Overview
- The Aoi Matsuri Gyoretsu Hozonkai announced the choice Thursday, naming 21-year-old Mao Shiomi of Kyoto’s Sakyo Ward.
- Shiomi will take the central role on May 15, appearing in a 12-layer Heian-era kimono and riding a shoulder-borne palanquin during the imperial-style procession.
- She said she aims to pass Kyoto’s traditions to the next generation and promised to serve with care and sincerity.
- Raised along the procession route, she twice served as a child attendant and now studies tea ceremony and calligraphy, and she has begun walking training with her sister to build stamina.
- The Aoi Matsuri, formally the Kamo Festival of Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrines, dates to the 6th century and features in The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book.