Kemari (TCG)

Kemari was a Rokugani physical game of dexterity played with a ball that players kicked back and forth. This game was particularly popular in refined courts such as those in Crane lands, as well as in Otosan Uchi, Legend of the Five Rings: Roleplaying Game (Beta), p. 89 Played regularly in full courtly regalia, Kemari was a test of skill and wits, and often resulted in shameful displays of bad sportsmanship and rudeness. The winner of the competition on each Winter Court was regarded as the Kemari Champion for the next season. Kemari was also played throughout Rokugan by children and samurai alike. The Scroll or the Blade, pp. 9-10
== Rules ==
The kemari rules dated back hundreds of years, a popular way for courtiers to get exercise and have fun. In kemari, two sides of twelve to sixteen players each must keep the mari - a deerskin ball - in the air between them as they attempted to knock it through a goal at one or the other side of the field. Courts of Stone, p. 106 Participants could use their feet, knees, shoulders and head, keeping their arms folded behind their backs. A variation of the game was made forming a circle of players, with a referee who bounced the ball in the center of the group, and the first participant to move forward bounced the ball to a fellow participant. Individuals then attempted to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible. Allowing a ball to fall to the ground caused the failing participant to immediately be eliminated, until there were only two remaining. The two then jostled for first place, with the winner and runner up moving onto the next round of a competition. 
Category:Games (TCG)
Category:Rokugani Language (TCG)