By: Patty Hori, Nikkei Community Intern
When people think about Japanese games, people tend to think about Nintendo, Pokemon, and other popular video games. But what did Japanese children play before the invention of electricity? Well, with school about to start and new friends ready to be made, now seems like the perfect time to tell you guys some games to play with these developing friendships. Let's take a look at some of these cultural and traditional Japanese games, may of which are still played today: Karuta, Otedama, Ohajiki, and Hana Ichi Monme.
Karuta
Before there was the Nintendo franchise, there was a game called Karuta that involved players to possess the same quick reflexes, ability to memorize, and ample amount of free time. Karuta is a great way for children and adults of all ages to improve on their basic Japanese language skills, keep everyones' mind sharp, and most importantly socialize with friends and family.
Karuta is a traditional Japanese card game introduced by Portuguese traders in the 16th-century. There are two types of Karuta: Uta-Garuta and Iroha Karuta.
Karuta is a traditional Japanese card game introduced by Portuguese traders in the 16th-century. There are two types of Karuta: Uta-Garuta and Iroha Karuta.
Uta-Garuta literally translates to "poem cards" and is made up of a deck of 200 hundred cards with half being waka poems (type of classical Japanese poetry). Half of the deck is for reading, and the other half is for grabbing. The most popular type of Uta-Garuta is Hyakunin Isshu, meaning "one-hundred people, one poem."
Iroha Karuta is the easier version of this game meant for children. "Iroha" in Japanese is synonymous to the American "ABCs." I-ro-ha demonstrates how the old Japanese kana were arranged, so "Iroha Karuta" could easily be translated as "ABC Karuta." In this version, there are only 96 cards, in which half have proverbs written on them.
Through the port of Nagasaki in the mid-1500s, Portuguese sailors introduced European playing cards to the Japanese Samurai Class. These cards were called carta, which through the ears of the Japanese, turned into karuta. Finally, during the Edo Period (1600-1868), Karuta became a distinctly recognizable Japanese custom. At first, painting these cards was a painstaking process, but eventually, they became easy to mass produce because of the invention of wood block printing, making karuta cards affordable to the average family.
Here's how to play:
First of all, you need to get your hands on a Karuta Deck; this can mean borrowing them from a friend or going out to buy them. You need one caller and at least two players (the more players, the more competitive). In Karuta, there are two types of cards:
Yomifuda: "reading cards" that have written information on them
Torifuda: "grabbing cards" that have pictures and/or a written language on them
**each yomifuda has a corresponding torifuda**
Alright, now you're ready to play and this is how it goes:
If you need a visual, here is a great Youtube video of school children playing Karuta and absolutely killing it!!! Have a fun time with this game you can play with family and friends!
Through the port of Nagasaki in the mid-1500s, Portuguese sailors introduced European playing cards to the Japanese Samurai Class. These cards were called carta, which through the ears of the Japanese, turned into karuta. Finally, during the Edo Period (1600-1868), Karuta became a distinctly recognizable Japanese custom. At first, painting these cards was a painstaking process, but eventually, they became easy to mass produce because of the invention of wood block printing, making karuta cards affordable to the average family.
Here's how to play:
First of all, you need to get your hands on a Karuta Deck; this can mean borrowing them from a friend or going out to buy them. You need one caller and at least two players (the more players, the more competitive). In Karuta, there are two types of cards:
Yomifuda: "reading cards" that have written information on them
Torifuda: "grabbing cards" that have pictures and/or a written language on them
**each yomifuda has a corresponding torifuda**
Alright, now you're ready to play and this is how it goes:
- Spread all the torifuda cards in front of the Players, face up.
- The Reader then pulls out a card from the yomifuda deck and reads it out loud.
- The Players race one another to find the corresponding torifuda card based upon the yomifuda clue; when the player finds it, they grab it.
- Repeat steps 2 & 3 until there are no cards remaining.
- When there are no cards left, the person with the most cards wins!
If you need a visual, here is a great Youtube video of school children playing Karuta and absolutely killing it!!! Have a fun time with this game you can play with family and friends!
Otedama
Otedama was traditionally played by girls, but it is now enjoyed by girls and boys, children and adults. It is usually played with five ojami (small bean bags) and used to be made out of the scraps of kimonos and filled with uncooked azuki beans. This game reached its peak popularity right after WWII when other games were not available. How can we enjoy this game today? Well, this is how.
How to play Basic Otedama:
If this is too easy for you, try grabbing two ojami at a time. After you've mastered this, you can also check out this link for more difficult variations of Otedama.
How to play Basic Otedama:
- Scatter the five ojami on the ground.
- Grab and throw one ojami straight up in the air and with the same hand, grab another ojami and transfer it to the other hand.
- Keep repeating this process until four ojami are in your opposite throwing hand.
If this is too easy for you, try grabbing two ojami at a time. After you've mastered this, you can also check out this link for more difficult variations of Otedama.
Ohajiki
| Ohajiki is played with flattened coin-shaped pieces, and closely resembles the American Game Marbles. These small playing pieces are called ohajiki and the players take turns flicking them at other pieces. Ohajiki come in many forms; they can look very plain, or they can even have cute characters and intricate patterns on them. In the old days, children would play with flat stones or pebbles, but today, they play with flattened glass pieces. When playing, make a circle with your thumb and index finger (or middle finger), then flick one ohajiki with your thumb. | |
How to Play:
- All the players lay down their ohajiki pieces on a flat surface and play janken (rock, paper, scissors) to decide the order.
- The first person of the order picks up all the pieces and throws them down to scatter the pieces.
- The player (whose ever turn it is) draws an imaginary line between two pieces to indicate which pieces he or she is going to hit.
- If the player hits the indicated piece and no other surrounding ones, then they get to continue their turn. Otherwise, the next person goes.
- At the end of the game, the person with the most ohajiki wins!!!
Hana Ichi Monme
Now, for those of you who really don’t have the time to buy supplies or make pieces, Hana Ichi Monme is the perfect game for you!!! In Japanese, "Hana Ichi Monme" means "a flower is one Monme" (a monme is a Japanese Edo Period coin). Hana Ichi Monme is very similar to the Western game Red Rover; and like Red Rover, Hana Ichi Monme is mainly played by elementary and middle school students, but it's fun for everyone.
How to Play:
- The group of kids split themselves into two groups and line up parallel to one another with each person holding their teammate's hand.
- The Leader from each group steps up and plays janken (rock, paper, scissors). The winning team sings (1) while stepping forward, and the losing team sings (2) while stepping back. When "monme" is said, the team kicks the air as if kicking dirt.
| Lyrics: (1) Katte ureshii hana ichi monme (2) Makete kuyashii hana ichi monme (1) Ano ko ga hoshii (2) Ano ko ja wakaran (1) Sodan shiyo (2) So shiyo | Translation: (1) We're so happy we won, hana ichi monme (2) We're so upset we lost, hana ichi monme (1) We want that kid (2) We don't understand which kid you mean (1) Let's talk about it (2) Yes, let's |
3. Each team then huddles together and chooses a person from the opposing team to come over. When they decide, they stand back in line and sing the following verse:
| Lyrics: (1) Yoshi-chan (the name of player) ga hoshii (2) Keiko-chan (the name of player) ga hoshii | Translation: (1) We want (insert name) (2) We want (insert name) |
4. The two members of the team whose names were called step up and play janken. The loser then joins the winning team's line.
5. The games ends when one team loses all of their members.
5. The games ends when one team loses all of their members.
With only a few weeks of summer left and school just about to kick off, these games are awesome ways to kill free time for the remainder of the summer and a phenomenal way to meet new friends when you get back to school!!! Try them out and tag us on social media or leave a comment down below!
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