Playing Card Hyakunin-Issyu Karuta(cards of 100 poems by 100 poets).

Other Japanese Card Games and Card Games of the foreign countries


In the world, there are not the types of card games like Hyakunin-Issyu Karuta and Iroha Karuta. Karuta means Card Games. Do you know Iroha Karuta? Iroha Karuta means Japanese syllabary card game. Iroha Karuta is a card game designed for children. The name derives from first three letters of the traditional arrangement of the Japanese syllabary; i, ro, ha. The Iroha Karuta makes use of proverbs which begin with each letter of the 47 syllabaries (the last letter "n" is omitted) and the Chinese character "kyo" (capital). A deck of playing cards is made up of two sets of 48 cards: "reading cards" and "pick-up cards", for a total of 96 cards. The reading cards have a proverb beginning with each of the 47 letters of the Japanese syllabary as well as the Chinese character "kyo", while the pick-up cards have a single letter plus a picture illustrating the proverb beginning with that letter. It is played in exactly the same way as the

Hyakunin-Issyu Karuta game. In other words, Hyakunin-Issyu Karuta and Iroha Karuta are Awase Karuta. Awase Karuta means matching a letter to a picture. Awase Karuta is unique to Japan. Hanafuda is unique to Japan, too. Hanafuda means Flower playing card game. A card game which adapts the Japanese symbols of natural beauty to the twelve months of the year. Each month is given special a seasonal theme: pine (January), plum blossoms (February), cherry blossoms (March), wisteria(April), iris(May), tree poeny(June), bush clover(July), pampas grass(August), chrysanthemum(September), maple(October), rain(November) and paulownia(December).Four cards with different point values (1,5,10,20) are made for each month, for a total of 48 cards. These cards are made by woodblock printing. They are spread with mud to stiffen the cards and give them more substance. It is said that Hanafuda the Japanese invented is a masterpiece. In India, there is a circle card like Menko. The cards are handwriting cards. They are printed Indian god, for example god of Rama, god of Budda and god of fish. In America, Native American's playing cards are made of parchment. Four marks are acorns, roses, shields and bells. Swiss cards use them, too. In France and Italy, there are Tarot cards to tell fortunes. Each card has meanings. When I examine playing cards, I think Japanese Karuta is world-level in that it used traditional technique. Then Hyakunin-Issyu Karuta and Iroha Karuta are intellectual game we can learn words, lessons and poems. So when dementia people play Karuta, they may regain their memory remembering their young days. That's all I have to report today.

Reference materials : THE TOY MUSEUM 5 Playing Cards Published in 1992 by Kyoto Shoin. Co., Ltd.,
:http://www.omuta.fukuoka.med.or.jp
:http://www.pagat.com


Yoko

Last updated 6-Dec-2001