Visitors can experience the life of aristocrats during the Heian period (794-1185), when the Saiku was at its most prosperous, by trying on the juni-hitoe (12-layered robe) and other costumes, as well as annual events of the Heian period (794-1185).
Saiku, also called “Itsukinomiya,” refers to the palace of the Saio and the Saiku-ryo (Saiku dormitory), which was a government office.
Unmarried women of the imperial family who served the Ise Jingu Shrine in place of the emperor were chosen as “Saio” and dispatched from the capital to the Saiku Palace in Ise.
The facilities of the Itukinomiya Historical Experience Center are modeled after the “shinden-zukuri” buildings that were the residences of the nobility and ancient government offices, and are constructed of wood with abundant use of cedar and cypress.
The building itself is a space where visitors can experience ancient architecture, as it was built using construction techniques of the time, such as not using nails in the assembly process.
Visitors can try on authentic court nobles’ costumes such as junihitoe and nokoromo, play Heian-period aristocratic games such as board sugoroku and shell-covering, dye plants and trees, weave on a loom, and make food and accessories related to annual events, all of which can be experienced nowhere else.
The “Saiku Site History and Romance Plaza” adjacent to the north side of the museum offers a more visual experience of the scale and structure of the Saiku Palace.
The Saiku History Museum, which exhibits the Saiku and the Saio, is a 15-minute walk away.
9:30-17:00
Mondays (or the following day if the Monday is a holiday)
The day following a national holiday
Year-end and New Year holidays
Free admission
There is a fee to experience lectures and try on costumes.
1 minute walk from Saimiya Station on the Kintetsu Yamada Line