Kemari at Kotohira

Catching up after a lovely holiday to Shikoku with TeaLuke

Kemari can be seen in only a few places around Japan nowadays, and only about three times a year. Monks, dressed in Heian Era robes, attempt to keep a deerskin ball up in the air as long as possible, in a kickups kind of way. The score is announced as the ball is kicked, and a high a rally as possible is sought after. We arrived to see the tail end of the game, in the midday sun.

The temple where this happened was on the hillside. The most faithful and devout climb the stone steps to the very top - all 1368 of them. We climbed, and found, nearly at the summit, a shrine to a sea god, complete with a solar-powered boat. Strange stuff.