the Emperor at one point, but the affair ended because of the dislike of Anshi and did not continue until after her death. She favoured her second favorite son Prince Tamehira as successor, but died before she had time to secure his succession. When her eldest brother, regent Fujiwara no Koremasa died in 972, her second eldest brother Fujiwara no Kanemichi secured his succession as regent before the popular youngest brother Fujiwara no Kaneie by producing a statement to the Emperor from his mother, Anshi, in which she stated that the office of regent should be inherited by an elder son before a younger, a recommendation the Emperor followed after having acknowledged the writing as that of his mother.