Hooptakraw - a game that has preserved the traditions of antiquity

This work examines the features of the development of the football games in the countries of the Asia-Pacifi c region on the example of the ancient Japanese Kemari game, its history, basic rules and traditions. The reasons for the popularity of national types of football in the countries of the East are analyzed in comparison with classic European football, taking into account local traditions, religious characteristics, culture. Historical parallels are drawn between ancient and modern versions of the game. The identity of the national oriental football games has deep historical roots based on the peculiarities of the ancient Eastern philosophy of sports, religion and strict reverence for traditions, the preservation of which became possible, among other things, due to the isolation of the region and the limited infl uence of European culture on it. One of the most popular football games among Asian youth at the moment hooptakraw is, with a few transformations, the successor of the ancient Japanese game Kemari, and managed to preserve its basic techniques, the spirit of unity and respect for each other. For the Japanese, Kemari is not just a sports ball game, it is a story associated with various cultural and religious traditions of the past, a cult that the locals have managed to preserve in their historical memory and carefully protect. Compared to European medieval football, massive, primitive, rude and wild, Japan has always emphasized the high intellectual level of the players, and the game itself was perceived more as an art than a sport.