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HANAFUDA BLOG
The March Suit
Finally back with our Suit series! This week's newsletter is going to be on the March suit.
The March suit features Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), a poetry ribbon and a Jin Maku (Military Camp Curtain.)
It's no secret that Sakura are extremely popular in Japan, so I'll be sharing some interesting tidbits about them.
Sakura is actually only the name of the Cherry Blossom, the actual tree when not in bloom is called Hazakura. The Sakura became extremely popular during the Heian period (794+), surpassing the Ume for flower viewing and eventually becoming the flower of choice for Hanami (flower viewing). Originally Hanami was exclusively practiced by the Imperial Court, however, over time it became popular
with Samurai and this helped it grow in popularity with common folk. Now everyone participates in Hanami. The Sakura have become so important that have become "the" flower of Haiku, When Hana is used in Haiku, it's referencing Sakura.
The Sakura can actually be divided by petal style:
Hitoe: Up to 5 petals
Hanyae: 5-10 petals
Yae: 10+ Petals
Sakura have become so ingrained with Japanese culture that the blooming has become a celebrated event. The Sakura only bloom for a little over a week before they fall, and they bloom around late March. The blooming of the Sakura coincides with the beginning of the school year and the beginning of the fiscal year for businesses. So, many schools and businesses have Sakura trees in front of them, and consider the blooming good luck.
Sakura Zensen: The Blooming Forecast, like weather, in Japan the news stations actually follow the blooming of the trees throughout the country.
Namiki: Streets lined with Sakura
Along with being connected with beginnings and spring, the Sakura is rich in symbolism, it's short life span has been linked to the Japanese concept of Mono no Aware, or the transience of life. Mono no aware is the awareness of impermanence, the gentle sadness about the reality of life. There is obviously a lot more to it, books have been written on the subject, but this is the general gist that I got from my research. This link to mortality, and the beauty of our short lives, made it a very popular symbol for the military, and a symbol of Japanese spirit and Nationalism. Though the life of the blossom is short, the actual tree has a long life span, the oldest being Jindai Zakura at the Jissou temple in Yamanashi Prefecture. Jindai Zakura is over 2000 years old!
The first Kamikaze sub-unit was called the Yamazakura, or the wild cherry blossoms. This encouraged the soldiers to believe that downed warriors were reincarnated as the blossoms. This military connection leads into the other symbol of this suit the Jin Maku (Military camp curtain).
The Jin Maku is traditionally used as a Military Curtain to help set up camp and protect the soldiers from the elements and others. In more modern usage, it's utilized at festivals to separate booths and set up temporary structures (called Tobari).
So the combination for the Hanafuda might have originated with the military but still is fitting with modern Hanami.
Jin Maku are actually pretty interesting, and with the more recent research I did on them, I may need to edit my card a bit. In the 17th century a military manual called Honcho Gunki Ko was written by Arai Hakuseki, laying out very specific guidelines for the usage of Jin Maku.
Everything means something, the number of poles corresponded with the rank of the officer, the size and crest would specify the troops or family. A standard Jin Maku was 5ft tall and while there is not set width the average was 28ft. Prior to the Honcho Gunki Ko the curtains size became standardized in the Muromachi period (1536-1573). The spacing and size of the crests even mattered on the curtain. Only white, black or blue tethers were utilized, and it was very important not to break any rules (so mine might get edited haha). Even the slits to help the wind go through became levels of rank, with only certain ranks being allowed to look through certain slits. With the rise of the Samurai, and the pseudo idolization of military, honor and ritual discipline, the Jin Maku became very sacred, borderline religious symbols.
The final special card is March's poetry ribbon. Similar to the last poetry ribbon, March's ribbon is the only one to say something different. While the others say Akayoroshi, the March ribbon clearly says みよしの Miyoshino. It's believed that Miyoshino on the ribbon is referencing the town in Nara, which is famous for it's blossom viewing.
I really enjoy months like this, ones where the connection between the elements is very obvious. It's fun to learn the history, and why these images were chosen for the cards. I hope you have fun reading about it too!
Please share whatever knowledge you have on the March Hanafuda, and I hope this was interesting! Below are some March cards from some of my decks that I've acquired!
Please scroll down for more March suits from other decks!
My next post will be my first in my deck feature series! Where I'll showcase one of the decks in my collection!
Thanks for joining me again!
-Kelsey Cretcher
www.moonrabbithanafuda.com
Blank Art Project Hwatu
Moon Rabbit Hanafuda "Graphic Style"
Miracle Fish "2012 Black Edition"
Miracle Fish "Original Style"
Nintendo/ Ukiyoe themed Deck by SausagesEverywhere
Nintendo "Club Nintendo" 2007
Nintendo "Mario Edition" 2015
Nintendo "Pokemon Edition" 2013
Moon Rabbit Hanafuda
This blog is going to follow the Moon Rabbit Hanafuda decks, the impending Kickstarter and History of the cards.
Archive for Kelsey Cretcher
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Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long, I'm still learning how to organize these games in a coherent way, I'm learning with you! So let's learn Go-stop!
While originating in Japan, Hanafuda cards have spread all over the world. They have inspired many games from many different cultures. In Korea, Hanafuda is known as Hwatu (화투) and are played with Joker cards. The Hwa-tu deck is basically the same as the Hanafuda deck, except that the month of November and December have been switched, so the Paulownia is November and the Willow (Bi) is December. Also, the terminology is different for the card types.
Brights: Kwang (or Gwang)
Animals: Yul
Ribbons: Tti
Dregs/Junk: Pi
Being a matching game, the play is very similar to Koi-Koi. The object of the game is to create hands through 2 matches per turn (a planned match and a random match) the score points. The rounds end when one of the players has reached the agreed amount of points (5-7 for a 2 player game and 3 for a 3 player game) through captured hands, however if they feel they can make more points before the other player reaches the goal, they can choose to “Go” instead of taking the points and ending the round "Stop". (The gameplay itself is very easy, but while there are less hands to remember, there are more conditions and multipliers). This was a difficult one for me to organize, so please feel free to suggest edits and I hope I organize it in a way that makes it accessible. I heavily referenced the late Habafuki.org, whose previous host was kind enough to give me all of his files in the hope of keeping Hanafuda alive. I have also gathered from other sources such as Sloperoma and Pagat, as well as other places online. The one thing I noticed was that NONE of them were exactly the same, so what I have below is the combination of all of them.
You can play the game with starting chips or money (if you agree on an amount, I'd suggest a penny per point) that you “steal” from each other (this game was a gambling game) or the way I tend to play is just adding points up as I go, starting from a base zero.
While there are a lot of random factors in Go-Stop but with practice, you can develop strategies and get pretty competitive!
HOW TO PLAY
Origin: Korea
Players:2-3
Game Style: Matching
Length of Play: unlimited
Number of Decks: One full deck, optional 2 jokers (and a second deck if you want to keep going)
Hands : 1 Dealt Hand and 11 scoring
Special Cards: 3
Goal: Be the first to reach the agreed upon points through creating hands by capturing cards. 5-7pts for 2 players and 3 pts for 3 players
SPECIAL CARDS:
Jokers: Two Jokers are used in Go-Stop (though you could experiment with more!) these are the 2 Pi Joker and the 3 Pi Joker. In the "Original" style deck they are represented by 2 and 3 foxes (the tricksters!). When one is played from the player's hand or the deck, it immediately goes into the players Library, counting toward the Pi score. They player then immediately draws another card from the deck and plays accordingly. So whenever a Joker is played, the player gets to draw twice from the deck.
Other Specials:
SET UP:
Choose a Dealer
2 Player Game: 10 cards are dealt face down to each player and 8 face up to the field
3 Player Game: 7 cards are dealt face down to each player and 6 face up to the field
BEFORE YOU START PLAYING: Players need to look for Starting Conditions
First check the field
If a full month has been dealt to the field, the round is void and redealt.
If there are ¾ of a month dealt to the field, combine the three into one stack, the player who plays the final card of the month gets all of that month.
If Jokers have been dealt to the field then the Joker(s) are moved to the dealers capture field (library) and replaced from the deck.
Then check for hands
President: 4 cards of the same month: 5pts and the round is ended
Heudeum: 3 cards from the same month: The player may choose to reset the round, or show his 3 cards to the other players and continue play. If the fourth card is ever in the field they may "Bomb the Field" playing all 3 cards at once and claiming all four. Also your score will be doubled if you win the round.
Play
Starting with the dealer the order of play goes:
1. The player may make a match with a card in his hand to a card in the field of the same month (If there are two options in the field they must pick one). Or they may add a card to the field that matches none of them. After matching to the field the player leaves the card on its match till after step 2. A player may also "Bomb" the field if the 4th card to their 3 is in the field and they revealed it to group at the set-up. If they end up winning the round (it doesn't have to be because of the bomb) their score is doubled.
2.The player now reveals the top card of the deck and one of the following happens:
If it matches a card, the player gets that match, as well as any other match made in step 1 and adds both matches to their library in front of them. (This “library” is the pool from which players can form their Yaku from.)
Ppeok: If the card matches the first match they made, causing three of one month to be on the table, all three cards stay in play, and remain there until someone makes the final match of the month and claims all the cards. (The player also steals one Pi from each of their opponents)
If the card matches no card in the field, it is then added to the field.
Special Events: If at any point one of the following occurs, the player may steal one Pi from their opponents.
Ttadak: If there are to cards of the same month in the field and the player captures both of them (a match from the hand and a match from the deck)
Chok: If in Step 1 a player made no matches and added a card to the field, then matched that card with their draw from the deck
PPeok: If the card matches the first match they made, causing three of one month to be on the table, all three cards stay in play, and remain there until someone makes the final match of the month and claims all the cards.
Sseul: If there are only two cards left in the field (from different months) and a player manages to capture both on their turn.
3. When the player is done matching, they see if they have formed enough hands to reach the point goal in their library. If they have, they can either end the round and claim their points by saying "Stop", or if they believe they can make more points before the other player can reach the point goal , they may call "Go" and continue play. Be careful, if the player calls "Go" and their opponent gets to the winning point score (even if it's lower than the players current score) before they get a chance to call "Stop" again, the opponent wins the round. See Scoring the Round when ready.
4. Play Continues to the next player.
Play in a round continues until either a player makes enough hands to reach the agreed points, or the deck is exhausted. The round is then ended and the field and hands are re-dealt. The player with the Highest score is the new Dealer.
SCORING THE ROUND
Go-Stop has only 11 hands which make it easy to remember after some practice. However it has a lot of multipliers that make it a little more complicated. The hands of Go-Stop only utilize the Kwangs (Brights), the Tti (Ribbons), the Yul (Animals), and the Pi (Dregs). If playing just for points then the winner of the round gets their points and whatever scoring bonuses (as outlined below). If gambling, then the winning player receives their score with any bonuses from their losing opponents. Note, that if a player said "Go" and failed, then they pay the winner for themselves and for any other opponents. See Bonuses below:
Score Bonus (These Stack)
Said "Go" once: 1pt
Said "Go" twice: 2pts
Said "Go" 3 times: Score Doubled, and then doubled again for each additional "Go"
Won after someone else called "Go": Score Doubled (Go Bak)
Had show Heudeum and/or bombed the field: Score Doubled (you do not have to bomb the field, just to have won after showing Heudeum
No winner the previous round: Score Doubled
Had a Kwang hand and opponents had none: Score Doubled (Kwang Bak)
Had 7+ Yul: Double Score (Yul Bak)
Had 10+ Pi and opponents had less than 5: Score Doubled, or Opponents with less than 5 pay double (Pi Bak)
Example Scoring:
Player 1 has Godori (5) and 3 animal cards (a total of 6 animal cards) so their score is 7pts. Player 1 chooses to call "Go"
However, Player 2 successfully accumulates enough points to win with 4 Kwang and enough Pi. Since they are playing for chips, Player 1 owes 7+ any scoring bonuses. In this case, Player 1 had no Kwang or Pi, so they are subject to Kwang Back, Pi Bak, and because they said Go and failed, Go Bak. So 7x2x2x2 or 56pts!, if they were not playing for chips, then Player score would just log 56 pts for the round.
END OF GAME
The game ends... when you want it to? I literally couldn't find reference to an actual end. So you can go by the half year (6 rounds) or full year (12 rounds) or agree to a point total, or when you run out of chips/money.
Thank you so much! Your patience for how slowly I'm compiling these has been great! Keep the survey responses coming in, they'll helping me so much. I'm working on a test print of my cards and will update you all when it comes!
Some of the things I want to cover in the next few blog posts are:
Hanafuda decks on the market
March
The Hanafuda Emoji
I want to feature more decks on the market, so if you know of any link me!
Also I want to know what game you want to learn next, please consider selecting one of the below games for the next game post.
Which Game do you want to learn next?
Higo-Bana/Sakura, Hawaiian
Sutda, Korean, simple, very gambling oriented
Hachi-Hachi, popular but more complex, Japanese 12 basic hands 47 combinations!
Poka, our first non matching game!
Other
Thanks everyone!
-Kelsey/pic3228531.jpg)
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First off I want to thank those who have participated in my survey on my site! For those who haven't (or want to vote twice haha) please consider participating in my Kickstarter survey on my website!
The February Hanafuda suit is represented by Ume (plum) blossoms, a Red Poetry ribbon, and a special animal card, the Bush Warbler (sometimes called the Japanese Nightingale).
Based on the Japanese calendar, February is actually a Spring month. A very early spring with signs of winter, but spring. The Hanafuda represent this using two iconic images of early spring for Japan; the Ume tree and the Bush warbler.
The Japanese Ume or Plum tree is actually closer to the apricot. It produces small flowers that range from white to brilliant shades of pink.
It also comes in many varieties, even weeping. In Japan the Ume is a special tree, it is the earliest to flower and does so in February and March, when the snow begins to melt. Because it is the earliest to bloom, it's seen as an usher of spring. The blooming of the Ume tree means that spring is beginning and winter is finally ending. Many areas have celebrations and festivals for the Ume, though not as many as the ever favorite Sakura. Its fruits are small and yellow-orange and are often pickled or used in wines.
The traits of the Ume trees are " Sign of Spring, Protection, and Health". It's obvious why it's a sign of spring but an interesting thing is that the Ume is still today used in decorating to protect 'evil corners' of yards. Many shrines have them planted to ward off evil and protect the areas that they are planted in.
I couldn't find much info as to why they got this association, but it could have to do with them blooming in the winter, their strength, and beauty when they should be dormant. Because of all of its symbolism and beauty, the Ume tree has been featured in art and poetry for hundreds of years. The tree is often featured with a small bird, the Bush Warbler (sometimes called the Japanese Nightengale).
The Bush Warbler (Uguisi ウグイス) is a small bird, that varies in shades of olive. It breeds in late winter/early spring, and its beautiful singing is a mating call. So you know spring is coming if you hear the Bush Warbler singing.
Traditionally these birds aren't often seen, they're small and hide in trees and bushes. So when they are singing it's one of the best times of year to actually catch a glimpse of these adorable birds (only 6 inches!).
Their mating time has also given the Warbler the symbolism of being a Herald of Spring, just like the Ume Tree. This, and them often hiding in the trees has linked them permanently. However, the Bush Warbler has earned it's spot in art, being a popular motif on its own or with the Ume in Poetry, Painting, and is even Haiku. Its beautiful song has led it to often be called the Japanese Nightingale, however, it doesn't actually sing at night. Their song has also been used to describe many other things as well, including Female Announcers (Uguisu-jo), and a specific type of squeaking floorboards (Uguisubari).
The final special card of February is the "Poetry Ribbon" card or Tanzaku (短冊). The first three month of the Hanafuda feature these poetry ribbons. Tanzaku actually don't only have poetry on them, but they often have wishes or even fortunes from shrines.
The Tanzaku from January and February both have Aka Yoroshi written on them using a character for "ka" that is no longer used. This essentially translates to "Passable" or "Acceptable". So for the Hanafuda, and it being an early month of the year, this could refer to wishes for the year, fortunes for the year to come, or even like a "grade slip" for the prior year.
March is the only Tanzaku to have a different message, but we'll get to that next time!
Please share whatever knowledge you have on the February Hanafuda, and I hope this was interesting! Below are some February cards from some of my decks that I've acquired!
Please scroll down for more February suits from other decks!
My next post will be my second in my rules series! So join me in learning a new game to play with Hanafuda!
Thanks for joining me again!
-Kelsey Cretcher
www.moonrabbithanafuda.com
Join the Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/bOzqqD
Moon Rabbit Hanafuda "Graphic Style"
Miracle Fish "Original Style" Hwatu
Miracle Fish "2012 Black Edition" Hwatu
Nintendo/ Ukiyoe themed Deck by SausagesEverywhere
Nintendo "Club Nintendo" 2007
Nintendo "Mario Edition" 2015
Nintendo "Pokemon Edition" 2013
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September 23rd is Nintendo's 127th birthday! So, sorry not sorry, for this filler post about a Hanafuda party, and how I plan to celebrate! Will you be celebrating?
So I'm all for celebrating everything you can. So it being the 127th birthday for Nintendo means I absolutely have to do something!
So, every party needs some drinks, some food, and some entertainment. So here is what my part is going to look like!
Drink
So I'm currently residing in Cleveland, Ohio and we're home to a pretty decent Brewery, Great Lakes Brewery has been a beer staple since before I can remember and also has a perfect option for the beer drinkers who play Hanafuda, and that's Commodore Perry, an easy drinking, affordable IPA.
Commodore Perry is known for playing a key role in opening Japan to the West. While it was Francis Xavier who brought Portuguese playing cards to Japan, Commodore Perry helped make it so everyone around the world could play what came of it. So what better way to celebrate. Some other options I'm considering are some Japanese beers, Including; Hitachino and Ichiban
If beer isn't your jam, you can go super simple and just celebrate with some Sake, the choice drink of the Yakuza, which played such a major role in the development of Nintendo. Or celebrate with some Plum wine and tie in some Hanafuda flower reference.
I need to sit down and find some, or create some cocktails, I'm hoping for the 128th anniversary to create or find a cocktail for every month of the Hanafuda. I'm a cocktail kind of gal what can I say. Any cocktail ideas? Send them my way! Maybe I'll illustrate a cocktail book.
Food
I'm keeping it simple for food this year. I'm drawing inspiration from Osechi Ryori (御節料理) or, Japanese New Year food. When researching Hanafuda I found that many continue to play Hanafuda at New Years and it's become a tradition for lots of families. This kind of celebration and tradition, feels perfect to help celebrate Nintendo. So I'm going to be making some Ozoni, or rice cake soup.Justonecookbook.com has great recipes for Ozoni!
I'm also going to bring in some fall warmth with a Nabemon (Hotpot meal) and then of course, some instant rice as this is one of Nintendo's many failed ventures. For snacks we'll be keeping it simple with some radish salad, Onigiri and red bean buns.
Entertainment
I know Hanafuda games will be the main entertainment (or other Nintendo games!) but I'll also be partaking in a few movies. I've got a family friendly option as well as crime/thriller.
Summer Wars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1474276
I'm sure all of you have heard of Summer Wars and if you haven't you should absolutely watch it. This is one of those movies where you don't need to be a fan of anime to enjoy. It's beautifully animated and has a fantastic story that has a lot of rewatch ability. It literally made me laugh, cry, nervous and all kind of other feelings. One of the heroes of this movie (and could be argued to be one of the reasons there has been a resurgence in interest) is Hanafuda! I was lucky enough to see this in theaters when it first came out at a small theater in my town, and I illustrated my deck over the next year. It introduced me to the cards and I can't thank it enough.
Tazza the High Rollers http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0875025/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Another option is a movie (and it's sequel) called Tazza the Highrollers. This is not a family friendly movie, and is a Crime/Thriller, I'm actually very excited to watch it for the first time on the 23rd! Tazza the High Roller is a Korean film, about a gambler who loses big in a game of Hwatu, only to later find he was scammed out of his money. He then trains to become a better card player to get his revenge and get his money back. I haven't seen in yet, but the movies seem to be very well received, so I'm looking forward to it!
Because this movie is Korean, I'm hoping to see a lot of Go-Stop being played and get a better idea of how to play it. Also I'm hoping to see some Korean Joker cards in the decks! Many countries have gambling movies, and movies about cards, but not very many focus on the use of Hwatu/Hanafuda cards!
Along with movies of course be sure to play lots of Hanafuda games! If you don't have a deck, my print and play should be floating around on boardgamegeek.com or try and get your hands on a copy of Nintendo Club House games for the Nintendo DS, then you can celebrate both Hanafuda and Nintendo Gaming, with this compilation of games that includes Koi-Koi, this is actually how I learned to play Koi-Koi originally! Or head over to BoardGameArena.com and play people around the world in Koi-Koi (using my designs!).
hope you have a fun Sept. 23rd, whether you're celebrating or not! Next week I'll be continuing my posts on the months with our second month of February! Please keep the surveys coming from the last post, I've received so many! It's really helping me get an idea of what you hope to get out of this kickstarter!
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Sorry for being MIA, I've had some commissions keeping me busy! This post will probably be a bit boring for some, but I'm hoping you'll enjoy looking at my process and give me some input on what you want to see!
THE BOX
So far this has been my favorite part. My Hanafuda deck has come in a variety of boxes over the years, from my printed tuckbox to my more recent hand made and stamped varieties.
Making the box was going to be one of the most difficult steps, I knew this so I tackled it first. I wanted something simple, aesthetically pleasing, and the fit with these cards I designed 5 years ago.
So I had to find out what size I wanted, I knew small like flux or Love Letter would be best, I didn't want something bulky. Hanafuda is meant to be shared and brought everywhere! After making mock up after mockup I settled on a 137mm x 99mm x 32mm box. Then heavily researched all the boxes I liked. Did they have custom Playtime/ players symbols, how much text. Spot U.V, how much art what elements of the game, on and on and on. I won't bore you with the details. But I will share my mockups for my final idea!
SCORING/REFERENCE
Coming up with a good way to present the reference card is still a struggle. Originally this was printed on two standard playing cards and only had the hands for Koi-Koi, Printing them this was isn't economical so I'm trying to find a better way to present the hands, and potentially a quick guide for the rules. I'm struggling primarily with how to fit all this in and actually have it legible. I'm finalizing the size, and layout but haven't really figured out how I want to do it design and look wise...
ADD-ONS
One of the things I want to have available is a mat to play on. I got samples back recently and was really pleased with the quality and am excited to get to designing them. So far all I have is the layout for two different ideas, I haven't decided whether to keep them compact or to have space for a library. What do you think?
I'm also trying to make the mat work for more than just Koi-Koi, so I want to keep it simple and useful, so it compliments the cards and will be useful to the players. Some Stretch goals i'm considering:
-Printed on plastic, or thicker chip
-Additional Kickstarter exclusive Joker set
-Rules for additional games including: Go-stop, Sakura, and Poka games. (additional reference cards and pages in book)
-Upgrades to box, rule book etc.
-Score card to keep track of month and player scores.
This is a little concept I had for an enamel pin stretch goal!
CHANGES TO CARDS
Since this is my chance for my dream deck, I'm making sure the cards are exactly what I want them to be. Luckily this is minor, some ideas for backs of cards, and changes to two of the deck cards.I've decided to change the moon of January to red, to match traditional decks more.I've added my chop (which says Moon Rabbit Hanafuda and was hand carved for me) to the December dreg card. Traditionally artists stamped their chops on this card since there are 3 dregs in December.
I'm considering a back, I've tried this on multiple occasions and tend to come back to a solid black or burgundy, which is actually more traditional. But here is the idea I came up with and I'll have a survey below on what you think!
So that's all for now, I have a few more things in the work (like a special handmade edition on chipboard with a handmade box either from Japan or by my very own brother of Cretcher Woodworks.)
I'll keep you posted! Please consider going to http://moonrabbithanafuda.weebly.com/blog/kickstarter-update...
and answering some surveys for me, or please just comment below. I'm interested in your thoughts on everything, but especially:
-What Stretch goals do you want to see most?
-What Add-ons would interest you?
-Back? Yay or Nay?
-Which reference card ideas did you like?
Next up on the blog:
Hanafuda party! (It's Nintendo's anniversary soon!)
February Card
Go-Stop
Thanks so much!
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Koi Koi is one of the most played Hanafuda games in Japan. It’s seen in movies, comics and anime (it was played a lot in Summer Wars). It falls under the “Matching” style of game played with Hanafuda and its play style is very similar to a lot of other games played with Hanafuda. Koi-Koi comes from the verb “Kuru” which means “To Come.” When conjugating the verb, the form Koi (来い) is used as an imperative (command), so saying Koi Koi is pretty much commanding or inviting “come-come” to continue play.
The object of the game is to create hands through 2 matches per turn (a planned match and a random match) the score points. The rounds end when one of the players has created a scoring hand, however if they feel they can make another scoring hand before the other player makes one, they can choose to “Koi-Koi” instead of taking the points and ending the round. (It’s super easy and I’ll break it down below).
When researching how to play I’ve realized that there is a heavy blur across the sources between actual rules and house rules that have become standard. So what I present below is the most standard I could finagle and I’ll include common house rules at the end. Some may argue that some of these are house rules here as well, so play as you see fit. I learned from Clubhouse games, Nintendo’s rule sheet and Habafuki.org, I’ve played so much that most of this is from my memory so please let us know if something is wrong!
You can play the game with starting points that you “steal” from each other (this game was a gambling game) or the way I tend to play is just adding points up as I go, starting from a base zero. Also I’m not a stickler for how I deal but I’ve included Nintendo’s dealing method (even though I don’t utilize it haha).
A lot of Koi-Koi is random and luck, but with practice you’ll develop your own strategies and know what cards to try and get. You have to think quickly and change plans on the fly if and when your wanted card is claimed by your opponent!
Koi-Koi
Origin: Japan
Players:2
Game Style: Matching
Length of Play: 6 or 12 rounds (months)
Number of Decks: One full deck, no jokers
Hands (Yaku): 14 and 2 dealt
Goal: Be the first to make a scoring hand and claim points, and get more points than the opponent. In Koi-Koi matches are made between same month cards only. So June matches June and August matches August
SET UP:
Choosing the dealer: Each player draws a card randomly, the player with the earliest month is now the Dealer (or Oya, Parent)
The basic set up is 8 cards face down to each player, and 8 cards face up to create a “Field of Play”. Nintendo rules have you deal two cards at a time (2 to opponent, 2 to field, 2 to self, repeated until each has 8). The deck is placed next to the field of play, face down.
BEFORE YOU START PLAYING: Players need to look for “Instant Wins”
First check the field
If a full month has been dealt to the field, the round is void and redealt.
If there are ¾ of a month dealt to the field, combine the three into one stack, the player who plays the final card of the month gets all of that month.
Then check for dealt hands: If either player has a dealt Yaku (hand) the round is ended and they are awarded the points
Four Hands: 4 cards of the same month: 6pts
Sticky: 2 cards from 4 different months: 6pts
PLAY
A round consists of both players making a planned match, and a random match. Play starts with the first player.
1.The player may make a match with a card in his hand and a card in the field of the same month. Or they may add a card to the field that matches none of them. When matching to the field the player leaves the card on its match till after step 2.
2.The player now reveals the top card of the deck and one of the following happens:•If it matches a card, the player gets that match, as well as any other match made in step 1 and adds both matches to their library in front of them. (This “library” is the pool from which players can form their Yaku from.)
•If the card matches the first match they made, causing three of one month to be on the table, all three cards stay in play, and remain there until someone makes the final match of the month and claims all the cards.
•If the card matches no card in the field, it is then added to the field.
3.When the player is done matching, they see if they have formed in Yaku in their library. If they have they can either end the round and claim their points, or if they believe they can make another Yaku (potentially a better one) before the other player can make a match , they may Koi-Koi and continue play. Be careful, if the player calls Koi-Koi and their opponent makes a Yaku (any yaku) before they do, the opponent gets double points. See Scoring Yaku when ready.
The Library: The library is the space in front of you, all captured cards are placed here face up, and this creates your "pool" from which you can form your Yaku.
4.Play Continues to the next player.
Play in a round continues until either a player scores Yaku, or the deck is exhausted. The month (round) is then ended and the field and hands are re-dealt. The player with the Highest score is the new Oya.
SCORING THE YAKU
Koi Koi has only 14 hands which make it easy to remember after some practice. Some basic knowlage of Hanafuda generic scoring can help you learn them but aren’t needed as the generic point values aren’t used. I’ve attached a reference sheet for the hands as well as the general Hanafuda scoring (at the bottom). Below is a quick reference for play and the scoring. It’s a ‘in progress” as it’s the card I’ve been working on for my Kickstarter. When a player creates any of the Yaku below, they may stop the round and score or call Koi-Koi as outlined above. Only one player gets any points per round. If you Koi-Koi you can re-arrange your Yaku for a better score, for example, if you have 3 Bright, and you see the Rain-Man is in the field you might want to Koi-Koi in hopes of getting the Rainy 4. Your Yaku isn't "locked" when you Koi-Koi.
If a player’s Yaku is worth more than 7 points at the end of a round they get double points. (This is in the official Nintendo rules, and I’ve seen it a lot of other places, but honestly my house rule is NOT to do this)
END OF GAME
The game ends when you’ve either completed 6 or 12 months. The person with the highest score wins!
Variant Rules
Set-Up: Field Multipliers:•If there is a 20pt card (any of the Brights) in the field after the deal, the score for the round is double.
•If there are 2 Bright cards in the field after deal the round score will be tripled
•If there are 3 Bright cards the score is quadrupled,etc.
Matching: Some rules, (including the Clubhouse games but not the Nintendo physical rules) require a match to be made if it can be made in step one. This makes it a little harder to strategize.
•Blind Match: (Submitted by Tigrillo) In Step 2, if a match is not made, you may decided to add the card to the field OR add it to your hand.
Scoring•Combination Yaku: Cards apply to any Yaku that they can, so if you have 5 brights, you also have the cards for Rainy 4 and 3 brights, thus you get the points of all of them. This goes for any cards in any Yaku.
•Rain ruins the Viewing: Viewing Card Yaku are worth 0pts if you have the Rain Man or the Lightning card.
•Viewing Cards: Some have the viewing cards as an optional Yaku, so depending on who you play with, you might want to confirm that they use them.
•Sake Cup and Lightning Card: Similar to an Ace the Sake cup can be worth either 10 or 1, the Lightning cards in some variants is used as a wild card. Which can be used to match any card in the field, or if in the field any card from your hand.
•Koi-Koi: Nintendo actually says you can only Koi-Koi once per GAME, I’ve never seen this anywhere else.
•Month Yaku: (Submitted by Tigrillo) An additional Yaku for 4pts is the full collection of whichever month you're in. (So If in round four or April, you can collect all four cards from April for 4pts)
STRATEGY
So there is some strategy to the game, even though it’s also a lot of luck. As you play you’ll learn what cards and combo’s to go for and how to think quickly. Here are some tips:
[floatleft]•I always try to get the Sake Cup, even if you can’t use it, keep your opponent from getting an easy 10pts!
•Don’t throw just anything down in step 1! If you can’t make a match, think about what you add to the field. Don’t play a cherry blossom to the field if you don’t know where the Camp Curtain is. Don’t accidently help your opponent get a good match. Try to play cards that the power match has been made already, or that you know you can match with quickly.
•While the Brights look nice, it’s not always the best method to try and get them. Don’t waster all your time trying to get the 20pt cards and not end up making any match that round.
•Some good ones to try and secure are the Poetry Scrolls and Blue scrolls, those have higher worth yaku.
•Be strategic when claiming the Rain Man. He might secure you the Rainy four, but ruins your chance for the other brights.
•If you’re losing, try to get the Dregs, so you can score first, they can have a few high scoring cards but unless they make a match they don’t get those points. Steal some rounds with some low point combos.
What variants or strategies do you have? To practice play online against others and maybe me head on over to BoardGameArena my Username is MissKLC!
Thanks everyone and see you next time!
-Kelsey Cretcher
www.MoonRabbitHanafuda.com
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One of the regular posts I’m going to be doing in this blog is a post for each of the months. Covering the flora and fauna presented in the original cards, and then my translation into my cards. So what better way to begin than with January, the first suit of Hanafuda? Sorry about the images, I need to resize and reupload, I'm terrible at formatting on here.January
The January Hanafuda is represented by the Matsu (Japanese pine) and contains a poetry ribbon and a Japanese Red Crested crane.
These all have winter significance and have been portrayed in art and writing for generations. While I cannot find any specific legend or folktale to link the Crane and Matsu together, their connection in art cannot be overlooked.
The reason for the connection (as far as I can tell) is both due to symbolism, and honest mistake.
The Japanese pine has long been a representative of winter, as it is an evergreen and can withstand harsh temperatures without losing any needles. Its primary symbolism is longevity, as these trees are known to live 100s of years. Longevity, good luck, and resilience are what the matsu mean to people. It is also one of the ‘Three Friends of Winter’ (松竹梅 shō-chiku-ba) Bamboo, Pine and Plum that have become ingrained in Japanese Motifs.
These are all things that have also led it to be associated with the New Year. Often tied to gates at shrines for New Year’s festivals, this symbolism goes hand in hand with a pleasant new year. This makes the Matsu a perfect representative for the January cards.
Japanese pine is a little different from the western variant. While still growing very tall, these trees tend to have more gnarly expressive trunks. That tend to grow in many different varieties rather than just straight up. (Think bonsai trees!)
In addition to this, they have great and expansive branches that have clusters of pine needles. This is something I challenged myself to work with in my illustrations, as the original cards just showed a close up of the needles. I wanted to express the uniqueness of the Japanese pine’s shape.
The major feature of this suit is its Bright card, the Japanese red-crowned crane. These cranes spend the majority of their year overseas in areas like Siberia. However come winters they migrate to Japan to brave the weather there. This makes them one of the recognizable winter birds of Japan and fitting of a winter card. In addition to this, these cranes live a very long time. One known to have lived 83 years in captivity, legend claimed they have lived to be thousands of years old. This has led them to also be associated with winter and longevity as well as good luck. Because they mate for life, they are also associated with weddings and good fortune in marriage! They have beautiful mating dances that make them appear like they are dancing for joy.
Cranes and Matsu have been motifs in art together for years, with many paintings and poems referencing cranes nesting in Matsu trees, and perching atop them. But in reality the cranes didn't nest in the Matsu at all. So it’s believed that long ago they were mixed up with a tree dwelling stork, once living in Japan but were thought to have gone extinct (though they have found they aren't and have been working on getting the population up). The similarity in appearance and the crane’s similar symbolism with the Matsu has led to the crane being associated with the Matsu even though this might not have been the case in real life. Even though the actual crane might not have interacted with the matsu, it has become a well known an accepted image. The Hanafuda card is absolutely intended to be a crane, however the origin of the cranes association with the matsu may have been an accident.
Another aspect of this card, and one that I admittedly overlooked when designing the card, is the red sun on the crane card. When I first designed mine, I assumed that the sun was its color due to the limited palette of Hanafuda. However after more research I can’t help but wonder if the sun is red on purpose. Everyone knows the red sun from the Japanese flag, but not everyone knows the symbolism behind it. In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu is the sun goddess and believed to have created Japan, the Emperor of Japan is said to be a direct descendent of her. This has led the symbolism of the sun to be associated with creation, beginnings and longevity, the same symbolism as the January month. I’ve failed so far to find the reason for it being a red sun, other than the use of the red sun on the flag (which I also can’t find the reason for) so I’m not terribly disappointed in not thinking about it in my design but it’s started bugging me enough to research more.
So I guess what that means is I’m considering changing it. It’d be an easy fix but maybe not a needed one, so I’m looking for opinions. Do any of you know more than I do about the symbolism of the red sun? Do you think it matters if this deck’s sun isn’t red? I’m leaning to changing it as a nod to the Japanese flag…
So that’s what I have for January so far, please feel free to add any knowledge!
My next post will be my first in my rules series. I’m hoping to balance knowledge about the cards, game rules, and Kickstarter updates to keep this exciting haha.
Thanks for joining me again!
-Kelsey Cretcher
www.moonrabbithanafuda.com
Nintendo "Mario Edition" 2015
Nintendo "Pokemon Edition" 2013
Nintendo "Club Nintendo Edition" 2007
Miracle Fish "Original Style" Hwatu
Miracle Fish "Black Edition" (for year of the Dragon) 2012
Moon Rabbit Hanafuda "Graphic Edition" 2016
Unknown Edition, but I need itPoll: Change the sun? Should I change the sun color for symbolism?
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Sorry for the delay! I'm down to one hand until I get the cast of the other. Typing one handed is super difficult! Let's continue the history of Hanafuda as I have gathered from research, so please feel free to add and correct!
Hanafuda History Pt 2- Gambling and Gangsters
If you haven’t noticed yet, over time and with the regular banning, the games became almost exclusively for gambling. The early Komatsufuda was used for many games gambling and non-gambling alike, but as the government got stricter and began banning more cards they became less appealing to honest, everyday people and more popular with gamblers and gangsters. So it’s no surprise that when Hanafuda was finally made it was also almost exclusively for gambling. It’s also interesting to note that Fusajiro Yamauchi started marketing them only 3 years after they were legalized opening shop in 1889 (he jumped on that quick!). But we’ll come back to that!During the ban on cards and gambling, illegal gambling dens began cropping up in abandoned shrines and temples (堂). These operations became popular and appealed to Bakuto (gamblers). As they increased in popularity, these operations expanded from simple gambling spots into full blown operations, developing loan sharks and having on site security. During this time there were two very popular gambling cards, Kabufuda (specifically the game Oichi Kabu, a game similar to Baccarat and black Jack) and Hanafuda. 花 “flower“ and 鼻 “nose” are both pronounced as Hana, so to signal at the door of some facilities inconspicuously that you were there too gamble, Bakuto would rub their noses. This also led to the association of the Tengu (the “ten” uses 天, I’ll explain all this soon promise!) imagery with playing cards, big nosed demons of Japanese lore.These gambler’s havens created a new breed of gangster and gave birth to one of the most recognized names in crime history, the Yakuza. In Oicho-Kabu, the worst hand is an 8, a 9 and a 3 or, Ya-Ku-Za, also in Hanafuda the hands are called Yaku. This isn’t a coincidence, there were(are) two major types of Yakuza in Japanese history, those who peddled stolen goods and the Bakuto variety, that gambled, ran gambling halls, lent money and reclaimed debts. Kyoto is home to the 4th largest Yakuza group, the Aizu kotetsu-kai, and it just so happens that the original Nintendo Card Company is right in the heart of a known Yakuza area. While their name may be from the worst hand in Oicho-Kabu, and police have dubbed them “violent groups” the Yakuza like to refer to themselves more favorably as “ninkyo dantai” or “chivalrous organization” those savvy in the Japanese writing system might recognize the “nin” in ninkyo 任 as the same “nin” in Nintendo, though Nintendo will deny it, I’ll go into that soon.Okay, fast forward, Hanafuda is legalized in 1886, and in 1889 Fusajiro Yamauchi set up his tiny little shop next to a stone building that he’d eventually expand into, in Kyoto and the heart of the gambling scene. He started manufacturing and selling his own Hanafuda cards and with the recent legalization of Hanafuda and his location, he wasn’t short on customers. This operation eventually became “The Nintendo Playing Card Company” and would go on to be a major player in the playing card world, making more than just Hanafuda and eventually advancing into one of the most well-known names in the gaming world. While the current company denies it to an extent, Nintendo’s birth from the world of gambling is hard to hide. At one point when card sales were down Nintendo began manufacturing their “lower quality” cards, these were cheap and easy to make and appealed to the cheaper Bokuto. These cards were differentiated from there high quality counter parts buy being marketed with a Tengu on their cases. This was a direct call out and advertisement to the local gamblers, and was an obvious nod to Nintendo’s major customers. An article on this very subject was published by Kotaku that referenced Pix n/ Love’s History of Nintendo (http://www.pixnlovepublishing.com/The-History-Of-Nintendo-Vo...), in the book Gunpei Yokoi (inventor of the Gameboy) recalls one of his earliest jobs at Nintendo being maintenance of the Hanafuda machines. He then talks about how often gangsters would come in angry that they lost a game due to defective Hanafuda cards, so even though it was a job entrusted to a new worker, it was a very important one because of their type of clientele.Now onto the actual name “Nintendo”, while the company has tried to separate itself from it’s shady past by claiming their name means “Leave Luck to the Heavens”, many think otherwise. Myself being one of these, I read many articles on the name and whether they have something to them or not, it’s interesting stuff. I’m not well versed in the Japanese language, but I do know that there seems to be significance to what Kanji is used. This has lead a lot of people to break down Nintendo’s name 任天堂 and find significance that way. Many Yakuza actually truly believe that the “Nin” 任 in Nintendo is from Ninkyo, as they both use that Kanji. This could be a shout out (and a more personal one at that) to the Yakuza who call themselves Ninkyo Dantai. There is further shout-out evidence some believe, with the “Ten” 天 being the same as in Tengu, which has long been a symbol of gamblers. The weak but possible finale is in the “Do” 堂 this was often added to businesses names (The temple of blank! Rug Sanctuary! Etc) which is the most likely thing here, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s another nod to the gamblers and the early gambling dens set up in old abandoned shrines and temples (堂). Probably not, but I like to think so.While it seems rather obvious that Nintendo’s origins are steeped in underground gambling, the company has very much attempted to break away from this. They’ve sugar-coated their origins a tad and made it a bit more of a rags to riches story. Nintendo could honestly mean “Leave luck to the heavens” but it also seems entirely plausible that its entire name was a nod and a shout out to its notorious customer base that helped it become a gaming empire. Without these shady Bokuto, and the Yakuza we quite possibly wouldn’t have Nintendo. I believe in giving thanks when thanks are due, so Thanks?
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Hanafuda cards have a unique history that stems from Western influence, gambling, and breaking the law. In these next few posts I hope to share some of the knowledge I’ve acquired from the research I’ve done, and also link you to some articles that I love regarding it. So in this first post I’m going to go into the birth of Hanafuda.
MET Museum Edo period (1615–1868)
Prior to Portugal’s arrival in Japan in 1543, playing cards weren’t cards at all and were primarily utilized by nobility. Awase games were a matching game of word and image association. “Mono no awase” or a ‘matching of things’ would involve painted images of things ranging from scenes from famous writing (uta-awase), flowers or other imagery (e-awase) etc . Kai-Awase or when these images were painted on the inside of shells became the most popular and remain popular even today, often played on New Year’s or used for educational games. The earliest I can find for the birth of this game is the 9th century, however many of the sets found in museums are from the Edo period in the 18th century, where it seems this game was at its height of popularity. Due to the subject matter of the game and it requiring a more educated player, these games were extremely popular with nobility and less accessible to the average person.
an Iroha-awase set from my personal collection. This is an education matching game where you match the hirigana letter to the Japanese proverb.
Fast forward from the 9th century to 1543 and the arrival of Portugal in Japan, many things came with this including weapons, slavery, and religion. But another smaller thing came and helped shaped gaming history. The ships that brought the Portuguese also brought their popular Carta, of playing cards, a 48 card deck used to play many trick taking games and the very popular game Hombre. These games were easy to learn, the decks were convenient in size, and they were very easy to turn into gambling games, they also were the introduction of suits to the Japanese playing card world. This appealed to the masses far more than the earlier Awase games and spread quickly.
However in 1633, Japan closed its borders to foreigners and foreign influence, this resulted in a ban on the Portuguese Carta (now called Karuta). Around this time in the 17th century, Kai-Awase was translated into a card form, while there is no proof of connection that I can find, I can’t help but wonder if this was an attempt to make them more accessible and popular with the common people. Western playing cards were banned, but playing cards in general were not. In addition to this private gambling was banned by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1648 limiting the games people knew and creating a bit of a gambling underworld (by bit a mean a large one but this will be in part 2). So between 1633 and 1886 many decks were created, fully illustrated and games utilizing them were created as well. These decks tried to hide their Portuguese influence by being more illustrative and abstract (this style became known as Mekuri Karuta). But none of these lasted long before they were busted for gambling and subsequently banned. For all you playing card collectors here are some of the games that came to life during this period:
They are broken into two types, Tenshō karuta, which are more heavily influenced by the Portuguese cards and tend to have suits and variations on the original styles and Mekuri Karuta, decks that have become more graphic and simplified and have lost the western suits for the most part.
Tenshō karuta
Komastufuda, these are actually the first indigenous cards created in Japan after the Portuguese arrived. Very similar to Carta, they were 48 card decks missing the 10s. While banned in 1633, they are one of the few that still exist today.
Unsun Karuta (17th century) one of the first created after the ban. In an attempt to not be associated with the Portuguese influence, this deck had 75 cards (5 suites of 15 cards). Not only was it bulky, but its games were complex and hard to learn. These decks were obviously expanded versions of the Portuguese decks but had more Japanese imagery in them.(Ultimately it was banned as well.)
Mekuri Karuta
Mekuri Karuta Virtually identical to the original Hombre cards, but stylized and simplified to help get around the bans.
Kabufuda- A deck of 40 cards with 4 sets of identical suits that represent the numbers 1-10. These were used almost exclusively for gambling games especially the popular game Oicho-Kabu. Oicho Kabu was so popular in the illegal underground world of gambling that its losing hand is the namesake of the quintessential gangster. An 8, a 9 and a 3, or Ya-Ku-Za. (Banned)
Kabufuda Deck image credit Nintendo.co.jp
Harifuda and Hikifuda- Harifuda have 42 cards numbered 1-6 and Hikifuda also has cards number 1-6 (represented by coins) but 8 sets of them for a 48 card deck. Both decks can be used interchangeably in games and were used for gambling games. (Also Banned)
Hanafuda- a return to the Portuguese 12 sets of 4 cards, this deck was smaller, more portable and highly illustrated. It featured beautiful art relating to nature (seemingly so innocent) and its games were more in the style of Eawase and less influenced by Portuguese games. (Banned)
While Hanafuda was banned, it had the luck of being banned closest to the end of Japans isolation in the 1860s. In addition to this, Japan realized the people were going to play cards regardless and the lifted the ban on Hanafuda in 1886. Fusajiro Yamauchi seized this opportunity and set up shop in a small two story building in Kyoto, hand painting Hanafuda on mulberry bark and creating ‘The Nintendo Playing Card Company”.
Thanks for joining me for part one! Part two is going to focus on the gambling side that helped create these cards.
Please let me know if you know of other cards or history involving these cards, I love learning more! Also please let me know if I’ve messed something up, this has all come from what I remember from my research and from many different sources.
See you next week!
Join me on www.moonrabbithanafuda.com or subscribe to our mailing list!
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It's been a long time coming but we're finally getting there.
In 2010 I illustrated my own Hanafuda deck, as a challenge to myself for a free project my Sophmore year of college. I loved what I had created but my classmates were hung up on not knowing what Hanafuda was, and honestly my crit was a bit of a flop. It wasn't the art's fault, this my teachers made clear to me. My classmates (and my teachers) had never heard of Hanafuda, so they didn't even understand my challenge. Luckily my teachers loved what I had done and didn't let me get discouraged.
This response is part of what encouraged me to pursue this in the first place. When I first discovered Hanafuda I wanted more of it. Here was this beautiful, illustrative deck where the illustrations were literally the most important part of the card, not only were they beautiful but they could be used to play many games! Western playing cards have thousands of illustrated variants, and I assumed it was the same with Hanafuda. But I was wrong. In 2010 I couldn't find any versions whatsoever, other than slightly tweaked variants of the original illustrations.
This immediately inspired me. I've always had a passion for modern application of vintage concepts, motifs, etc. My art pursues what I call a Retro Mod aesthetic. Japan has always been a major inspiration because I feel, as a culture, they have embraced this completely. They hold their past in every aspect of their present. I love seeing the influence of their traditional art and craft play a role in modern fashion, art, sculpture etc. I think it's beautiful. In my research of Hanafuda, I realized that while not known as well as western playing cards, these cards have become ingrained in families around the world. People I talked to always spoke of the memories of playing the games with their grandparents and families, on trips and at reunions. It's a game that ignites nostalgia. This beautiful staple of playing card and Japanese history deserves to continue to be beautiful memories. I want to share these cards with everyone I can, and I want to embrace Japan's ability to pay tribute to their traditions and their history while having one foot in their future.
I hope one day their will be as many illustrated variations of Hanafuda as there are western cards.
Thank you for joining me in the first step and reading this first post. I hope you'll continue to join me on this journey to get this deck finally produced and in the hands of many to create their own memories!
On this blog I'm going to teach you what I know about Hanafuda. As well as teach you (and learn with you) some of the many games you can play with these beautiful cards. I'm also going to share with you the Kickstarter journey, my challenges and revelations and the finalization of my art. I hope you'll participate and give your opinions! I want everyone to be part of bringing these to life!
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