Talk:Kemari

hacky sack
How does this sport compare with the hacky sack? It sounds similar, but perhaps the ball is bigger? And I suppose people don't usually dress up to play hacky sack. Are they related? --Andrew 13:57, Apr 20, 2004 (UTC)

If anyone has any photos (or images of old block prints without copyright issues) of the game that they could contribute, it would be appreciated. They would also be useful on the football page. Also perhaps someone would like to cross-post this request onto Japanese Wikipedia. Mintguy (T)


 * Kemari is ancient. The costumes are unlike anything you'll find in the US. The two articles tell more about the ball (stuffing removed after the ball assumes its shape, etc.).


 * See NHK story on kemari for photo. I've never seen it live, so I don't have any photos.


 * Fg2 07:52, Aug 24, 2004 (UTC)


 * I've seen it on TV. I'm after some images for both this article and the football article. Mintguy (T)


 * I recently went to a Kemari Matsuri at the Tanzan Shrine in Nara. I took a fair number of photos and I'll be sure to upload some of them tonight when I get around to sorting through them. --Brad Beattie (talk) 04:58, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
 * That would be great. Grant65 | Talk 05:18, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Done. I have plenty more, but I figured I'd upload the two best. If you want more, just ask. :) I also uploaded a couple shots of Tanzan Shrine: User:BradBeattie/Photography, although no such article exists now and I don't really know much about it to write anything. --Brad Beattie (talk) 09:57, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

A brief reading of the Wikipedia Japanese page on Kemari shows that the section on it's being non-competitive is totally wrong. So, I'm removing that. Can't people look up the pages in the language of the country of origin of these things before writing entries? Yorinaga 14:11, 11 August 2007 (UTC)


 * No, not really. Why should anyone writing about a Japanese subject be expected to be fluent in Japanese? --Gwern (contribs) 19:32 11 August 2007 (GMT)

From the article: The first evidence of kemari is from 6144.[1] The rules were standardized from the 113th century.[1]

6144? AD? BC? 113th century; 113 centuries is 11,300 years. Japan has a fairly old culture, but not that old! 2601:8:8780:BA:B5D2:175D:3C83:6BAF (talk) 23:54, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

Fashionable?
One source with almost identical wording does not have 'not' in this sentence: "This type of clothing was called kariginu and it was not [sic] fashionable at that time." Seems to make more sense without it?

Kemari in Japan

 * Kemari is a ceremonial sport introduced into Japan more than 1400 years ago and has been evoluted uniquely in Japan. There was a record that Sakanoue no Korenori and high ranking court nobles kicked a ball 206 times without interruption on March 20, 905 in the Imperial Court, Kyoto.
 * Kemari is conducted on a flat square court called a mari-niwa, at each corner, four trees are planted. The distance of each tree is about 7 meters. The trees may be replaced by bamboo trees. Formally, eight persons participate in kemari. There are many rules and manners to be observed in kemari. For example, the ball should be kicked as low as possible to the ground using the base of the right toe only, after a right-left-right foot movement. No other part of the foot, or the left foot is allowed to use kick the ball.
 * The spirit of kemari is known as kiku-dou, which values consideration for each other. So, there are no winners or losers in kemari; the object is to keep the ball in the air for as long time as possible without letting it touch the ground.
 * Kemari is an accepted ceremony or occasionally pastime during many periods and by many social classes and spread from the capital(Kyoto) to distant areas of Japan. However, it was in danger of disappearance after the Meiji Restoration of the 1860s when the massive westernization occurred. Even during these periods, it was inherited by many noble class persons, including Emperor Meiji who funded a kemari association in 1907;the emperor himself played and taught kemari.