HIMEMIKO*WEB

Idzumi no Himemiko is a daughter of Naka no Ohye no Miko and Shikobuko no Iratsume, a daughter of Woshiumi no Miyakko Wotatsu. Idzumi no Himemiko had an older brother, Kawashima no Miko, and an older sister, Oh'ye no Himemiko.

Her sister Ohye no Himemiko and other half-sisters got married with Temmu Tenno or his sons, but she did not do it because she was too young. When she reached the age suitable for marriage, she couldn't marry anyone because there were no appropriate men among Temmu Tenno's sons.

In addition to that unlucky condition, her brother Kawashima no Miko betrayed Ohtsu no Miko and his followers, and they were all punished. Because of that, Kawashima no Miko and his relatives became targets of criticism. She might have felt small for those circumstances.

Several years later both Kawashima no Miko and Ohye no Himemiko passed away. She was completely isolated.

One day the Saio, Taki no Himemiko, was suddenly dismissed from the position of Saio, and Idzumi no Himemiko was selected by divination as the next Saio in 701. She became the new Saio when she was in her thirties.

In principle, a newly selected Saio was supposed to make preparation by staying in the Abstinence-house near the capital for two years prior to going to Ise. However, she was in the Abstinence-house for over five years fom 701 to 706. Plus, she stayed in the Abstinence-Palace in Ise for only half a year and was made to retire from the post. These unprecedented cases might be because of some political intentions.

She was almost 40 years old when she returned back to the capital. She could not marry anyone, and lived a single life until she died in 734 in her sixties.