also: にょご
court lady; imperial consort
Historical title for a high-ranking lady-in-waiting or consort in the Japanese imperial court, especially during the Heian period.
Murasaki Shikibu served Empress Shōshi, consort of Emperor Ichijō, as a court lady.
During the Heian period, a nyōgo was a high rank just below the empress.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical court title.
Alternate reading にょご, less common but attested.
Borrowed from Literary Chinese 女御, a designation for women serving a ruler; in Japan it became the title of a rank of imperial consort.