Jul. 09, 2019 UPDATE
Kemari Hajime
- 蹴鞠始め -Traveler Friendly
There is limited information regarding the event in English.
Information
Japanese only
Languages spoken
Japanese only
PeriodJanuary 4th, every year
VenueShimogamo Shrine
Story & Recommendation
Observe the ancient ball game of Kemari, in this annual festival to the gods
Every 4th of January, Shimogamo Shrine practices this Shinji, festival to the gods. Kemari is recorded in ancient documents going back to the Heian period (794 to 1185), stating that the game was brought to Japan from China and was played by Japanese nobles eventually spreading out to other classes. The game disappeared during the Meiji restoration (1868 to 1912) until around 1903, when it was returned due to the creation of the Kemari Preservation Society.
Details
Event time
1:30 start
Cancellations
Event will occur inside if raining
Price range
Credit cards
No