'Kemari' kickball festa held in Nara's Tanzan Shrine

'Kemari' kickball festa held in Nara's Tanzan Shrine

TONDABAYASHI, Japan - A "kemari" kickball festival is held at Tanzan Shrine in Nara Prefecture's Sakurai, western Japan, on Nov. 3, 2014, with "players" in traditional attire kicking a deerskin ball to one another without touching the ground.

Annual kickball festival at Nara shrine draws many visitors

Annual kickball festival at Nara shrine draws many visitors

People wearing traditional Japanese costumes try to keep a ball made out of deerskin in the air during the "Kemari Matsuri," a kickball festival, at Tanzan Shrine in the western Japanese prefecture of Nara on Nov. 3, 2015, against the backdrop of autumn leaves in red and yellow. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kemari kickball festival in Nara

Kemari kickball festival in Nara

People wearing traditional Japanese costumes try to keep a ball in the air during a semiannual Kemari kickball festival at Tanzan Shrine in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Nov. 3, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kemari kickball festival in Nara

Kemari kickball festival in Nara

People wearing traditional Japanese costumes try to keep a ball in the air during semiannual Kemari kickball festival at Tanzan Shrine in Nara Prefecture on April 29, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kemari Festival held in Nara

Kemari Festival held in Nara

Members of the Kemari Preservation Society dressed in ancient court costumes play a "Kemari" ball game during an annual festival held every spring and autumn at the Tanzan Shrine in Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Nov. 3, 2016. Said to be originated from China, a traditional "mari" ball made of deerskin is kicked and kept in the air as many times as possible. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo