The game of kemari (courtesy of stephansblog.com)
It’s a game of the gods. Some say it’s the origins of football. But the way I see it, kemari is an ancient rite in which participants kick a ball to each other with the intention of not letting it drop on the ground (polluted space) and keeping it in the air (realm of the spirits).
A warming cup of heated saké with lashings of ginger
Participants are dressed in the aristocratic garb of the Heian period (794-1186). The idea is that they maintain grace and elegance while kicking the ball, in keeping with the courtly code of aesthetics. By so doing, the gods will be pleased and the year kicked off to a good start.
There were snow flurries and a mere 4 degrees centigrade, but Shimogamo was absolutely packed for the event, with something like 3000 people crammed into the outer compound. Most people could not even see anything! But the atmosphere and the warming cups of ginger-laced saké kept everyone in good spirits.
***********************************************************************
Here follows a Kyoto Shinbun report of the event:
“Kemari Hajime” Kicks Off at Shimogamo Shrine
Court Tradition Reenacted
The New Year ritual of “Kemari Hajime,” or the first “Mari” ball kicking game of the year, took place on January 4 at Shimogamo Shrine in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Dressed in colorful court costumes, Kemari players performed the traditional court game that has been passed down to the present by kicking the deer-skin ball high into the air while calling out.
Kemari was introduced to Japan from China in the Asuka Period, and its ritual procedures and the rules for the game were established in the Kamakura Period. Although Kemari declined since the Meiji Restoration, the establishment of the Kemari preservation group “Shukiku Hozonkai” in 1903 revived the tradition and handed it down to the present.
Fifteen players, dressed in Kemari costumes of “Mari-suikan” jackets, “Eboshi” caps, and “Mari-gutsu” shoes, appeared on the roughly 15-square-meter Kemari court which was specially set up on the shrine grounds. They performed exquisitely by kicking the white ball high into the air using only their right feet while shouting the game’s unique calls of “Ari,” “Ya” and “Oh.” Spectators cheered every time the ball was on the verge of flying out of the Kemari court but was returned sailing in a beautiful arc.
Packed to the rafters: spectators watching the kemari ritual at Shimogamo
In the shrine grounds a ritual new year fire is stoked to keep burning
On the way out there's opportunity to savour the offerings at the various stalls
Leave a Reply