Cultural Snapshots
Guideto Japan
Culture
Jan 5, 2026
The Japanese ball game kemari has a long tradition stretching back more than 1,000 years. Originally enjoyed by court nobles, today the custom is kept alive through seasonal events at shrines and elsewhere.
Keepie-Uppies
The Japanese game kemari is a traditional pastime dating back more than 1,000 years in which players must keep a ball in the air using only their feet. It typically involves eight players and is played with a deerskin ball on a square court with a pine, cherry, willow, and maple tree marking the four corners. It was popular among court nobles in the Heian period (794–1185) before spreading to the wider population. Its decline in the modern age led to Emperor Meiji donating money to form a kemari preservation society in 1907.
Today’s kemari events commonly take place at shrines, including the famous Kemari Hajime festival at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto on January 4 each year. The players wear Heian period clothing as they display their ball skills.
(Originally written in English. Banner photo: Playing kemari at Shimogamo Shrine on January 4, 2025. © Jiji.)
shrine
Heian period
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