Hanafuda is the essence of the Land of Cherry Blossoms magically enchanted in playing cards, used by members of the Yakuza, samurais and elegant geishas. The traditional Japanese deck allows to play many exotic games. The instructions for three of them can be found in the booklet.
Hanafuda are traditional Japanese playing cards, inspired by a deck brought to the Country of Cherry Blossoms by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century. The name itself – Hanafuda – is a pun, which may be understood as “flower cards” or “nose cards”. The etymology of the name refers to the procedure of obtaining illegal products: in the past, when the playing cards were disallowed by the Japanese government, one could go into the store selling cards “from under the counter” and touch their nose in order to ask for the forbidden product. The same story also explains the theme of Tengu goblins, often presented on these cards – in Japanese culture they are characterised by their long noses.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Hanafuda started enjoying greater popularity, which can be attributed primarily to the Japanese mafia – Yakuza – whose members tattooed the images from the cards on their bodies and used the cards themselves for gambling.
The drawings on Hanafuda cards are a treasure trove of knowledge about the Japanese culture. Every graphic element has a truly impressive symbolism – plants, animals, hands, and even details such as the parchments and poems are all significant.
Hanafuda consists of 48 cards divided equally into 12 months of a calendar year. Hanafuda does not denote any particular game, it is a deck allowing its users to play many Japanese and European games.