抄録
Kemari(蹴鞠) is a traditional ball game in Japan, in which there are many rules and manners to be observed. Since the time Kemari was introduced from China to Japan in the Nara period, it developed independently in Japan. Rules and manners concerning Kemari were gradually improved, and were systematized in the Kamakura period. After then, Kemari master gave his pupils a written material that contained explanations of the rules, the techniques and the manners.
Mari no Engi(鞠之縁起) in my possession is one of those variants of explanation text, which was copied by hand in the second half of the Edo period. The contents include not only the rules, the techniques and the manners, but also include the legendary origin and history of Kemari. The text shows how the custom of Kemari has been handed down in the tradition from generation to generation.
In this paper, I reprint the text and give a commentary on it.
