What is the Saiku?
Saiku Historical Museum Welcome to the Saiku Historical Museum. “Saiku” refers to the residential palace and office of the Saio, an unmarried female member of the imperial family appointed to serve the Ise Jingu shrine complex. This museum conducts research into the Saiku based on archaeological excavations and documents, and makes its findings available to the public. Long since abandoned, the palace and office of the Saio now lie in ruins under the ground. The Saiku Historical Museum actually stands on a corner of the vast archaeological site of the Saiku.To protect the archaeological remains, the museum building was built without driving piles into the ground.