In Photos: Heroine of Kyoto's traditional Aoi Matsuri attends purification ritual

In Photos: Heroine of Kyoto’s traditional Aoi Matsuri attends purification ritual – The Mainichi

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Aoi Matsuri festival’s heroine Saio-Dai releases a human-shaped doll offering into the Mitarashi River during a purification ritual at Kamigamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto’s Kita Ward on May 4, 2025. (Mainichi/Tsutomu Koseki)

Aoi Matsuri festival's heroine Saio-Dai releases a human-shaped doll offering into the Mitarashi River during a purification ritual at Kamigamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto's Kita Ward on May 4, 2025. (Mainichi/Tsutomu Koseki)

Aoi Matsuri festival's heroine Saio-Dai purifies herself by dipping her hands into the Mitarashi River at Kamigamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto's Kita Ward on May 4, 2025. (Mainichi/Tsutomu Koseki)

Aoi Matsuri festival's heroine Saio-Dai, dressed in a 12-layered kimono, center, poses for a commemorative photo with Princess Akiko of Mikasa, center left, and others at Kamigamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto's Kita Ward on May 4, 2025, after a purification ritual. (Mainichi/Tsutomu Koseki)

Aoi Matsuri festival's heroine Saio-Dai, dressed in a 12-layered kimono, and a procession of people in ceremonial attire head for a purification ritual at Kamigamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto's Kita Ward on May 4, 2025. (Mainichi/Tsutomu Koseki)

Aoi Matsuri festival's heroine Saio-Dai, dressed in a 12-layered kimono, attends a purification ritual at Kamigamo Jinja shrine in Kyoto's Kita Ward on May 4, 2025. (Mainichi/Tsutomu Koseki)

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