On a research outing to north Kyoto the other day, I happened to pass Shiramine Jingu which I hadn’t visited for some years. In the meantime it has been building up its status as the home of football, with several articles in English posted on its grounds. These tell how the shrine was established on the site of the Asukai clan, which fostered kemari – a game whose object is to keep the ball from touching the ground by kicking it in the air to each other. To ensure success in the game, the clan fostered the cult of Sei Daimyojin, guardian deity of the ball.
The divine game - football for the gods
It’s thought that kemari came to Japan from China, and the earliest mention of it being played at court is in the mid-seventh century. The playing area was six meters square, and in each corner a different tree was planted – a willow, a cherry, a pine and a maple. Players in leather shoes kicked a deerskin ball, and as with all court pursuits maintaining elegance was of the essence.
In 1863, as part of the imperial revival, the future Emperor Meiji had the present shrine built to honour Emperor Sutoku, who in the twelfth century had been exiled to Shikoku after fighting Emperor Goshirakawa in the Hogen War. Later, in 1873, he had Emperor Junnin deified too, who had been exiled to Awaji Island in the eighth century during fighting. The two emperors, who had both died in exile, were thus given a posthumous home in the ancient capital.
The shrine in its present guise is not one of Kyoto’s finest, nor does it represent much of a bond with nature. (I was shocked to find taxis driving through the torii at the entrance and into the main compound.) Nonetheless it’s of interest for its football associations, and for anyone who follows Japanese soccer this is very much the place to visit. Who knows, you may even find your heroes here offering a prayer for success in the coming World Cup!
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For more about kemari, and the first kickaround of the New Year, click here.
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Items put up in front of the sanctuary, including a fan's picture of A.C. Milan player, Keisuke Honda
The six-meter square ground in which kemari is played
Poster for the shrine festival held on April 14th
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