Hanafuda

Hanafuda is a traditional Japanese card game played with a 48-card deck known as hanafuda, literally meaning flower cards. The deck is organized into 12 suits that represent the months of the year, and each suit contains four cards with floral or seasonal imagery. The artwork emphasizes seasonal motifs such as flowers, birds, and natural scenes.

Cards are grouped by their typical scoring value into several classes, including bright, animal, ribbon, and ordinary cards. The exact number of cards in each class varies by edition, but the categories determine scoring during play, with some hands requiring combinations of different card types.

The most widely played game with hanafuda cards is Koi-Koi, a two-player betting game. Players take turns drawing and trying to capture matching cards from a central layout. Captured cards go into a personal pile, and players assemble scoring hands by collecting patterns that mix the card classes. When a player forms a scoring hand, they may declare Koi-Koi and continue to try to improve the hand for extra points, risking that the opponent may end the hand first.

History and cultural context: Hanafuda originated in Japan in the 19th century, derived from earlier card games featuring floral imagery. The modern 48-card deck was standardized and marketed by Nintendo in the late 19th century as a legal, domestic alternative to foreign playing cards. Over time, hanafuda cards became a popular pastime in Japan and around the world, with many variants and manufacturers.