hanafuda

Hanafuda - 花札, translated as "flowers cards" - is a traditional japanese playing cards. It has 48 cards divided into 12 months of the japanese calendar. Each month features a floral theme and symbols proposed by the japanese nature through the seasons of a year. This playing cards is also present in Korea (hwatu) and Hawaii.

story

The origins of Hanafuda come from the 16th century when a portuguese missionary and his team brought a deck of 48 playing cards in Japan, Hombre, a card game from Spain. The japanese playing cards was only allowed among the nobility, therefore the portuguese game became quickly popular among the japanese lower class.

When Japan closed its borders, all foreign card games were banned. Therefore, several playing cards were created: a deck of 75 cards inspired by chinese warrior art and several decks of 48 cards that are close to the modern Hanafuda. Fallen into the hands of the japanese mafia, they were successively banned by the government because these cards were mainly used for gambling.

Following the change of government, Meiji, Japan opened its borders to the world and the playing cards was proclamed lawful again. In 1889, Fusajirô Yamauchi seized the opportunity and founded the Nintendo Koppai company to commercialize the card game Hanafuda. Quickly adopted by the Yakuza as gambling, the Hanafuda also became popular with the public.

Today, Hanafuda are playing in Japan, Korea and Hawaii, each with their own rules. In Japan, Nintendo still produces three versions of Hanafuda who differ in their quality of production: Napoleon deck, Tengu deck and the flower deck. There are also some Hanafuda deck created for the most popular licenses: Mario, Star Wars, One Piece ...

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cards

Hanafuda consists of 48 cards divided into 12 floral families of 4 cards, each family represents a month of the Japanese calendar, but can also be appropriate for the Gregorian calendar. Each card belongs to a card type with a set point value: 5 cards called Light (20 points), 9 cards called Tane or Animal (10 points), 10 cards called Tanzaku or Ribbon (5 points) and 24 cards called Plain or Flower (1 point).

  • Pine Red poem tanzaku Plain Plain

    january - pine

    1. Crane (20 pts)
    2. Red poem tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Nightingale Red poem tanzaku Plain Plain

    february - plum

    1. Nightingale (10 pts)
    2. Red poem tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Curtain Red poem tanzaku Plain Plain

    march - cherry

    1. Curtain (20 pts)
    2. Red poem tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Cuckoo Red tanzaku Plain Plain

    april - wisteria

    1. Cuckoo (10 pts)
    2. Red tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Bridge Red tanzaku Plain Plain

    may - iris

    1. Bridge (10 pts)
    2. Red tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Butterflies Blue tanzaku Plain Plain

    june - peony

    1. Butterflies (10 pts)
    2. Blue tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Boar Red tanzaku Plain Plain

    july - lespedeza

    1. Boar (10 pts)
    2. Red tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Moon Geese Plain Plain

    august - pampas

    1. Moon (20 pts)
    2. Geese (10 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Sake cup Blue tanzaku Plain Plain

    september - chrysanthemum

    1. Sake cup (10 pts)
    2. Blue tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Deer Blue tanzaku Plain Plain

    october - maple

    1. Deer (10 pts)
    2. Blue tanzaku (5 pts)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)
  • Rain Swallow Red tanzaku Lightning

    november - willow

    1. Rain (20 pts)
    2. Swallow (10 pts)
    3. Red tanzaku (5 pts)
    4. Lightning (1 pt)
  • Pheonix Plain Plain Plain

    december - paulownia

    1. Pheonix (20 pts)
    2. Plain (1 pt)
    3. Plain (1 pt)
    4. Plain (1 pt)

game rule

There are several rules for Hanafuda playing cards:
  • Japan: Koi-Koi, Hachi-Hachi
  • Korea: Go-Stop
  • Hawaï: Sakura

  • Koi-Koi

    Koi-Koi
    Prerequisite:
    One deck of 48 Hanafuda cards
    Number of players:
    2
    Number of round:
    6 or 12
    Aim of the game:
    Score the most points at the end of 6 or 12 rounds by recovering the cards on the table. To get a card, you need to match a card from the player's hand with a card from the table from the same month. The points are obtained by forming captured hands - yaku - with the cards that the player had recovered.
    How to determine the dealer:
    Each player draws a card and whoever is closest to the first month starts the game. If two players have a card from the same month, one with a greater point value become the dealer. This player will distribute the cards.
    Distribution:
    The dealer distributes 2 by 2, 8 cards per player and 8 cards on the table, the rest of the cards form the stock cards. On the table, if there are 4 cards from the same month, the dealer will distributes again; then, in the hand of each player, if a hand has 4 cards from the same month or 4 pairs of different months, the player gets 6 points and the round is over.
    Play:
    Players take turns to get the cards on the table and form a yaku to score points.

    First step, the first player must match a pair with the same month with a card from his hand and a card on table. If on the table, there are three cards of the same month, the player gathers the four cards. But if he doesn't find a matching card, he must discard one card from his hand on the table.

    Second step, he draws a card from the stock cards and try to match a pair in the same way as before.

    Last step, the player recovers one or two matching pairs of cards, he places beside him. He checks whether he can form a yaku with the won cards. If no yaku is possible, his turn ends. If a yaku is formed, the player can announce if he stops the round and score points ("Shôbu") or continues ("Koi"). By continuing, he may form a new yaku to increase his score at the end of the round.

    If each players has exhausted its 8 cards and none can form a yaku, the round ends with 0 points for each player, we go for the next round.
    Rule of multiplication of points:
    At the end of a round, players will check whether:
    • If a player scores more than 7 points, his score is doubled.
    • If a player scores points and his opponent had announced Koi, his score is doubled.
    • If a player scores more than 7 points and his opponent had announced Koi, his score is quadrupled.
    End of the game:
    After the 6 or 12 rounds, the scores marked in each round are added, the player with the highest score wins.
    Yaku :
    • Plain Plain Plain Plain Plain
      Plain Plain Plain Plain Plain

      Kasu, 1 pt +1

      • It's worth 1 point
      • Consisting of 10 cards of 1 point or Plain
      • Add 1 pt for each additional Plain card
    • Red poem tanzaku Red tanzaku Red tanzaku Blue tanzaku Red tanzaku

      Tan, 1 pt +1

      • It's worth 1 point
      • Consisting of 5 tanzaku
      • Add 1 pt for each additional tanzaku card
    • Red poem tanzaku Red poem tanzaku Red poem tanzaku

      Akatan, 5 pts +1

      • It's worth 5 points
      • Consisting of 3 Red tanzakus poème
      • Add 1 pt for each additional tanzaku card
    • Blue tanzaku Blue tanzaku Blue tanzaku

      Aotan, 5 pts +1

      • It's worth 5 points
      • Consisting of 3 Blue tanzaku
      • Add 1 pt for each additional tanzaku card
    • Red poem tanzaku Red poem tanzaku Red poem tanzaku Blue tanzaku Blue tanzaku Blue tanzaku

      Akatan Aotan no Chōfuku, 10 pts +1

      • It's worth 10 points
      • Consisting of 3 Red tanzakus poème et 3 Blue tanzaku
      • Add 1 pt for each additional tanzaku card
    • Nightingale Cuckoo Bridge Boar Deer

      Tane, 1 pt +1

      • It's worth 1 point
      • Consisting of 5 cards of 10 points or tane
      • Add 1 pt for each additional tane card
    • Boar Deer Butterflies

      Inoshikachō, 5 pts +1

      • It's worth 5 points
      • Consisting of Boar, Deer and Butterflies cards
      • Add 1 pt for each additional tane card
    • Moon Sake cup

      Tsukimi de ippai, 5 pts

      • It's worth 5 points
      • Consisting of Moon and Sake cup cards
      •  
    • Curtain Sake cup

      Hanami de ippai, 5 pts

      • It's worth 5 points
      • Consisting of Curtain and Sake cup cards
      •  
    • Pine Curtain Moon

      Sankō, 5 pts

      • It's worth 5 points
      • Consisting of 3 cards of 20 points or Light
      •  
    • Pine Curtain Moon Rain

      Ame Shikō, 7 pts

      • It's worth 7 points
      • Consisting of 4 cards of 20 points or Light with Rain card
      •  
    • Pine Curtain Moon Pheonix

      Shikō, 8 pts

      • It's worth 8 points
      • Consisting of 4 cards of 20 points or Light without Rain card
      •  
    • Pine Curtain Moon Rain Pheonix

      Gokō, 10 pts

      • It's worth 10 points
      • Consisting of 5 cards of 20 points or Light
      •  

glossary

Akatan
赤短(あかたん) — red tanzaku
Ame Shikō
雨四光(あめしこう) — rain four light
Aotan
青短(あおたん) — blue tanzaku
Akatan-Aotan no Chōfuku
赤短(あかたん) ・ 青短(あおたん) の 重複(じゅうふ) — combination of red tanzaku and blue tanzaku
Gokō
五光(ごこう) — five light
Hanami de ippai
花見(はなみ)で一杯(いっぱい) — flowers viewing
Inoshikachō
猪鹿蝶(いのしかちょう)v this term is a combination of the following animals name: inoshishi for boar, shika for deer et chō for butterflies.
Sankō
三光(さんこう) — three Lights
Shikō
四光(しこう) — four light
Tanzaku
短冊(たんざく) — a tanzaku is a small vertical card used to write poems, it is also used to write a wish that hangs on a tree during certain occasions, including the Tanabata festival.
Tsukimi de ippai
月見(つきみ)で一杯(いっぱい) — Moon viewing