Meiwa (明和町) is a rural town (pop. 22,500) next to Ise in Mie Prefecture, Japan and the site of the Saiku Palace (斎宮) where the Ise Jingu Grand Shrines’ High Priestess (Saio princess) resided during the 7th–14th centuries to conduct ceremonies at Ise in place of the emperor.
The Saio princess was an unmarried, young Imperial princess closely related to the Emperor, usually a daughter or sister. She was appointed (by divination with a turtle shell that was burnt) to be the High Priestess of Ise Grand Shrines to represent the emperor when conducting official ceremonies at the shrine a few times a year to pray for national peace and prosperity.
Each time a new emperor was enthroned, a new Saio princess was appointed as the High Priestess and she traveled from Kyoto to live in the Saiku Palace in Meiwa. The journey, called “Saio Gunko,” took 5 nights and 6 days through Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures and her entourage was several hundred. She lived in Saiku Palace in Meiwa near Ise. The festival reenacts part of the Saio princess procession traveling from Kyoto to Saiku Palace.
For about 660 years from 673 to 1334, over 60 Saio princesses served at Ise Grand Shrines. Many of them were age 5 to 15, and the oldest was 32. They served for varying periods of time, from 1 to 31 years. The High Priestess conducted prayers at the shrine for the peace, protection, welfare, and prosperity of the nation. As this sign indicates, Meiwa and Saiku is a Japan Heritage Site.
Meiwa holds the two-day Saio Matsuri (第36回斎王まつり) festival annually on the first full weekend in June to reenact part of the Saio procession traveling from Kyoto to the Saiku Palace. On June 2–3, 2018, the 36th Saio Matsuri was held in Meiwa. It also happens to be the town’s 60th anniversary.
The festival is held near Saiku Station (Kintetsu Yamada Line) in the area where the Saiku Palace was located. It’s now a large park-like area.
On the festival’s first day (Festival Eve) at 3:30 pm, the Misogi-no-Gi Ceremony is held at a small stream where the Saio dips her hands into the water for purification. Then they move to an outdoor stage near Saiku History Museum to conduct an evening ceremony and entertainment program from 5 pm to 9 pm. (In the case of rain, the event will be canceled.)
On the second day, the Departure Ceremony is held at the Saiku Heian-no-mori Park where a few Heian Period structures have been reconstructed. They had a large blue tarp on the ground for spectators. Second day is the main event. There’s the Departure Ceremony and Saio Gunko Procession.
The Departure Ceremony reenacts the Saio’s departure from Kyoto for her journey to Saiku Palace.
At 1 pm, the Departure Ceremony is held at Saiku Heian-no-mori Park where a few Heian-Period buildings have been reconstructed.
At 2 pm, the 120 people dressed in Heian-Period costumes walk in a colorful procession called the “Saio Gunko” to an outdoor stage near the Saiku History Museum. The Saio princesses are carried in their own palanquins. It’s a short walk.
On the outdoor stage, they hold a ceremony and picture-taking session from 2:45 pm. Everything ends by 3:30 pm. I went to see the festival on the second day on June 3, 2018. In the case of rain, the event will be canceled.
More photos: https://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=1074
