Kemari Matsuri

Looks like winter is around the corner. There was a low-pressure with a pocket of cold air coming down from russia bringing tempratures down to 7^oC. That didn’t stop me though from getting out of bed early (the game begins at 11am and lasts about an hour) and taking a short trip over to the Tanzan Jinja and watch some old guys play a game of Kemari (蹴鞠 in Japanese).

Kemari is a form of football that was popular in Japan during the Heian Period (794 to 1185). It originated from the Chinese sport of Cuju and was introduced to Japan during the Asuka period (around the 6th century).

The object of Kemari is to keep a ball in the air for as long as possible with all players cooperating to do so. Players can use their head, feet, knees, back, and elbows to keep the ball aloft. The ball, known as a Mari, is made of deerskin with the hair facing inside and the hide on the outside. I was lucky and got my hands on the ball once during the game when one of the players accidentally kicked it into my direction. I was surprised to find out that ball was very light and weighting only about 120g.

The event is held at the Tanzan Jinja which also happens to be one of the nicer shrines here in japan

Website: The Tanzan Shrine is hosting this event and information about the “festival” (can you really call an 1-hour event a festival?!) is there in Japanese.

Transport: Kintetsu Line to Sakurai Sta. From there, about 30 min. by bus for Tanzan Jinja, and then get off at the last stop … or come by car – there is plenty of parking and it’s not really that popular of an event to draw a huge crowd.