On March 29, 2009, I saw the Saio Princess Procession in Tsuchiyama, Koka (あいの土山斎王群行). It was very nice. The Saio princess was an unmarried, young Imperial princess, often the Emperor’s daughter, who was appointed (by divination) to be the High Priestess of Ise Grand Shrines in Mie Prefecture from the 7th to 14th centuries. Whenever there was a new emperor, there would be a new Saio princess appointed. She would travel in a procession from Kyoto to Ise, taking 5 nights and 6 days. She lodged in a special temporary palace (disassembled after she lodged in it) called the Tongu, and one Tongu was in Tsuchiyama. So this festival reenacts this procession. It’s also a continuation of Kyoto’s famous Aoi Matsuri.
I shot both video and stills:
Video link: http://youtu.be/Xz_ryfa5dT4
