Saikū (斎宮), also known as "Itsukinomiya" (いつきのみや), was a village located approximately 10 kilometers north-west of Ise Shrine, arguably the most significant Shinto shrine in Japan. Sometimes referred to as the Bamboo Palace, Saikū served as the palace and public offices of the Saiō, an unmarried Imperial princess who served at Ise Shrine on behalf of the emperor from the Asuka period to the Nanboku-chō period of Japan.