Aya Yamauchi (25), a graduate student living in Tokyo, has been selected as the 67th Saio-dai for the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto's three major festivals. The Aoi Matsuri Procession Preservation Society (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City) announced the selection on April 14, 2025, at Kamigamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site in Kita Ward, Kyoto City.
Aya Yamauchi is from Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, and is the eldest daughter of Shoichiro Yamauchi (72 years old), president of Kinsho Holdings. She graduated from Notre Dame Girls' Academy High School and the Department of Japanese Music, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in Koto Music Ikuta School, and is currently studying at the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in Japanese Music. Her hobbies include listening to music, playing the koto and shamisen, and dancing Kyoto dance.
The Saio-dai was established in 1956, modeled after the "Saio," an imperial princess who served both Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City). During the Aoi Festival procession on May 15th, called "Rodo no Gi," participants ride in palanquins called "oyoyos" from the Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City) through Shimogamo Shrine and on to Kamigamo Shrine.
