Who Is Prince Atsumichi (Sochi no Miya)?

Prince Atsumichi, called Sochi no Miya in the text, was a son of Emperor Reizei and is Izumi Shikibu's lover in The Izumi Shikibu Diary. He was the younger brother of her late lover, Prince Tametaka.

In Episode 3 he sends a page boy who once served his brother to bring Izumi Shikibu a sprig of tachibana blossoms. Tachibana was known as a flower that brings back memories of people from the past, so this reminder of his brother starts their exchange of poems. Worried about rumors and his rank, he still visits her, and in the end he brings her into his own residence. His principal wife then leaves to live with her sister, a consort of the crown prince.

Like his brother, Prince Atsumichi died young, and Izumi Shikibu wrote many poems mourning him.