Lady Rokujō Miyasundokoro, daughter of a Minister of the Left, was born into a high-ranking noble family. Her status and accomplishments secured her position as consort to Crown Prince Zembo; they had a daughter, Akikonomu. When the crown prince died before ascending the throne, Lady Rokujō became politically vulnerable, stripped of anticipated imperial influence. After this loss, she sent Akikonomu to serve as a shrine priestess at Ise and became a courtesan in the imperial court.

Her life intersected with Prince Genji when she became one of his mistresses. Despite her renowned beauty, elegance, and intelligence, Genji's affections were inconsistent. He neglected their relationship over time, prioritizing other women. This neglect fueled intense jealousy within Lady Rokujō, though societal expectations prevented open expression. The situation worsened during the Kamo Matsuri Festival when servants of Lady Aoi, Genji's principal wife, forcibly displaced her carriage while Genji failed to intervene. The subsequent discovery of Lady Aoi's pregnancy with Genji's child catalyzed the supernatural manifestation of Lady Rokujō's repressed emotions.

Unconsciously, her jealousy materialized as an *ikiryō*, a living spirit that detached from her body to haunt others. This spirit was implicated in the death of Yūgao (the Lady of the Evening Faces), though some translations dispute this attribution. More definitively, the *ikiryō* targeted Lady Aoi during her pregnancy, causing severe illness. After Lady Aoi gave birth to Genji's son Yūgiri, the spirit possession intensified, ultimately causing Lady Aoi's death. Lady Rokujō later realized her role upon detecting the scent of poppy seeds – herbs used in exorcism rituals against her spirit – clinging to her hair and robes. Horrified by her unconscious actions and convinced Genji could never love her, she left the capital for Ise to join her daughter.

Years later, Lady Rokujō returned to Kyoto as a nun with Akikonomu. Shortly after their return, she fell gravely ill. On her deathbed, Genji visited her. She entrusted him with Akikonomu's care but extracted his promise never to take her daughter as a lover, recognizing the suffering such relationships caused. She died soon after.

Death did not end her connection to Genji. Her lingering jealousy transformed her spirit into a *shiryō*, a vengeful ghost of the dead. This entity haunted Genji's residence, specifically possessing his beloved wife Murasaki and causing life-threatening illness. During an exorcism ritual, Lady Rokujō's spirit spoke through a medium, expressing profound humiliation over Genji's past dismissive comments and anguish over her unrequited feelings. She demanded his acknowledgment of her suffering and defense of her legacy. After Genji apologized, the spirit released Murasaki and vanished. Her daughter, Empress Akikonomu, later sensed her mother's spirit remained troubled and wished to perform memorial rites, though Genji initially discouraged this.

Her legacy extends into traditional Noh theatre as the central figure in the plays *Aoi no Ue* and *Nonomiya*. *Aoi no Ue* dramatizes the possession of Lady Aoi, featuring Lady Rokujō's spirit confronting exorcists and recounting the carriage humiliation before being pacified. *Nonomiya* depicts her spirit, disguised as a village woman, meeting a monk at a shrine. She narrates her tragic story, reveals her identity, pleads for prayers to release her from the bonds of jealousy, and disappears in a ghostly carriage.