The ''Saiō Matsuri'' (斎王まつり) is a 2-day festival held on the first weekend of June in the town of Meiwa, Mie Prefecture in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The Saiō Matsuri celebrates the town's history of once being an Imperial residence. The festival re-enacts the march of the

Saiō A , was an unmarried female member of the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese Imperial Family, sent to Ise, Mie, Ise to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The Saiō's residence, , was about 10 km north ...

and her entourage to the nearby Ise Shrine. The festival consists of over 100 people dressed in spectacular Heian period costume, marching down a section of the Ise Kada, the old Ise Pilgrimage road, toward the . 2006 saw the celebration of the 24th annual Saiō Matsuri.

References

Saio Matsuri (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saio Matsuri Festivals in Mie Prefecture Festivals in Japan Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month) June observances Saigū

See also

References