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Jul 5, 2022 21 tweets 27 min read Read on X
Asukai-no-Masatsune (飛鳥井雅経 1170-1221) was founder of the Asukai school of kemari.
A skilled poet (134 of his poems appeared in imperial anthologies), he served in the 'Poetry Bureau' (和歌所), helped compile the 'Shin Kokin Wakashū', and authored 'Kemari Ryakki' (蹴鞠略記).
Long before Shiramine-jingū, the principle shrine to occupy this land belonged to the 'god of sports' (精大明神). It was paid for by the retired Emperor Go-Toba (後鳥羽上皇 1180-1239) when he visited the mansion of the Asukai (繁乃井殿 'Shigenoi-dono') for a religious festival.
Go-Toba constructed the shrine beside the 'Shige-no-i' (繁乃井), 1 of 7 famed wells in the capital during the Heian period.
Because of its connection to the Asukai clan & Fujiwara-no-Narimichi (藤原成通 1097-1162), the shrine eventually became home to 'Sei Daimyōjin' (精大明神).
At first Sei Daimyōjin was considered 'god of the mari' (the deerskin ball used in kemari 蹴鞠), but over time he became guardian of kemari itself, and then all ball sports.
In particular he is popular with soccer players, and many famous figures come to visit the shrine.
#Kyoto
In the reign Emperor Toba (鳥羽天皇 1103-1156), Asukai-no-Narimichi (飛鳥井成通/aka Fujiwara-no-Narimichi 藤原成通) made a vow to perform 1000 days of prayers.
On the night of the oath it is said that the god Sei Daimyōjin spirited into his dream in the form of 3 monkeys.
#蹴鞠
Legend has it that after the dream the god was a regular visitor to Narmichi’s home.
Arriving at the Shige-no-i (well) on the month, day and hour of the monkey (as the 3 monkeys), he would pass the time teaching Narmichi kemari (helping Narimichi to become a great player).
#Japan
The 3 monkeys were called 'Ari' (夏安林/アリ Geanrin), 'Yau' (春陽花/ヤウ Shunyōka) and 'Ou' (桃園/オウ Tōen).
Their names are preserved in the game of kemari even today. When a player kicks the ball, he/she shouts out one of their names in response.
#ShiramineJingu #白峯神宮
In 644 it is recorded that the Asukai clan (飛鳥井家) imported a new sport called kemari (蹴鞠) from China.
It would become the first real sport developed in Japan, its popularity peaking amongst the aristocracy in Heian times.
#Kemari #蹴鞠 #Kyoto #Japan #京都 #七夕
Kemari is played on a 6m square court called a 'kakari' (懸).
Placed at each corner are 4 trees (willow, cherry, pine and maple), collectively known as 'shikiboku' (式木). They act as a conduit through which the gods can reside in our world to watch the contest.
#kemari #Tanabata
The ball (鞠 'mari') is made from 2 circles of deerskin sewn (with the hair on the inside) together with horse leather.
It is then stuffed with grain to fill it out, before being coated in white lead. The grain is drained away & the ball is sealed tight.
It weighs only 100-150g.
Players wear clothes of the Asuka period (飛鳥時代 538-710): the colours, patterns and styles subtly denote different ranks.
The costumes include 'eboshi' (烏帽子 -male courtly hat), 'mari-suikan' (鞠水干 -jacket), 'mari-hakama' (鞠袴 -divided skirt) & 'kamo-kutsu' (鴨沓 -shoes).
The highest ranking player (軒 'noki') enters the court first and begins the game.
While players may freely move around the court when the ball is in play, they return to their original positions when play stops (highest ranking first).
Each game takes around 20 minutes.
#Japan
Matches are called 'za' (座) and players are called 'mariashi' (鞠足).
Four players actively participate in each game (standing in front of the trees-NW, SW, SE & NE), with the others acting as assistants (詰 'tsume').
3 kicks before passing the ball is considered appropriate.
From the Kamakura period the game of kemari gradually spread from the nobility to the warrior and religious classes. By Edo times it was a popular pastime with the masses.
Kemari declined with the influence of Western culture in the Meiji period.
#Japan #Kyoto #kemari #蹴鞠 #七夕
Emperor Meiji (明治天皇), concerned that kemari might die out, ordered noble families in Kyōto to preserve the sport.
Thus in 1907 the 'Kemari Preservation Society' (蹴鞠保存会) was formed. At Shiramine-jingū matches are played each year in April & July (for Tanabata 七夕).
#京都
first kick-ball game-
so many beads of sweat
on the old costumes
-Gabi Greve, 2006.

#Kyoto #京都 #ShiramineJingu #白峯神宮 #Japan #haiku #kemari #蹴鞠
Although kemari took on a distinctive flavour in Japan, the game was hundreds of years old before it reached these shores.
Cuju (蹴鞠-kemari uses these same characters), which resembles modern football in many ways, began in China and is first described around the 3rd century BC.
Kemari features in the 'Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga' (鳥獣人物戯画)...a group of animals puzzling over how to retrieve their ball from a tree.

🧵about the Scrolls of Frolicking Animals⬇️


#kemari #蹴鞠 #Kyoto #京都 #鳥獣人物戯画 #Japan #Chōjūjinbutsugiga
There are a handful of opportunities to watch kemari (蹴鞠) in Kyōto during the year...most notably at the Kamo Shrines (下鴨神社・上賀茂神社 - January/February), Shiramine Jingū (白峯神宮 - April/July) and Fujinomori-jinja (藤森神社 - June).

#Japan #kemari #蹴鞠 #Kyoto #京都

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More from @camelliakyoto

May 28
🔔🪨😭THE GREAT BUDDHA'S WONDERS🐂💢👂

Kyōto was once home to the greatest statue of Buddha in all Japan.
4m taller than Tōdai-ji's Daibutsu, the statue stood in an immense hall in precincts now taken up by Toyokuni-jinja and Hōkō-ji (remnant of the original Buddha's home).


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The great hall and last (vastly smaller) incarnation of Kyōto's Daibutsu are sadly lost, but within the neighbourhood (where once the temple precincts sprawled) are a series of wonders.
They include a great bell that brought down a ruling clan, an exploding cow, & a tomb of ears.


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1) THE CHIMES OF DOOM🔔

Having seized control of the country after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu calmly waited for an excuse to destroy the rival Toyotomi clan.
His chance came with the forging of a new bell and an inscription that could be read as a threat.


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Aug 21, 2023
🙊THE MONKEY'S SLIDE🛝
At first glance the teahouse garden appears to be made up of mostly moss, pine & camellia...but if you look more closely the borders are packed thick with dozens of varieties of plants.
One of the most beautiful at this time of year is the "Monkey's Slide".


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More commonly known as crape myrtle (百日紅), older generations in Japan fondly call the tree 'saru suberi' (サルスベリ the "monkey's slide").
The bark of the tree is so smooth that even monkeys struggle to get a foothold!

#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #百日紅 #サルスベリ #IwataMonkeyPark


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Crape (also crepe) myrtle gets its name from the appearance of its flowers, which look very much like crepe paper.
Blooming from mid-summer through to autumn, the flowers (commonly bright pink) are also known in Japan as 'hyakujitsukō' (百日紅 'red for 100 days').

#Japan #百日紅


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Jun 19, 2023
🎨A MODERN TOUCH🖌️

One of the Shōren-in's (青蓮院) most striking features greets you as you enter the drawing room...a series of bold coloured lotuses, blooming across 60 panels.
Begun in 2005, the work was created by the artist 'Ki-yan' (キーヤン/Kimura Hideki 木村英輝).
#Japan ImageImageImageImage
When visiting Shōren-in, Kimura was suddenly inspired to fill the drawing room's plain fusuma with colour.

It took him two years to complete the 3 sets of lotus paintings (蓮三部作)...
🪷"Blue Illusion" (青の幻想)
🪷"Amitabha's Pure Land" (極楽浄土)
🪷"Hymn of Life" (生命賛歌) ImageImageImageImage
Why all the blue lotuses?🤔

Shōren-in was originally constructed atop Mt Hiei as a lodging facility for monks serving at Enryaku-ji.

Shōren-bō was named after a nearby pond in which blue lotus flowers bloomed ('shōrenge'). Many famous monks, such as Saichō & Ennin, lived here. twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
Read 8 tweets
May 11, 2023
🚪😱HAUNTED GATES & DANCING CATS😼👻

It's been a while since I've done a #folklorethursday, so here's some local, rather less well-known tales.

Demizu was once home to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's lavish palace 'Jurakudai' (聚樂第), and the area has many strange wonders.
#Kyoto #京都 ImageImageImageImage
Kannon-ji's 'Gate of 100 Lashings' (観音寺 百叩きの門) belonged originally to the prison at Fushimi Castle (伏見城). When the castle was dismantled the doorway was gifted to the temple🏯🚪🩸😰👋

The gate is just 1 of the '7 Wonders of Demizu' (出水の七不思議).
#Kyoto #京都 #出水 ImageImageImageImage
Before prisoners were set free they underwent a final punishment at the prison gate...a warning to stay on the straight & narrow.
They were lashed 100 times with a piece of split bamboo across the back. It was agonizing, & sometimes deadly!

Image thanks🙇‍♂️-bakumatsuya.com ImageImageImageImage
Read 23 tweets
May 10, 2023
'May Sickness' (五月病 'gogatsu-byō') is a term for a seasonal disorder that strikes just as Golden Week comes to an end.
After the flurry of changes that take place each April, it may seem like May should be smooth sailing, but returning to work/school after the break is tough. ImageImageImageImage
It may seem like a small thing, but sweets absolutely help lift a gloomy mood...

🌫️🌩️☁️😶‍🌫️🌥️🌤️🌞

Kameya Yoshinaga (亀屋良長) has done the impossible and perfectly captured the blue skies & cotton puff clouds of May in sweet form☺️

The wonderful 'hikōki-gumo' (ひこうき雲)✨ ImageImageImageImage
While 'May Blues' doesn't sound particularly serious, in some cases it can lead to depression, anxiety & insomnia.
In April the new school/work year begins, and there's a feeling that Golden Week only helps exacerbate feelings of disorientation, mental exhaustion, & apprehension. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Read 4 tweets
Apr 20, 2023
Astonishingly the temperature will soar close to 30 degrees today...the hottest day of the year so far😓

As this heat is a little unexpected we swooped on Ishidatami (石畳) for their famous matcha soft serve (抹茶ソフトクリーム). Fresh matcha is kneaded into the ice-cream🍵🍨🙌 ImageImageImageImage
Fresh matcha as an ingredient in cooking and baking tends to lose its flavour quickly, and so Ishidatami doesn't serve ice-cream older than 3 hours, preferring instead to make new batches throughout the day😮

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Another favourite (though much pricier) way to cool down is with Oimatsu's (老松) cheerful 'natsukan-tō' (夏柑糖 'sugared Chinese citron')🍊🥰

#Kyoto #京都 #夏柑糖 #老松 #oimatsu #Japan #citron #chinesecitron #orange
Read 4 tweets

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