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Karuta
かるた
Late Meiji period (c. 1890) advertisement by Nintendo
Origin
Named variant
Related games
Competitive karuta

Karuta (かるた; from Portuguese: carta 'card')[1] are Japanese playing cards. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders during the mid-16th century. The earliest indigenous karuta were made in the town of Miike in Chikugo Province at around the end of the 16th century. The Miike karuta Memorial Hall located in Ōmuta, Fukuoka, is the only municipal museum in Japan dedicated specifically to the history of karuta.[2][3]

Karuta packs are classified into two groups, those that are descended from Portuguese-suited playing cards and those from e-awase.[4] E-awase originally derived from kai-awase, which was played with shells but were converted to card format during the early 17th century. The basic idea of any e-awase karuta game is to be able to quickly determine which card out of an array of cards is required and then to grab the card before it is grabbed by an opponent. It is often played by children at elementary school and junior high-school level during class, as an educational exercise.

16th century Portuguese playing cards (Nanban karuta)

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Portuguese-suited cards of the same design as those introduced to Japan by Portuguese sailors. Produced in 1567 in Antwerp. Six cards missing.

Portuguese-suited playing cards, introduced to Japan by Portuguese sailors during the 16th century nanban trade, are known in Japanese as nanban karuta (南蛮かるた; lit. "playing cards of southern barbarians").[5] They were used for trick-taking games. They had the four Latin suits of cups, coins, clubs, and swords, each suit having cards for 1 through 9 and three face cards (female knave/maid, knight, and king) for a total of 48 cards per card set. These features were inherited by various Japanese-made derivatives. The Portuguese cards at the time had card backs that were folded around the edges of the cards, a feature that remained standard in most karuta variants from the 17th century to the modern day.

Portuguese-derived karuta

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Tenshō karuta

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Incomplete Tenshō karuta set, made around the Genroku era (1688–1704), woodblock printing with hand-painted colors

The first kind of Japanese-made playing cards were Tenshō karuta [ja], named after the Tenshō period (1573–1592).[6] They were local imitations of the Portuguese playing cards, featuring the same deck structure and often very similar artwork. The first Tenshō karuta were made in the town of Miike, and are also known as Miike karuta (三池カルタ).

In 1633, the Tokugawa shogunate banned Tenshō karuta, forcing Japanese manufacturers to radically redesign their cards. As a result of Japan's isolationist Sakoku policy, karuta would develop separately from the rest of the world.

Mekuri karuta and komatsufuda

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Komatsufuda set

In order to evade the proscription of Portuguese-derived cards, makers turned the cards into very abstract designs known as mekuri karuta (めくりかるた; lit. "flip[a] cards"). By the mid-20th century, all mekuri karuta fell into oblivion with the exception of Komatsufuda (小松札; lit. "small pine cards") which is used to play Kakkuri, a game similar to Poch, found in Yafune, Fukui prefecture.[7]

Unsun karuta

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Unsun karuta set

The Unsun karuta [ja] (うんすんカルタ) deck developed in the late 17th century. It has five suits of 15 ranks each for a total of 75 cards. Six of the ranks were face cards of female knave, knight, king, "Un" (うん), "Sun" (すん), and dragon. The Portuguese deck used to have dragons on their aces; the Unsun karuta made the aces and dragons separate cards. The order of the court cards change depending on whether it is the trump suit or not just like in Ombre. The new Guru suit used circular whirls (mitsudomoe) as pips. Unsun karuta is still used in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, to play hachinin-meri, a game descended from Guritipau, a relative of Ombre.[8] This game preserves some very archaic features such as inverted ranking for the pip cards in the three round suits. Inverted ranking is a feature found in Madiao, Khanhoo, Tổ tôm, Ganjifa, Tarot, Ombre, and Maw and is believed to have originated in the very earliest card games.

Kabufuda

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Main article: Kabufuda
Kabufuda set

Kabufuda (株札) is another derivative of mekuri karuta but all the suits were made identical. It is used for gambling games such as Oicho-Kabu. They come in decks of 40 cards with designs representing the numbers 1 through 10. There are four cards for each number and the 10 (knave) is the only face card.

Iri no kichi

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Iri no kichi set, a variant of kabufuda

Iri no kichi (入の吉) is a local variant of kabufuda where all three face cards from mekurifuda are retained, also featuring a knight and king alongside the knave, for a total of 48 cards. Many decks additionally include an oni joker card. Unlike standard kabufuda cards, modern iri no kichi cards typically remain close to the old face card designs from the Edo period.

Harifuda and Hikifuda

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The gambling game of Tehonbiki [ja] can be played with either a Harifuda (張札) or Hikifuda (引札; lit. Drawn cards[9]) set. Harifuda contains seven copies of cards numbered one to six in stylized Chinese numerals for a total of 42 cards. The 48-card Hikifuda or Mamefuda (豆札; lit. Bean[b] cards[9]) has eight copies of cards with one to six coins, similar to the coins of a mekuri karuta set. In Tehonbiki, the player tries to guess which number from 1 to 6 the dealer has selected.[9][10] Some sets may include indicator cards to raise or hedge bets.

Hanafuda

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January hikari
March tanzaku
September kasu
Main article: Hanafuda

Hanafuda (花札; lit. flower cards, also called Hana karuta) are 48-card decks with flower designs originating from the 18th century. Instead of being divided by 4 suits with 12 cards each, a hanafuda deck is divided by 12 suits (months) with 4 cards each. A deck may additionally include one or more joker cards and/or a blank spare card. Hanafuda games are mostly fishing games.[11]

E-awase karuta

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A group of women playing Uta-garuta in 1900.

Uta-garuta

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Main article: Uta-garuta
Torifuda (left) and yomifuda (right)
Torifuda from an Ita-karuta set
Uta-garuta practice

Uta-garuta (歌ガルタ; lit. "poetry karuta") is a card game in which 100 waka poems are written on two sets of 100 cards: one set is yomifuda (読札; lit. "reading cards"), which have the complete poem taken from the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (小倉百人一首), and the other is torifuda (取り札; lit. "grabbing cards"), which each correspond to a yomifuda and have only the last few lines of the corresponding poem on them. One person is chosen to be the reader. As the reader reads a yomifuda, the players race to find its associated torifuda before anybody else does. This game has traditionally been played on New Year's Day since 1904.[12] Competitive karuta has competitions on various levels with the Japan national championship tournament being held every January at Omi shrine (a Shinto shrine) in Ōtsu, Shiga since 1955.[13]

A few non-matching games exist that use only the yomifuda. Bouzu Mekuri [ja], is a simple game of chance originating from the Meiji period. Iro Kammuri [ja] (Color Crowns) is a 4-player partnership game that is related to Goita.[14][15] In both games, the poems are irrelevant, and the only parts of the cards that matter are the appearance of the poets such as their clothing, sex, or social status.

Ita-karuta

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Ita-karuta (板かるた) is a variation found in Hokkaido. The torifuda are made of wood while the yomifuda remain the same or lack illustrations of the poets.[16][17] They are used to play a competitive partnership game called shimo-no ku karuta [ja] in which the last half of the poem is read.[18]

Iroha karuta

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Iroha karuta (いろはかるた) is an easier-to-understand matching game for children, similar to Uta-garuta but with 96 cards. Instead of poems, the cards represent the 47 syllables of the hiragana syllabary and adds kyō (京; "capital") for the 48th (since the syllable -n ん can never start any word or phrase). It uses the old iroha ordering for the syllables which includes two obsolete syllables, wi (ゐ) and we (ゑ). A typical torifuda features a drawing with a kana at one corner of the card. Its corresponding yomifuda features a proverb connected to the picture with the first syllable being the kana displayed on the torifuda. There are 3 standard Iroha karuta variants: Kamigata, Edo and Owari. Each variant has its own set of proverbs based on the local dialect and culture. The Kamigata or Kyoto version is the oldest but the Edo version is the most widespread, being found all over Japan. The Owari variant existed only during the latter half of the 19th-century before being supplanted by the Edo version.

Obake karuta

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Obake karuta, c. early 19th century. This one is we (ゑ), an obsolete syllable.

Obake karuta is an obsolete variation of Iroha karuta unique to Tokyo. The cards were created in the Edo period and remained popular through the 1910s or 1920s.[19] Each card in the deck features a hiragana syllable and a creature from Japanese mythology; in fact, obake karuta means "ghost cards" or "monster cards."[19] Success requires knowledge of Japanese mythology and folklore as players attempt to collect cards that match clues read by a referee. The player who accumulates the most cards by the end of the game wins.

Obake karuta is an early example of the common Japanese fascination with classifying monsters and creating new ones. The game is one of the earliest attempts by Japanese companies to categorize legendary creatures, label them, define them, and subsequently market them. As such, it is a precursor to the Godzilla films of the 1950s and later. Even more closely, obake karuta resembles the Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokémon Trading Card Game, which also involves collecting cards that represent fabulous creatures. In fact, many Pokémon were designed specifically after creatures from Japanese mythology.[19]

See also

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Notes

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Karuta

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Karuta is a traditional Japanese card game that originated from playing cards introduced by traders in the mid-16th century, with the name derived from the Portuguese word carta meaning "card." It typically involves two decks of cards—one for reading clues aloud and another spread face-up for players to grab the matching card as quickly as possible—emphasizing speed, , and cultural knowledge such as or proverbs. The game's history traces back to the Heian period (794–1185 CE) with precursors like kai-awase (shell-matching games), but it evolved significantly during the (1603–1868) after European influences arrived via port, leading to the development of indigenous styles despite Japan's isolationist policies. Early records of karuta games appear in the late in regions like Miike in Chikugo Province (modern-day Fukuoka), and by the , variants like unsun karuta with 75 cards emerged. Today, karuta is a staple of Japanese New Year's celebrations and education, approved by the Ministry of Education for teaching poetry and language skills, and it has inspired modern media such as the Chihayafuru. Karuta encompasses diverse types, broadly divided into Portuguese-suited games and e-awase (picture-matching) variants. Among the latter, uta-garuta uses 100 yomifuda (reading cards) featuring the first halves of waka poems from the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu anthology and 100 corresponding torifuda (grabbing cards) with the poets' portraits and poem completions, requiring players to memorize associations for competitive play. Iroha-garuta, aimed at children, consists of 48 yomifuda with proverbs based on the iroha syllabary (47 hiragana characters, substituting "n" with "kyō") and 48 torifuda illustrating those proverbs, fostering proverb memorization through regional styles like Edo or Owari variants. Other forms include hanafuda (flower cards for combination-making games like koi-koi) and regional specialties like Jomo karuta in Gunma Prefecture, which honors local history. In standard play, torifuda are laid out in a mat area, a reader recites from yomifuda, and players slap the matching card first, with penalties for errors like touching the wrong card; the player collecting the most cards wins. Competitive kyōgi karuta ( karuta), standardized in 1904, uses the Hyakunin Isshu format with intense one-on-one matches governed by the All Karuta Association, founded in 1957, and features national tournaments attracting thousands. This blend of physical and depth underscores karuta's role in preserving Japanese literary traditions while adapting to contemporary competitive sports.

History

Introduction by Portuguese Traders

The introduction of playing cards to Japan took place in the mid-16th century via traders, initiating a pivotal exchange during the Nanban ("Southern Barbarian") trade era that began with European contact in 1543. The earliest recorded instance ties to 1549, when missionary arrived in , and his ship's crew carried "carta" playing cards as part of their cargo. These imports initially occurred through southern ports like and , with emerging as a central trade hub by 1571, facilitating broader dissemination of Western goods. The carta decks consisted of 48 cards across four suits—copas (cups), ouros (coins), paus (clubs), and espadas (swords)—each suit featuring ranks from (1) through 9 plus three court cards: sota (knave, typically illustrated as a figure), (knight), and rei (king), omitting the 10s found in some European variants. Crafted from stiff paper for resilience during long voyages, these cards supported games like Hombre and reflected the Iberian suit system prevalent in 16th-century . Early Japanese encounters with carta portrayed them as rare luxury imports, coveted by and the elite amid the Sengoku period's fascination with Nanban curiosities, though their high cost and foreign origin limited widespread access initially. This elite appeal underscored the cards' status as symbols of exotic trade, paving the way for subsequent local production during the Tenshō era (1573–1592).

Nanban Karuta and Early Adaptations

Nanban karuta, the earliest Japanese-produced playing cards inspired by imports, emerged in the 1570s as local artisans began replicating the stiff paper cards known as carta brought by Nanban traders. These adaptations retained the structure of four suits—clubs (or batons), swords, cups, and coins—with 48 cards total, including pip cards numbered 2 through 9, an often depicted as a dragon, and face cards (knave, , ). To localize the designs, Japanese creators incorporated familiar motifs, stylizing the suits with abstract or indigenous elements while blending European iconography with indigenous aesthetics and maintaining the cards' exotic appeal. By the late 1590s, during the final years of the Tenshō era (1573–1592), these cards evolved into what became known as Tenshō karuta, named after the imperial reign period. Production shifted to full-color , with designs that closely mimicked Portuguese decks but increasingly omitted overt Christian imagery—such as crosses or saints—amid rising religious tensions following Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 1587 edict expelling missionaries and the growing scrutiny of . Surviving examples from this phase feature simplified court figures with more Japanese facial features and attire, reflecting a deliberate to avoid association with banned foreign influences. This removal aligned with broader anti-Christian policies that intensified under the early Tokugawa regime, ensuring the cards' survival as secular entertainment. Early Nanban and Tenshō karuta found popularity among urban merchants and classes for games, where stakes often involved wagers on card combinations akin to European trick-taking or betting variants. These activities proliferated in port cities like , fostering social interactions across class lines but also drawing official ire due to economic disruptions from and . The , established in 1603, responded with escalating prohibitions; the first major ban on Tenshō karuta came in 1633 as part of isolation policies, targeting their foreign origins and associations, with violators facing fines, , or . Subsequent edicts in 1648 reinforced these measures, compelling producers to innovate disguised variants to evade detection. Artistically, Nanban karuta marked a transition from imported woodblock prototypes—rigid and detail-heavy with European engravings—to indigenous techniques that foreshadowed Edo-period innovations. By the late , designs incorporated bolder contrasts in red and black inks, abstracting pips into calligraphic strokes for faster printing, which aligned with the emerging style's emphasis on dynamic, mass-produced visuals of everyday life and leisure. This evolution not only sustained karuta's viability amid bans but also influenced later genres like mekuri karuta, embedding ukiyo-e's vibrant, narrative flair into card illustrations.

Edo Period Developments and Bans

During the , karuta experienced notable expansion amid Japan's isolationist policy, as local adaptations emerged to circumvent restrictions on foreign imports. Mekuri karuta, characterized by flippable cards with stylized, abstract designs derived from suits, gained traction as a , particularly in urban centers like , allowing players to "turn over" (mekuri) cards during play. Around the same period, komatsufuda appeared as a simplified variant using the four traditional suits (cups, coins, swords, and batons) in a 48-card deck, designed for children's games and educational matching to promote familiarity with numbers and symbols without the complexities of adult variants. The widespread use of karuta for prompted repeated regulatory interventions by the throughout the . In 1633, an edict banned Tenshō karuta decks resembling originals, fining or imprisoning offenders and forcing manufacturers to innovate with disguised motifs to evade detection. Further prohibitions followed, including those under the Reforms of the , which targeted mekuri karuta as a vice contributing to social disorder, leading to underground production and sales despite severe penalties. By the 1840s, the Tenpō Reforms imposed a nationwide crackdown on luxuries and tools, effectively outlawing most karuta variants and resulting in the destruction of decks or their concealment as innocuous items like poetry cards. These measures, while curbing overt play, sustained karuta's appeal through clandestine networks, as players adapted rules and designs to continue enjoyment. Regional variations highlighted karuta's adaptability across , reflecting local cultural influences and game preferences. In western regions, particularly , unsun karuta proliferated from the late era (1688–1704), featuring a 75-card deck with five suits incorporating Chinese-inspired elements such as enthroned officials and deities alongside abstract motifs, often played in multi-player formats that emphasized strategy over pure chance. Conversely, in and surrounding western areas, decks—consisting of 40 identical single-suited cards valued 1 through 10—dominated for the kabu betting game, a numeric comparison akin to , with production centered among local woodblock printers who refined bold, minimalist patterns for durability and discretion. As a staple of , karuta fostered socioeconomic bonds in urban and rural communities, serving as an accessible diversion from agrarian toil or merchant routines without requiring elite status or resources. Artisans in and , operating small workshops, mass-produced these cards using affordable mulberry paper and vegetable dyes, turning a prohibited pastime into a vibrant industry that employed families and distributed decks via itinerant peddlers. This grassroots popularity underscored karuta's role in everyday life, eventually influencing post-ban innovations like to align with stricter moral edicts.

Portuguese-Derived Karuta

Early Forms (Tenshō, Mekuri, and Unsun Karuta)

Tenshō karuta represented the first locally produced Japanese adaptation of Portuguese playing cards, emerging during the Tenshō era from 1573 to 1592. These decks consisted of 48 cards divided into four suits—swords, clubs (or batons), cups, and coins—with 12 ranks per suit: aces depicted as dragons holding suit symbols, numbered pips from 2 to 9, and court cards including a maid (sota), knight or horse (caballo), and king (rey). Designs closely followed Portuguese "dragon cards" but incorporated Japanese elements, such as local attire on court figures, to align with cultural sensitivities and avoid overt Christian iconography. Produced via in regions like Miike in northern , the cards were smaller than their European counterparts, facilitating discreet play. Mekuri karuta developed as an evolution of Tenshō designs in the early , primarily to circumvent shogunal bans on and foreign-influenced cards by introducing reversible formats that concealed suits and ranks when flipped. Standard decks featured 48 cards across the same four suits (swords, clubs, cups, coins), with ranks comprising a dragon ace, numerals 2 through 9, and court cards (maid, horse, king); some variants omitted certain ranks for 40 cards. The reversible construction, achieved through symmetrical or abstract overprints in gold and silver, ensured secrecy during mekuri ("turn-over") games, which had roots in the 1600s but proliferated in the . Woodblock-printed without corner indices, these cards demanded players memorize full-face illustrations, often stylized with Japanese motifs like or abstract symbols. Unsun karuta appeared in the late as an expanded variant blending suit systems with Chinese money-suit influences, resulting in decks of 75 cards organized into five suits: long suits of swords and clubs (black), and round suits of cups, coins, and drums or (red, the latter evoking Chinese myriads or strings of cash through circular motifs). Each suit included 15 cards—numerals 1 through 9 (with single-pip aces lacking s), and six cards: un (Japanese god of luck, like Daruma), sun (Chinese official), maid (sota), (robai), or (kiri or koshi), and or cavalier (uma). Post-1700s popularity stemmed from its accommodation of more players in trick-taking , though it faced bans for ; production continued underground using woodblock methods, with survival noted in regions like Hitoyoshi in . This form's suit fusion and court imagery influenced subsequent gambling-oriented variants like . These early karuta shared foundational characteristics suited to clandestine : small, nearly square formats (approximately 5.5 cm by 3 cm) for easy concealment, vibrant woodblock-printed illustrations on stiff , and absence of corner indices to prioritize recognition skills over quick glances. Suits and ranks retained point values for betting, while designs evolved from direct copies to hybridized forms emphasizing cultural adaptation. Kabufuda decks consist of 40 cards arranged as four identical suits of 10 ranks each, numbered from 1 to 10, and are primarily used for the point-counting gambling game known as kabu. These cards evolved from Portuguese-influenced designs during the late , with standardization occurring around the 1810s to facilitate quick gameplay in gambling contexts. The designs emphasize numerical values through simple, repetitive motifs derived from the Latin club suit (, or pine), often rendered in bold lines and colors for rapid recognition, without any face cards to avoid complexity in scoring. Harifuda represent a variant of narrow-format cards used for gambling games like Tehonbiki, featuring 42 cards numbered 1 to 6 in seven sets. These decks prioritize streamlined numerical artwork for fast play in competitive betting scenarios while maintaining a compact, portable form. Hikifuda decks are similar to harifuda and also used in Tehonbiki gambling, typically comprising 48 cards numbered 1 to 6 in eight sets. Their designs follow a minimalist aesthetic with clear numerical symbols to support gambling practices. Harifuda and hikifuda are related numerical forms from the .

Hanafuda

Hanafuda, often translated as "flower cards," emerged in during the mid-19th century as a distinct form of Japanese playing cards, blending traditional hana-awase matching with influences from Portuguese-introduced card designs. The standard deck comprises 48 cards organized into 12 suits, each representing a month of the year and featuring symbolic floral or natural motifs, such as trees for , blossoms for , and cherry blossoms for . These suits emphasize seasonal imagery drawn from , with four cards per suit depicting varying elements like poetry slips, animals, or bright scenes to facilitate matching and scoring. The cards lack numerical values printed on them, relying instead on pictorial for valuation through yaku, or scoring combinations. Bright cards, which often portray luminous scenes like the or a , are typically worth 5 points each, while animal cards featuring creatures such as , cuckoos, or boars carry a higher value of 10 points. This structure prioritizes visual recognition and thematic associations over arithmetic, allowing for versatile centered on collecting sets based on these motifs. Production of hanafuda gained momentum in the (1868–1912), a period of modernization that lifted earlier bans on card games and spurred commercial manufacturing. In 1889, established the Marufuku Nintendo Card Company in , specializing in hand-printed decks that incorporated intricate woodblock techniques for vibrant, durable cards. This venture marked 's entry into , supplying high-quality sets nationwide and establishing hanafuda as a staple of Japanese , with the company's innovations in design and packaging contributing to its enduring popularity. Regional variations of reflect local artistic traditions, such as the Kintokibana pattern from the region, which adds short poems () to select cards alongside the standard floral motifs, enhancing their cultural and poetic depth. These differences, often seen in patterns from areas like the , maintain the core 48-card structure while introducing subtle graphical or thematic embellishments. Basic matching mechanics in hanafuda, where players pair cards by suit, form the foundation for more complex rules detailed in sections.

E-Awase Karuta

Uta-Garuta

Uta-garuta emerged during the (1603–1868) as a card-based adaptation of the traditional Japanese shell-matching game kai-awase, which dates back to the and involved pairing illustrated shells with poetic inscriptions. During the (1603–1868), the game was formalized using the , an anthology of 100 waka poems by 100 different poets, originally compiled by around 1235 in the . This literary foundation transformed uta-garuta into a culturally significant pursuit centered on classical Japanese poetry. A complete uta-garuta set comprises 200 square cards made from thick paper stock, divided evenly into two categories. The 100 yomifuda (reading cards) each display the full text of one waka poem, accompanied by an illustration of the poet, often positioned in the lower half. The corresponding 100 torifuda (catching cards) feature only the poem's lower half, rendered in hiragana script without diacritical marks to facilitate quick recognition during play; luxury editions may use cursive styles for added aesthetic appeal. Illustrations on the cards vary by set, emphasizing artistic representations of the poets and poetic themes. One notable sub-variant is ita-karuta, which employs thicker, more durable boards—typically wooden slats about 1/2 cm thick—for the torifuda, while retaining paper yomifuda. This design enhances longevity and resistance to wear, making it suitable for intensive use in competitive settings that gained prominence from the 1800s onward. Regional adaptations, such as those in using wood and variant scripts like , further highlight its evolution for specialized play. Central to uta-garuta is its educational emphasis on waka poetry, promoting memorization, recitation, and appreciation of classical Japanese literature without any gambling components. Recognized for its cultural value, it has been incorporated into Japan's educational curriculum as a method to engage learners with historical poetic traditions.

Iroha Karuta

Iroha karuta emerged in the 18th century during the Edo period as an educational adaptation of earlier karuta games, drawing inspiration from the iroha uta, a classical 47-syllable poem that enumerates the unique hiragana characters in traditional Japanese order. This syllabary-based game incorporated proverbs and moral sayings to facilitate learning, evolving from matching games like uta-garuta but simplified for younger players by focusing on basic kana recognition rather than complex poetry recitation. Originating in the Kyoto-Osaka region (known as Kamigata), it quickly spread as a tool for popular culture and everyday entertainment, reflecting the period's emphasis on accessible education amid growing literacy. A standard set of karuta consists of 96 cards divided into two equal groups of 48: the yomifuda (reading cards), each bearing a complete Japanese or idiomatic expression starting with a specific , and the torifuda (taking cards), which feature an related to the proverb along with that same starting prominently displayed. The proverbs often convey ethical lessons, such as "A that walks around will find a stick," symbolizing opportunity through , making the game a for instilling moral values alongside linguistic skills. This paired structure allows for rapid matching gameplay, where a reader recites the yomifuda proverb, and players grab the corresponding torifuda to test reflexes and memory. The primary purpose of karuta is pedagogical, aimed at teaching children hiragana reading, ethical principles through proverbial wisdom, and quick hand-eye coordination, with games traditionally played during New Year's gatherings to promote family bonding and seasonal reflection. Compared to uta-garuta, its matching mechanic is simpler, emphasizing syllable identification over poetic depth, which suits beginners and reinforces foundational . A notable sub-variant is obake karuta, a ghost- or yōkai-themed version that adds excitement through depictions of Japanese folklore monsters, each tied to a hiragana syllable and a descriptive phrase. Created during the , it gained popularity in the (1868–1912) and persisted into the early 20th century, blending education with thrilling supernatural elements to engage young players while introducing cultural lore.

Gameplay

Rules for Playing Card Variants (Kabu and Matching)

Portuguese-derived karuta variants, including those played with and decks, typically accommodate 2 to 5 players and emphasize strategic card matching or numerical scoring over rapid physical grabs, contrasting briefly with the speed-based matching of e-awase karuta. General setup involves shuffling the deck, with the dealer distributing cards face down to each player and placing some face up on the field or table to initiate play; turns proceed in a turn-based manner, where players draw from a stock pile and attempt to match or build hands according to the game's objectives. Kabu, also known as , is a banking-style game played with a 40-card deck consisting of four suits numbered 1 through 10, where players compete against a dealer to form the strongest three-card hand. The dealer shuffles and deals two cards face down to each player (or positions four communal hands in some variants), with the remaining cards forming the stock; players then decide whether to stand or draw a third card from the stock based on their initial total, mandatory if the sum is 3 or less and optional if 4 to 6, but prohibited if 7 or higher. Card values are their face numbers (with 10 valued as 0), and the hand score is the sum modulo 10; a score of 9 is the best, followed by 8 down to 0, with ties resolved by rules such as drawing an extra card or favoring the dealer, and special hands like three of a kind paying out at 3:1 odds. The dealer rotates clockwise after each round, typically if players collectively outperform the banker, and bets are settled based on score differences, with the player or house taking the pot accordingly. In matching like , played with a 48-card deck divided into 12 monthly suits, two players receive 8 cards each face down, while 8 cards are placed face up on the field to start. On a player's turn, they play one card from their hand to the field; if it matches the month of one or more field cards, they capture those (all if three match, or choose one if two), adding them to their scoring pile, and if no match occurs, the played card remains on the field. The player then draws the top card from the remaining deck and repeats the play process; matching continues until the deck is depleted, with players forming yaku sets from captured cards, such as the "Five Brights" (five akatan bright cards across months) worth 15 points. After completing a yaku, the player may call "" to double potential points and continue the round for more sets, or end it to score immediately; the round concludes when a player chooses to stop or the deck runs out, with points tallied and the dealer rotating. Strategies in these variants revolve around and . In Kabu, point optimization involves calculating the probability of improving a hand to 9 without busting, such as drawing on a low total to avoid leaving the dealer an edge. In Mekuri, a matching game with Tensho or Mekurifuda decks where players bet and turn cards to capture high-value suits like clubs (50-60 points), bluffing emerges through selective card play to mislead opponents about hand strength, hiding powerful combinations like the "Danjuro" yaku (club , 2, and ) to force misbets or suboptimal captures.

Competitive Uta-Garuta Tournaments

Competitive uta-garuta, also known as kyōgi karuta, is played on a mat where two opponents sit facing each other across a dividing line, with their territories (ji-jin) separated by a 3 cm gap. All 100 tori-fuda cards are shuffled face down, and each player randomly selects 25 to arrange face up in their territory, typically in three rows within an 87 cm width, leaving the remaining 50 as kara-fuda set aside. A reciter then reads the yomi-fuda, starting with a preliminary poem (jōka) followed by the first three lines of randomly selected poems from the Hyakunin Isshu; players race to touch the matching tori-fuda first—the card bearing the poem's final two lines—wherever it is located. If a player takes the card from their own territory, it is removed from play. If taken from the opponent's territory, the player transfers one card from their own territory to the opponent's territory. The player who first clears all 25 cards from their territory wins the match. Tournaments follow a structured format overseen by the All Japan Karuta Association (AJKA), established in 1957 to standardize and promote the game. Events use single-elimination brackets for lower ranks, with players qualifying through regional preliminaries leading to the annual All-Japan Karuta Championship held in January at Omi Jingu Shrine in Otsu, . Competitions are divided into male and female categories, as well as rank classes from E (beginners) to A (elite), with the top women's winner earning the Queen title and the top men's winner the Meijin title; the Meijin title dates back to 1955, while the Queen title was introduced in 1957. As of 2025, the reigning Meijin is Sojiro Jimi and the Queen is Seiran Yajima. Special thick cards known as ita-karuta are used in official play for durability during intense grabs. Matches typically last 30 to 90 seconds at high levels, preceded by a 15-minute memorization period where players study card positions. Success in competitive uta-garuta demands rigorous of the 100 Hyakunin Isshu poems to anticipate cards from the first , combined with exceptional to track multiple positions simultaneously and physical agility for rapid hand movements. Techniques include tsuki-te (poking to grab) and harai-te (sweeping to intercept), but no physical contact between players is permitted, emphasizing precise and controlled actions. Penalties, known as otetsuki, occur for errors like touching a kara-fuda or an incorrect card, allowing the opponent to place one of their taken cards into the offender's territory, thus increasing their burden.

Cultural Significance

Educational and Literary Role

Karuta, particularly in its uta-garuta form, has long served as a medium for promoting classical Japanese literature, most notably the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu anthology compiled in the 13th century by Fujiwara no Teika. While playing cards were introduced by Portuguese traders in the mid-16th century, uta-garuta adapted the anthology into a matching game format in the late 17th century, making its 100 waka poems accessible and memorable through competitive play. This literary integration traces back to earlier courtly traditions, where shell-matching games known as kai-awase—predecessors to e-awase karuta—featured scenes from by , symbolizing romantic pairings and aristocratic refinement during the (794–1185). By the 16th and 17th centuries, these evolved into card-based versions, preserving and disseminating literary motifs in visual and poetic forms. In education, iroha karuta emerged as a vital tool for teaching hiragana, the foundational Japanese syllabary, with each of its 48 cards beginning with a unique character followed by a or . Originating in the mid-Edo period (around the ), the game imparts ethical lessons through sayings like "i" for "iro wa nioedo" (colors fade but endure), encouraging values such as perseverance and among children in family and school settings. Traditional play further embeds karuta in social and seasonal rituals, especially as family games during New Year's celebrations, where participants engage in lighthearted matching to foster bonding and cultural continuity. These practices echo the courtly kai-awase, which involved nobles pairing painted clam shells in elegant gatherings, transitioning to accessible card games that democratized literary engagement by the . Edo-period literature frequently depicts karuta as a tool for social cohesion, appearing in narratives as pastimes that bridged classes and strengthened communal ties during festivals and home gatherings. This role underscores karuta's evolution from elite diversion to a widespread instrument for moral and cultural education.

Modern Popularity and Media Influence

Following , , which had been producing cards since its founding in 1889, continued to market these traditional decks as a key part of its business, helping sustain the game's popularity amid 's post-war economic recovery and cultural resurgence. This effort kept hanafuda accessible to families and communities, bridging traditional gameplay with modern distribution channels until the company shifted focus in the . Concurrently, competitive uta-garuta emerged as a formalized sport under the All Karuta Association, established in 1957 and gaining momentum post-war; today, it attracts thousands of participants across age groups, with events like the annual All Japan High School Karuta Tournament drawing over 1,000 competitors from nationwide schools. The and series , serialized from 2007 to 2021, significantly amplified karuta's appeal, particularly among youth, by portraying competitive uta-garuta as an intense, poetic sport that fosters passion and rivalry. With over 27 million copies sold worldwide, the series inspired a surge in club formations and tournament entries in , while sparking international curiosity through its adaptations and live-action films, leading to new player communities abroad. This media-driven revival built on karuta's longstanding educational roots in memorization, transforming it from a niche into a vibrant, youth-oriented activity. On the global stage, international tournaments have promoted uta-garuta beyond since the , fostering cross-cultural exchanges through events like the Awara International Karuta Tournament. In 2025, the Otsu Hikaru-kun Cup International Karuta Tournament, held on November 9 at Omi Jingu Shrine, exemplified this growth by inviting teams from multiple countries to compete in team-based matches, emphasizing karuta's role in global . Current trends reflect karuta's adaptation to contemporary life, with digital apps like Competitive Karuta ONLINE—approved by the All Japan Karuta Association—enabling remote practice and multiplayer battles for beginners and experts alike. The game also features prominently in cultural festivals, such as the annual Karuta Festival at Omi Jingu, where around 1,000 participants engage in open competitions, and the New Year's Karuta Hajime Ceremony in Kyoto, blending tradition with public engagement. These developments highlight karuta's ongoing evolution while preserving its poetic essence.

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