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Hanafuda (花札) is a style of Japaneseplaying cards used to play a variety of games. Hanafuda translates to 'flower cards'.^[1][2] The name also refers to some games played with the cards.

• Hanafuda Cards For Sale
• Hanafuda Cards Hawaii
• Hanafuda Cards
• Naruto Hanafuda Cards
• Where To Buy Hanafuda Cards

History[edit]

Playing cards were introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the mid-16th century. The Portuguese deck consisted of 48 cards, four suits divided into 12 ranks. The first Japanese-made decks made during the Tenshō period (1573-92) mimicked Portuguese decks and are referred to as Tenshō Karuta. The main game was a trick-taking game intermediate in evolution between Triunfo and Ombre.^[3] After Japan closed off all contact with the Western world in 1633, foreign playing cards were banned.^[4]

In 1648, Tenshō Karuta were banned by the Tokugawa shogunate.^[5] During prohibition, gambling with cards remained highly popular which led to disguised card designs. Each time gambling with a card deck of a particular design became too popular, the government banned it, which then prompted the creation of a new design. This cat and mouse game between the government and rebellious gamblers resulted in the creation of increasingly abstract and minimalist regional patterns (地方札). These designs were initially called Yomi Karuta after the popular Poch-like game of Yomi which was known by the 1680s.^[6]

Through the Meiwa, An'ei, and Tenmei eras (roughly 1764–1789), a game called Mekuri took the place of Yomi. It became so popular that Yomi Karuta was renamed Mekuri Karuta.^[6] Mechanically, Mekuri is similar to Chinese fishing games.^[7] Cards became so commonly used for gambling that they were banned in 1791, during the Kansei era.

These tobacco cards often featured a design which combined Western playing cards with the Hanafuda pattern. In 1904, the Japanese government nationalized the manufacture of all tobacco products, Kichibei was compensated massively for being pushed out of the industry and later founded a bank, among many other enterprises. C 632 and Tōyō. Hanafuda cards are divided into twelve suits, one for each month of the year, but there isn’t much of a pattern to the way values are applied to cards within each suit – you just have to learn the meaning of each card individually. Playing cards have a long history in Japan that goes back way before the first contact with Europe.

The earliest known reference to Hana Awase (hanafuda) is from 1816 when it was recorded as a banned gambling tool. Unlike earlier decks it consists of 12 months (suits) divided into four rank-like categories. The majority of hanafuda games are descended from Mekuri although Yomi adaptations for the flower cards survived until the 20th century.^[6] Though they can still be used for gambling, its structure and design is less convenient than other decks such as Kabufuda. In the Meiji period, playing cards became tolerated by the authorities.

In 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo for the purposes of producing and selling hand-crafted hanafuda. Nintendo has focused on video games since the 1970s but continues to produce cards in Japan, including a few Mario-themed sets. Nintendo has licensed many third-party video game adaptations of hanafuda over the decades. The Koi-Koi game played with hanafuda cards is included in Nintendo's own Clubhouse Games (2006) for the Nintendo DS, and Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (2020) for the Nintendo Switch.^[8]

Outside of Japan[edit]

In Hawaii, there is Hawaiian-style Koi-Koi which is also known as Sakura, Higobana, and sometimes Hanafura.

In South Korea, the cards are called Hwatu (Korean: 화투, Hanja: 花鬪); the name literally translates as battle of flowers. It most likely was brought to Korea during the late 1890s.^[9][10] Two of the most common Hwatu games are Go-stop (Korean: 고스톱)^[11] and Seotda (Korean: 섯다). Hwatu is very commonly played in South Korea during special holidays such as the Lunar New Years, and also during the Korean holiday of Chuseok (추석). Playing Go-stop at holiday family gatherings has been a Korean tradition for many years. The Korean version is usually played with three players, with two-person variants.

Hanafuda is also played in Micronesia (the former South Seas Mandate), where it is known as Hanahuda and is a four-person game, which is often paired cross-table.^[12]

Cards[edit]

There are 48 cards total, divided into twelve suits, representing months of the year. Each is designated by a flower and has four cards. The point values should be considered merely as a ranking mechanism, as the most popular games only concern themselves with certain combinations of taken cards.

Some decks may have an extra card which could be blank (to draw a replacement) or feature a manufacturer's logo. In the Korean Hwatu version, the November and December suits are swapped. Hwatu may also include a variety of extra cards ranging in functionality, including 'service cards' (서비스 패) which award various bonuses.^[13]

Card significance[edit]

The January and February poetry tanzaku cards ( ) have the phrase akayoroshi (あかよろし, “red is good”), using the hentaigana character 𛀙 for ka.

The March poetry tanzaku card ( ) reads mi-Yoshino (みよしの), referring to the town of Yoshino, Nara. Yoshino is known for its cherry trees, especially of its Somei-Yoshino hybrid.

The September sake cup card ( ) has the kanjikotobuki (寿, “long life”) inscribed on it.

Games[edit]

Mekuri derived games:

• Hana Awase
  • Minhwatu
  • Koi-Koi
  • Roppyakken
  • Mushi
• Hachi
• Hachi-hachi
  • Sudaoshi
• Tensho

Yomi derived games:

• Poka
• Hiyoko
• Isuri

Gabo Japgi/Kabufuda derived games:

• Seotda
• Doryjytgo-ttang

See also[edit]

Hanafuda Cards For Sale

• Tazza: The High Rollers (or The War of Flower)

Notes[edit]

1. ^Sometimes 芒 susuki is translated as pampas (grass).

References[edit]

Hanafuda Cards Hawaii

1. ^McLeod, John. 'Games played with Flower Cards'. pagat.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
2. ^Pakarnian, John, 'Game Boy: Glossary of Japanese Gambling Games', Metropolis, January 22, 2010, p. 15.
3. ^Depaulis, Thierry (2009). 'Playing the Game: Iberian Triumphs Worldwide'. The Playing-Card. Vol 38-2, p. 134-137.
4. ^Harris, Blake J., Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation, It Books, 2014-May-13. ISBN978-0062276698. 'Chapter 5'
5. ^Mann, Sylvia; Wayland, Virginia (1973). The Dragons of Portugal. Farnham: Sanford. p. 46.
6. ^ ^abcKuromiya Kimihiko. (2005). 'Kakkuri: The Last Yomi Game of Japan'. The Playing-Card, Vol 33-4. p. 232-235.
7. ^McLeod, John; Dummett, Michael (1975). 'Hachi-Hachi'. The Playing-Card. 3 (4): 26–39.
8. ^Lane, Gavin. 'Nintendo Shares A Handy Infographic Featuring All 51 Worldwide Classic Clubhouse Games'. Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
9. ^Kim, Kwang-ŏn. (2004). Tong Asia ŭi nori. Seoul: Minsogwŏn. ISBN89-5638-121-6. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
10. ^Fairbairn, John (1991). 'Modern Korean cards - a Japanese perspective'. The Playing-Card. 20 (2): 68–72.
11. ^McLeod, John. 'Rules of Card Games: Go Stop'. pagat.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
12. ^Iramk, Charlene. 'Hanahuda'. Hanahuda. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
13. ^Sloper, Tom. 'Go-Stop'. www.sloperama.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.

External links[edit]

Photo：mrhayata on Flickr

New Year’s in Japan is a more subdued affair than in other parts of the world. While there are some countdown parties, it is more of a time for families to bond and to relax in each other’s company than it is a revelry. There is the making of mochi, prayers at the local shrine, and maybe a little bit of sake drinking.

For many families, the bonding and togtherness aspects of New Year’s culminate in gathering around the kotatsu, a low, heated table, watching t.v., eating, drinking, and playing games. The two most common, and perhaps most traditional games are Karuta and Hanafuda.

Karuta

At its core, Karuta is a simple search and grab game. Cards are laid out on a table face up. A question, keyword, or poem is called out. Players scan the table and race to be the first one to find and collect the appropriate card.

Hanafuda Cards

The two most common forms of Karuta being used today are Uta Garuta (song/poem cards) and Iroha Karuta (color cards).

Uta Garuta are the more grown up of the two. These cards usually feature a few lines of a poem on the chase card and the full poem on the card to be read. These games come in several different skill levels and require a working knowledge of Japanese language and culture to play.

Special decks are also quite popular. For example, here is my copy of the game, which is localized to Tochigi Prefecture, where I live. This version of the game is called NAME (the classical name of Tochigi before the unification of Japan) and features poems, from and about the area. The artwork is likewise representative of Tochigi and makes this a fun and interesting game for locals.

Iroha Karuta, by contrast, are more like vocabulary and memory games. School children in Japan play dozens of variations as a way to practice new vocabulary and learning concepts. Toy and book stores have literally dozens of versions available at any given time covering anything and everything a kid might want to know about.

Naruto Hanafuda Cards

The example I have here is geared towards learning national flags around the world. Each card chase card has a flag and a country on it, each card to be read has a little information about that country. It is fun, quick, and easy to play.

Hanafuda

Hanafuda is less a game than a style of cards. These are roughly analogous to a standard set of playing cards. In fact, they were originally derived from playing cards brought to Japan by the Portuguese, right along with Karuta. However, while Karuta developed into a specific set of rules with a specific set of cards, Hanafuda evolved into a standard deck that could be adapted to several different games.

Each deck has twelve suits, one for each month, as well as a flower for each suit. Each suit consists of four cards, with different point values depending on the game.

Although not as popular as Karuta, Hanafuda decks are easy to find and in several different styles. The games played with Hanafuda cards are arguably more difficult that Karuta but Japanese language ability is not needed to play, as long as you can remember which flower represents which month!

Where To Buy Hanafuda Cards

Happy New Year!