View source for Hanafuda

{{Short description|Japanese playing cards}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
[[File:Hanafuda Koi-Koi Setup 1.jpg|alt=A typical setup of hanafuda for the game of Koi-Koi, on top a red zabuton with a peony pattern.|thumb|A typical setup with {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} for playing ''Koi-Koi''|296x296px]]

{{Transliteration|ja|'''Hanafuda'''}} ({{langx|ja|[[wiktionary:花札|花札]]||flower cards}}<ref>{{cite web|last1=McLeod|first1=John|title=Games played with Flower Cards|url=https://www.pagat.com/class/flower.html|access-date=20 December 2017|website=[[pagat.com]]|archive-date=August 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806015642/https://www.pagat.com/class/flower.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Pakarnian, John, "Game Boy: Glossary of Japanese Gambling Games", ''[[Metropolis (free magazine)|Metropolis]]'', January 22, 2010, p. 15.</ref>) are a type of [[Japan]]ese [[playing card]]s. They are typically smaller than Western [[playing card]]s, only {{Convert|5.4|by|3.2|cm|in}}, but thicker and stiffer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hanafuda {{!}} cards|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/hanafuda|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=September 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906025515/https://www.britannica.com/topic/hanafuda|url-status=live}}</ref> On the face of each card is a depiction of plants, {{Nihongo|2=短冊|3=tanzaku}}, animals, birds, or man-made objects.<ref>{{Cite web|title=映画「ちはやふる」の隠れた聖地！京都・大石天狗堂|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/article/439568/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=ORICON NEWS|date=April 13, 2018|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006075924/https://www.oricon.co.jp/article/439568/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Sloperama Hanafuda/Go-Stop Zone|url=https://www.sloperama.com/hanafuda/koikoi.htm|access-date=2021-02-23|website=www.sloperama.com|archive-date=April 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401222740/https://www.sloperama.com/hanafuda/koikoi.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> One single card depicts a human. The back side is usually plain, without a pattern or design of any kind, and traditionally colored either red or black. {{Transliteration|ja|Hanafuda}} are used to play a variety of games including {{Transliteration|ja|[[Koi-Koi]]}} and {{Transliteration|ja|Hachi-Hachi}}.

== Outside Japan ==
In Korea, {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} are known as {{Transliteration|ko|hwatu}} ({{langx|ko-Hang|화투}}, <small>[[Hanja]]:</small> {{langx|ko-Hani|花鬪||flower battle|label=none}}) and made of plastic with a textured back side.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-06-17|title=[한국이 모르는 일본] [4] 화투의 탄생|url=https://news.zum.com/articles/31306026|access-date=2021-02-23|website=news.zum.com|language=ko|archive-date=August 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809102325/https://news.zum.com/articles/31306026|url-status=live}}</ref> The most popular game is ''[[Go-Stop|Go-stop]]'' ({{langx|ko|고스톱|link=no}}), commonly played during special holidays such as [[Korean New Year|Lunar New Year]] and {{Transliteration|ko|[[Chuseok]]}} ({{langx|ko|추석|link=no}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsR3BgAAQBAJ&dq=Go-Stop+popular+korea&pg=PA103 |title=Encyclopedia of Korean Seasonal Customs: Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture Vol. 1 |date=2014-10-30 |publisher=The National Folk Museum of Korea (South Korea) 길잡이미디어 |isbn=978-89-92128-92-6 |pages=103 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-09-17|title=⑧추석에 빠질 수 없는 '국민놀이' 화투의 비밀|url=http://www.ilyosisa.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=43140|access-date=2021-02-23|website=일요시사|language=ko|archive-date=January 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115182259/http://www.ilyosisa.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=43140|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Hawaii, {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} is used to play [[Sakura (card game)|Sakura]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2012-02-05|title=Hanafuda - Hawaii style|url=https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2012/02/05/features/hanafuda-hawaii-style/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=West Hawaii Today|language=en-US|archive-date=August 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809102322/https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2012/02/05/features/hanafuda-hawaii-style/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{Transliteration|ja|Hanafuda}} is also played in [[Micronesia]], where it is known as {{Transliteration|pau|hanahuda}} and is used to play a four-person game, which is often played in partnerships.<ref name="Hanahuda">{{cite web|last1=Iramk|first1=Charlene|title=Hanahuda|url=http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~johnbent/hanahuda/|access-date=17 September 2020|website=Hanahuda|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716100511/http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~johnbent/hanahuda/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==

{{Main|Karuta}}
Playing cards were introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the mid-16th century. The [[Portuguese-suited playing cards|Portuguese deck]] consisted of 48 cards, with four suits divided into 12 ranks. The first Japanese-made decks made during the [[Tenshō (Momoyama period)|Tenshō period]] (1573–1592) mimicked Portuguese decks and are referred to as ''Tenshō Karuta''. The main game was a [[trick-taking game]] intermediate in evolution between [[Triomphe#Spanish rules|Triunfo]] and [[Ombre]].<ref>Depaulis, Thierry (2009). "Playing the Game: Iberian Triumphs Worldwide". ''[[The Playing-Card]]''. Vol 38-2, p. 134-137.</ref> After Japan closed off all contact with the Western world in 1633, foreign playing cards were banned.<ref>Harris, Blake J., [[Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation]], It Books, 2014-May-13. {{ISBN|978-0062276698}}. "Chapter 5"</ref>

[[Image:Hana Karuta by Tosa Mitsunari - 12.jpg|thumb|296x296px|''Hana awase'' cards from c. 1700, by painter Tosa Mitsunari (1646–1710). A predecessor of hanafuda. This card set contained 100 suits of 4 cards each.]]

In 1648, {{Transliteration|ja|Tenshō Karuta}} were banned by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mann |first1=Sylvia |last2=Wayland |first2=Virginia |title=The Dragons of Portugal |date=1973 |publisher=Sanford |location=Farnham |page=46}}</ref> During prohibition, gambling with cards remained highly popular which led to disguised card designs. Each time gambling with a card deck of a particular design became too popular, the government banned it, which then prompted the creation of a new design. This cat-and-mouse game between the government and rebellious gamblers resulted in the creation of increasingly abstract and minimalist regional patterns (地方札). These designs were initially called ''Yomi Karuta'' after the popular [[Poch]]-like game of ''Yomi'' which was known by the 1680s.<ref name="Kakkuri">Kuromiya Kimihiko. (2005). "Kakkuri: The Last Yomi Game of Japan". ''[[The Playing-Card]]'', Vol 33-4. p. 232-235.</ref>

Through the [[Meiwa]], [[An'ei]], and [[Tenmei]] eras (roughly 1764–1789), a game called ''Mekuri'' took the place of ''Yomi''. It became so popular that ''Yomi Karuta'' was renamed ''Mekuri Karuta''.<ref name="Kakkuri" /> Mechanically, ''Mekuri'' is similar to Chinese fishing games.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=McLeod|first1=John|last2=Dummett|first2=Michael|title=Hachi-Hachi|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|date=1975|volume=3|issue=4|pages=26–39}}</ref> Cards became so commonly used for gambling that they were banned in 1791, during the [[Kansei]] era. On the other hand, [[Uta-garuta]] such as [[Hyakunin Isshu]] were officially permitted as being educationally beneficial. So as a loophole to the ban, early hanafuda were made to have old poems on some of the cards, disguising them as Uta-garuta. Remnants of this can be seen via the tanzaku-ranked cards.

The earliest known reference to {{Transliteration|ja|hana awase}} (a previous version of {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}}) is from 1816 when it was recorded as a banned gambling tool. The earliest decks contained between 12, 20, and even 32 suits, each with one high value card, one tanzaku card, and two low-value cards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=江戸時代～昭和時代 伝統の花札一覧 - 日本かるた文化館 |url=https://japanplayingcardmuseum.com/edo-showa-dentou-hanafuda/ |access-date=2023-10-13 |language=ja}}</ref>

As {{Transliteration|ja|hana awase}} modernized into {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}}, it standardized at 12 months (suits) with four rank-like categories. The majority of {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} games are descended from ''Mekuri'' although ''Yomi'' adaptations for the flower cards survived until the 20th century.<ref name="Kakkuri" /> Though they can still be used for gambling, its structure and design is less convenient than other decks such as [[Kabufuda]]. In the [[Meiji period]], playing cards became tolerated by the authorities.
[[File:Nintendo 1889.jpg|alt=Marufuku Nintendo Card Company building in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto.|thumb|Marufuku Nintendo Card Company building in [[Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto]]|296x296px]]
In 1889, [[Fusajiro Yamauchi]] founded [[Nintendo]] for the purposes of producing and selling hand-crafted {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/nintendo-japan-hanafuda-cards-beauty-gambling-tradition-1848724872|title=The Traditional Beauty Of Nintendo's Playing Cards|last=Ashcraft|first=Brian|date=March 30, 2022|website=Kotaku|accessdate=March 30, 2022}}</ref> Nintendo has focused on [[video game]]s since the 1970s but continues to produce cards in Japan, including themed sets based on [[Mario]], [[Pokémon]], and [[Kirby (character)|Kirby]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-10-21|title=Nintendo To Release Mario-Themed Japanese Playing Cards|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/10/this-november-nintendo-is-releasing-mario-hanafuda-cards-in-japan/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Kotaku Australia|language=en-AU|archive-date=February 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208112254/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/10/this-november-nintendo-is-releasing-mario-hanafuda-cards-in-japan/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Koi-koi! Nintendo's Pokemon hanafuda cards hitting Japan|url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/koi-koi-nintendo-s-pokemon-hanafuda-cards-hitting-japan-264141.phtml|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Destructoid|date=October 24, 2013 |language=english}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=「星のカービィ」が花札に オリジナル役も収録|url=https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/nl/articles/1912/20/news043.html|access-date=2021-02-23|website=ねとらぼ|date=December 20, 2019 |language=ja|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225200543/https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/nl/articles/1912/20/news043.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Koi-Koi (card game)|Koi-Koi]]'' game played with {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} is included in Nintendo's own ''[[Clubhouse Games]]'' (2006) for the [[Nintendo DS]], and ''[[Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics]]'' (2020) for the [[Nintendo Switch]].<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Lane|first1=Gavin|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/05/nintendo_shares_a_handy_infographic_featuring_all_51_worldwide_classic_clubhouse_games|title=Nintendo Shares A Handy Infographic Featuring All 51 Worldwide Classic Clubhouse Games|website=Nintendo Life|date=May 25, 2020|access-date=2020-07-21|archive-date=May 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526085417/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/05/nintendo_shares_a_handy_infographic_featuring_all_51_worldwide_classic_clubhouse_games|url-status=live}}</ref>

Though modern Japanese hanafuda is primarily made today by either of the long-standing [[Oishi Tengudo]] (1800) or Nintendo (1889), dozens of others have manufactured hanafuda, such as Angel, [[:ja:田村将軍堂|Tamura Shogundo]], [[:ja:松井天狗堂|Matsui Tengudo]], Ace, Maruē, and many more.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1969 |title=Japanese Hanafuda Brands |url=https://games.porg.es/articles/cards/japan/hanafuda/traditional-manufacturers/ |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=Ways To Play |language=en}}</ref>

[[Image:CaryJap2JackofSpades.jpg|thumb|upright|Playing card (fused Jack of Spades and November Hikari) from the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University]]

Hanafuda were likely introduced to Korea during the late 1890s<ref name="Kim">{{cite book|last1=Kim|first1=Kwang-ŏn.|url=https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=2271784&cid=51273&categoryId=51273|title=Tong Asia ŭi nori|date=2004|publisher=Minsogwŏn|isbn=89-5638-121-6|location=Seoul|access-date=17 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="Fairbairn">{{cite journal|last1=Fairbairn|first1=John|date=1991|title=Modern Korean cards - a Japanese perspective|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|volume=20|issue=2|pages=68–72}}</ref> and to Hawaii in the early 1900s.<ref name=":1" /> Since then, companies and individuals in Korea and Hawaii have produced their own hanafuda, sometimes adapting the original Japanese imagery to fit either culture. Also made for western audiences are decks which fuse hanafuda with Toranpu (トランプ, "Trumps" a.k.a. the [[standard 52-card deck]]). These decks have indices on all their cards, and introduce a 13th suit which varies considerably by manufacturer (jokers, flowers, objects from Japanese imagery, left blank or used as a "snow" suit, left as [[King (playing card)|western Kings]], etc.).

==Cards==
There are 48 cards total, divided into twelve suits, representing months of the year. Each suit is designated by a flower and has four cards.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hanafuda: Japanese "Flower Cards" Designed to Circumvent Ban on Western Decks|url=https://99percentinvisible.org/article/flower-cards-japanese-hanafuda-designed-to-circumvent-ban-on-western-decks/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=99% Invisible|date=November 2, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225081845/https://99percentinvisible.org/article/flower-cards-japanese-hanafuda-designed-to-circumvent-ban-on-western-decks/|url-status=live}}</ref> An extra blank card may be included to serve as a replacement. In Korean ''hwatu'' decks, several joker cards (조커패) award various bonuses.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sloper|first1=Tom|title=Go-Stop|url=https://www.sloperama.com/gostop/cards.html|access-date=20 December 2017|website=www.sloperama.com|archive-date=October 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003115810/https://www.sloperama.com/gostop/cards.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The standard categorizations and point values for each card are as follows. Note that some games change the point values or categorizations of the cards. For example, in the game {{ill|Hachi-Hachi|ja|八八}}, all of the November cards count as ''kasu'', and in the game [[Sakura (card game)|Sakura]], the values of the cards are different.

<div style="overflow-y: auto;clear:right;">
{| class="wikitable"
|+Composition of a {{transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} deck
! Month/suit<br />Flower
! colspan="2" | {{transliteration|ja|Hikari}}<br />(20 points)
! colspan="2" | {{transliteration|ja|Tane}}<br />(10 points)
! colspan="2" | {{transliteration|ja|Tanzaku}}<br />(5 points)
! colspan="3" | {{transliteration|ja|Kasu}}<br />(1 point)
|-
! January<br />[[Pine]]
| {{hanafuda|1|20}}
|[[Crane (bird)|Crane]] and [[Sun]]
| colspan="2" |
| | {{hanafuda|1|5}}
|Poetry [[wiktionary:短冊|tanzaku]]
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|1|1}}{{hanafuda|1|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
! February<br />[[Prunus mume|Plum blossom]]
| colspan="2" |
| | {{hanafuda|2|10}}
|[[Japanese bush warbler|Bush warbler]]{{efn|In the mid-Edo period, only the bush warbler card had red plum blossoms, while the rest had whitish flowers. Hanafuda from the mid-Edo period had a fairly dull color for the eyes (darker than the leaves of Iris or Paulowinia) and were closer to the color of an actual bush warbler, while modern designs more closely resemble a [[warbling white-eye]] though the eyes are red.<ref name="TakashiEbashi">{{cite book|author=江橋崇 |title=花札 |publisher=法政大学出版局 |year=2014 |series=ものと人間の文化史 |isbn=9784588216718 |url=https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I025479159 |ref={{harvid|江橋崇|2014}}}}</ref>}}
| | {{hanafuda|2|5}}
|Poetry tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|2|1}}{{hanafuda|2|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!March<br />[[Cherry blossom]]
| {{hanafuda|3|20}}
|[[Curtain]]
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|3|5}}
|Poetry tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|3|1}}{{hanafuda|3|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!April<br />[[Wisteria]]
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|4|10}}
|[[Cuckoo]]{{efn|Hanafuda from the mid-Edo period had no background, only the wisteria and the cuckoo. The color of the flowers were quite pale. Later in the Meiji period, the flowers became darker and red clouds began to appear. Around the 1880s, the current "red crescent moon" began to appear.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| {{hanafuda|4|5}}
|Plain tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|4|1}}{{hanafuda|4|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!May<br />[[Iris laevigata|Water iris]]
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|5|10}}
|[[Eight Bridges|Eight-plank bridge]]
| {{hanafuda|5|5}}
|Plain tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|5|1}}{{hanafuda|5|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!June<br />[[Peony]]{{efn|In the mid-Edo period, the score cards had a white peony design, while the Kasu had a red peony design or two red and white cards.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|6|10}}
|[[Butterfly|Butterflies]]
| {{hanafuda|6|5}}
|Blue tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|6|1}}{{hanafuda|6|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!July<br />[[Lespedeza|Bush clover]]{{efn|In the mid-Edo period, the color of the flowers were quite pale, but in later periods, the color became darker.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|7|10}}
|[[Wild boar|Boar]]
| {{hanafuda|7|5}}
|Plain tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|7|1}}{{hanafuda|7|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!August<br />[[Miscanthus sinensis|Susuki grass]]{{efn|Sometimes 芒 ''susuki'' is translated as [[Cortaderia selloana|pampas (grass)]].}}
| {{hanafuda|8|20}}
|[[Full moon]]{{efn|The "bright red night sky" is said to have changed from plain or light blue in the early period, to yellow or light pink in the late Edo period, to bright red in the Meiji period. Also, during the era of woodblock printing, the moon was hidden at the bottom or left edge (sometimes a crescent moon). White was the color of the unprinted parts, so it was difficult to paint around it and leave it alone while using woodblocks.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| {{hanafuda|8|10}}
|[[Goose|Geese]]{{efn|Throughout the Edo period to today, the three geese are depicted flying in the shape of the letter く, but around the 1880s, they were flying in a parallel line like 三 and filled the entire sky. For this reason, geese were considered large birds and formed a yaku with the Crane and Phoenix in some games.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| colspan="2" |
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|8|1}}{{hanafuda|8|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!September<br />[[Chrysanthemum]]{{efn|In the mid-Edo period, one of the kasu had a red chrysanthemum while the rest were white chrysanthemums. From the late Edo period onwards, cards with yellow-red flowers began to appear.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|9|10}}
|[[Sake set|Sake cup]]
| {{hanafuda|9|5}}
|Blue tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|9|1}}{{hanafuda|9|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!October<br />[[Maple]]
| colspan="2" |
| {{hanafuda|10|10}}
|[[Deer]]
|  {{hanafuda|10|5}}
|Blue tanzaku
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|10|1}}{{hanafuda|10|1b}}}}
|2 cards
|-
!November{{efn|name=KoreanSwap|In the Korean {{transliteration|ko|hwatu}} version, the November and December suits are swapped.}}<br />[[Willow]]
| {{hanafuda|11|20}}
|{{ubl|[[Ono no Michikaze]]|or Rain Man||or figure with umbrella{{efn|Originally, the figure with umbrella was a [[yōkai]] ([[amefurikozō]]), whom people from the Edo period recognized as the highwayman [[Sadakurō]] from the play ''[[Kanadehon Chūshingura]]''.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" /> In 1886, the publisher {{nihongo|Maeda Kihei|前田喜兵衛}} negotiated with manufacturers in Kyoto and Osaka to change the design from Sadakurō to the [[Japanese calligraphy|calligrapher]] Ono no Michikaze to improve the image.}}}}
| {{hanafuda|11|10}}
|[[Swallow]]{{efn|Today, the swallows are brightly colored yellow and red, but in the mid-Edo period, they were normal swallow colors (black with a red throat).<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
| {{hanafuda|11|5}}
|Plain tanzaku
|{{hanafuda|11|1}} 
|[[Lightning]]{{efn|This card's design is significantly different from the other rain cards, but from the Edo to early Meiji periods, it was like other kasu with only a willow tree drawn on it. In the early 1880s, it began being painted solid red, and in the late 1880s, the picture was changed from a sunny willow tree to the lightning drum in the rain.<ref name="TakashiEbashi" />}}
|1 card
|-
!December{{efn|name=KoreanSwap}}<br />[[Paulownia tomentosa|Paulownia]]
| {{hanafuda|12|20}}
|[[Fenghuang|Chinese phoenix]]
| colspan="4" |
| colspan=2|{{center|{{hanafuda|12|1a}}{{hanafuda|12|1b}}{{hanafuda|12|1c}}}}
|3 cards
|}
</div>

=== Text significance ===
A few cards in hanafuda contain [[Japanese language|Japanese]] text. In addition to the examples below, the December {{lang|ja|kasu}} cards typically display the manufacturer's name and marks, similar to the [[Ace of spades]] in western [[Standard 52-card deck|playing cards]].

{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" style="width: 80px;" | Cards
!Description
|-
|{{hanafuda|1|5}}{{hanafuda|2|5}}
|{{nihongo||あかよろし|akayoroshi}} with the [[hentaigana]] character {{hentaigana|[[wikt:𛀙|𛀙]]}} for [[Ka (kana)|''ka'']]. It is an old Japanese phrase that means "truly wonderful," related to the phrase {{nihongo||明らかに宜しい|akiraka ni yoroshii|"obviously good"}} in modern standard Japanese.<ref>{{cite web |date=2013-08-13 |title=花札の謎シリーズ！ 赤短『あかよろし？』 |url=https://www.tengudo.jp/blog/karuta-news/323.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520185214/https://www.tengudo.jp/blog/karuta-news/323.html |archivedate=2019-05-20 |website=tengudo.jp |publisher=京都大石天狗堂 |access-date=2025-09-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=変体がな |url=https://www.ytv.co.jp/nihongo/review/index03.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803002711/http://www.ytv.co.jp/nihongo/review/index03.html |archivedate=2010-08-03 |website=日本人の知らない日本語 |publisher=Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation |access-date=2025-09-03}}</ref>
|-
|{{hanafuda|3|5}}
|{{nihongo||みよしの|mi-Yoshino|"beautiful Yoshino"}} refers to [[Yoshino, Nara]], known for its [[Prunus × yedoensis|Somei-Yoshino]] hybrid [[Prunus serrulata|cherry trees]]
|-
|{{hanafuda|9|10}}
|{{nihongo||寿|kotobuki|"long life"}}
|}

[[Edo-period]] hanafuda frequently had poems on them in order to disguise themselves as ''[[uta-garuta]]'' (poem playing cards) with illustrations. This tradition continued on some cards produced after the ban on playing cards was lifted, but it is now rare. Cards that have lines of poetry on them are usually the less ornate ''kasu'' cards.

Cards made early after the end of the ban often had the name of the corresponding month on the tanzaku cards, and sometimes numbers on all the cards. This made it easier for new players to play games that require knowing what suit is associated with what number, such as [[#Games|Yomi-derived games]] and [[kabufuda]] games.

==== Korean ====
In Korean ''hwatu'' decks, the writing on the tanzaku cards is replaced with Korean text naming the type of card it is. Similar text is usually present on the blue tanzaku cards as well. In addition to the examples below, the manufacturer's name and marks are often prominently present on the various joker cards, and the manufacturer's logo is typically featured on the full moon card.

{| class="wikitable"
!Cards
!Description
|-
|{{hwatu|1|5}}{{hwatu|2|5}}{{hwatu|3|5}}
|''hongdan'' ({{Korean|hangul=홍단|hanja=紅短|labels=no}}), a [[calque]] of Japanese {{nihongo||赤短|akatan}}, short for {{nihongo||赤短冊|aka-tanzaku|"red [[tanzaku]]"}}
|-
|{{hwatu|6|5}}{{hwatu|9|5}}{{hwatu|10|5}}
|''cheongdan'' ({{Korean|hangul=청단|hanja=靑短|labels=no}}), a calque of Japanese {{nihongo||青短|aotan}}, short for {{nihongo||青短冊|ao-tanzaku|"blue tanzaku"}}
|-
|{{hwatu|9|10}}
|''su'' (cursive form of 壽 or 寿; "long life")
|}

==Games==
{{Div col}}
Mekuri-derived games:
*{{ill|Hana-Awase|ja|花合わせ}}
**{{ill|Minhwatu|ko|민화투}}
**[[Koi-Koi]]
***[[Sakura (card game)|Sakura]]
***[[Go-Stop]]
**{{ill|Roppyakken|ja|六百間}}
**Mushi
*Hachi
*{{ill|Hachi-Hachi|ja|八八}}
**Sudaoshi
*Tensho

Yomi-derived games:
*{{ill|Poka (game)|ja|ポカ}}
*{{ill|Hiyoko|ja|ひよこ (花札)}}
*Isuri

[[Tujeon#Games|Gabo Japgi]]/[[Kabufuda]]-derived games:
*{{ill|Seotda|ko|섰다}}
*{{ill|Doryjytgo-ttang|ko|섰다#도리짓고땡}}
{{Div col end}}

==Unicode==
In [[Unicode]], a symbol to represent {{Transliteration|ja|hanafuda}} is available at {{unichar|1F3B4|ulink=}} in the [[Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs]] block.<ref>{{cite web | title=🎴 U+1F3B4 FLOWER PLAYING CARDS - Unicode Explorer | url=https://unicode-explorer.com/c/1F3B4 }}</ref>  This character is typically rendered as the Full Moon with Red Sky card.<ref name="emojipedia">{{cite web |title=🎴 Flower Playing Cards Emoji |url=https://emojipedia.org/flower-playing-cards |website=Emojipedia}}</ref> It was added as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 for compatibility with a [[KDDI]] emoji character,<ref name="utcL210132">{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2010/10132-emojidata.pdf |id=UTC L2/10-132 |title=Emoji Symbols: Background Data—Background data for Proposal for Encoding Emoji Symbols |first1=Markus |last1=Scherer |first2=Mark |last2=Davis |first3=Kat |last3=Momoi |first4=Darick |last4=Tong |first5=Yasuo |last5=Kida |first6=Peter |last6=Edberg}}</ref> and was added to [[Unicode Emoji]] 1.0 in 2015.<ref name=emojipedia/>

==In popular culture==
Nintendo's ''[[Clubhouse Games]]'' and ''[[Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics]]'' feature hanafuda and ''Koi-Koi''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Provo |first=Frank |date=2006-10-13 |title=Clubhouse Games Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/clubhouse-games-review/1900-6159848/ |access-date=2020-09-23 |website=Gamespot |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Vincent |first=Brittany |date=2020-07-10 |title=Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics offers a perfectly punchy set of minigames |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/cnn-underscored/clubhouse-games-51-review-nintendo-switch/index.html |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=CNN Underscored |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' includes hanafuda-themed gliders. Other video games which feature ''Koi-Koi'' include the ''[[Yakuza (series)|Yakuza]]'' series and ''[[Sakura Wars]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowen |first=Thomas |date=2020-11-09 |title=Every Mini Game In Yakuza: Like A Dragon |url=https://gamerant.com/yakuza-like-a-dragon-mini-games/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Flores |first=Sky |date=2020-07-22 |title=How to Unlock Koi-Koi Wars Characters in Sakura Wars |url=https://screenrant.com/unlock-koi-wars-characters-sakura-wars/ |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> Hanafuda and sets of yaku are featured in fighting game series ''[[Samurai Shodown]]''.

In the 2009 [[anime]] film ''[[Summer Wars]]'', characters play ''Koi-Koi'', a popular hanafuda game. In ''[[Naruto]]'', three characters (Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji) form a group known as "Ino-Shika-Cho", a card combination found in several hanafuda games. In an anime-only episode of ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', there is a boar-deer-butterfly hybrid creature called the InoShikaCho. In ''[[Demon Slayer]]'', the main character Tanjiro Kamado has a pair of earrings that resemble the sun hikari.

In the popular trading card game ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', there is an archetype known as "Flower Cardian” with hanafuda motifs for various cards.

==See also==
* [[:Category:Films about hanafuda]]
* [[:Category:Hanafuda manufacturers]]
* ''[[Kabufuda]]''
* ''[[Karuta]]''
* ''[[Uta-garuta]]''

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Hanafuda}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline}}
*{{bgg|5451}}
*[http://www.sloperama.com/hanafuda/ Hanafuda rules]
*[https://steve-p.org/cards/Hana.html Commentary on Hanafuda cards, including Korean variants]

{{Playing cards}}
{{Playing card packs by geography}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hanafuda card games|*]]
[[Category:19th-century card games]]
[[Category:Culture of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Japanese card games]]
[[Category:Japanese games]]
[[Category:Korean card games]]
[[Category:Korean games]]
[[Category:Culture of Micronesia]]
[[Category:Playing card decks]]