Purification Rite Performed Ahead of Aoi Matsuri

May 04, 2026 | News On Japan

KYOTO - A purification ritual known as the "Misogi no Gi" was held ahead of the Aoi Festival, one of Kyoto’s three major festivals, as the Saio-dai and other participants underwent a traditional cleansing ceremony at Shimogamo Shrine.

The Misogi no Gi is a Shinto rite in which the festival’s central figure, the Saio-dai, along with around 50 women who will take part in the procession, purify themselves, with the ceremony alternating each year between Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine.

This year’s ritual took place at Shimogamo Shrine, where Mao Shiomi, the 68th Saio-dai dressed in a formal junihitoe robe, first received a purification blessing before slowly immersing both hands into the Mitarashi River flowing through the shrine grounds, symbolically cleansing herself. Afterward, she wiped her hands with paper known as "chozugami" and released it into the river while praying for the safe and successful staging of the festival.

The Aoi Festival will be held on May 15th, featuring the Saio-dai and approximately 500 participants in an elegant procession recreating scenes from the Heian period as they parade through Kyoto’s streets lined with fresh spring greenery.

Source: YOMIURI

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