 Upon the selection of the new Saiō, the current Saiō and her retinue would return to the capital to resume their lives as part of the Imperial Court.Often a Saiō was quite young when she left the capital for Saikū, and would only be in her mid-teens or early twenties when she returned to the capital.It was considered a great honor to marry a former Saiō and her time at Saikū improved her own position at court and those of the people who served with her.