asian tarot decks?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 17 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

rostie	17 Jun 2002
wich eastern-inspired tarotdeck do you like the most? i don't have any in my collection and would love to have one...

cjtarot	17 Jun 2002
Rostie, Hi.. Discovered the Roots of Asia Tarot. I don't have it yet..but it's on the I WANT LIST or should we say I WILL HAVE list The other deck I own and love are the Osho Zen Cards...They are wonderful for discovering yourself. Good hunting, cj

Kellinator	17 Jun 2002
I was doing some heavy-duty browsing this weekend and really looked through the Osho-Zen for the first time. I was very impressed. Also I saw the Feng Shui Tarot by the mother and son who did the Connoley, I believe... It's very, very beautiful, but seems as if it would be rather difficult to read with. The suits are the four celestial animals and you can't tell what the cards should be just by looking at them. Still, the art is absolutely exquisite. I may get it someday. And oh, the swords in the Ancestral Path Tarot are Japanese-themed and they are gorgeous. Kelly

Jewel	17 Jun 2002
I have both the Roots of Asia and the Osho-Zen. I find the Roots of Asia to be a better deck for meditation and pathworking than for reading. The Osho-Zen, although a non-traditional tarot, I love. This deck is great for readings. My readings with it have been straighforward and honest. In using it I eneded up finding the deck much closer to traditional decks than I had originally thought, just coming from a different perspective (a Zen perspective). I highly recommend the Osho-Zen. I have had the pleasure of looking through the Feng Shui, and it is a pretty deck. I am not quite sure how it would work out for readings though. The Ancestral Path, is another deck I highly recommend. It is a fabulous multicultural deck. I would say that of the decks listed in this thread thus far I would vote for the Osho-Zen and Ancestral Path. The Ancestral Path does follow traditional tarot guidelines.

Faerie Lin	17 Jun 2002
I have the Chinese Tarot, and it works great for me! I just love Asian styles! The lwb to it is excellent too, it teaches alot about Chinese History. Lin

Violet Gargoyle	17 Jun 2002
I have the feng shui deck as well, mostly for the artwork. It's also one of my glossiest decks, very slippy to shuffle...... I also have the Chinese Tarot deck, which I like, though it has one of the most haggard looking fools I have ever seen.

Liliana	17 Jun 2002
Apparatley Connolly likes her decks slippery, I have the Connolley deck and cant even remotely shuffle it without it flying all over lol :THP

rostie	19 Jun 2002
thank you for responding, i looked at tarotgarden and there are so much beautifull asian tarotdecks, lol, i don't know wich one to add to my collection... i already have the osho zen, it's one of my favourites, it always gives me very much accurate readings...and jewel i noticed it too that there is not much difference between a traditional tarot and this one in meanings, just a differen point of view, that's why i like it so much, so i don't know wich one, if i know i will tell you but for now...i even have not enough money to buy one, sigh, :( ,lol :) but thank you very much for your advice, i keep them in mind... wich one i really like is Derakkusu ban nihou Tarot (japanese, black and white), really a jewel, but it will be for later :D some pics (for the taroholics }) ) http://artoftarot.com/derakkusu.htm http://www.wicce.com/derakkusupix.html http://www.themysticeye.com/pics/hihou.htm next to that i like the chinese tarot, big arukana 22, miracle tarot, roots of asia and ancestral path faerie lin: is the chinese easy to read or readible, i always liked that one buth i like buying decks that i can read with, not only i like for the art...

Jeannette	19 Jun 2002
Th Osho Zen Tarot is an incredibly lovely and wonderful deck. It's probably my husband's favorite, actually. (Of course, I love it, too.) I had occasion to do a little research on Osho and the Osho Zen Tarot a couple of months back. For those of you who are interested in some more background on the Osho Zen and other Osho-inspired cartomantic decks, I'd invite you to check out my article on "Osho and Tarot" at: http://www.tarotgarden.com/library/articles/osho.html -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Faerie Lin	19 Jun 2002
Rostie, I have found that the lwb does help in telling you about what is going on in the artwork. If you like, I can send you the .doc file of the lwb, so you can see what its all about. I had lost it a long time ago, so I just bought the deck again for my eldest sister and copied the lwb to a file. That was a whole lotta typin' lol, but a scanner wasn't accessible back then. Lin

rostie	19 Jun 2002
i would love to read it faerie lin! thanks! and jeannette thanks for that article! very interesting! with love, saar.

Kaz	19 Jun 2002
jeanette, thanks for sharing this article. i have the osho deck and i love it, brilliant art and a zen way of looking at things. i don't have any issues with the baghwan "clan" or the deck, they have been quite big here in holland, don't know about it now. i think this is along the same lines as the aversion to the thoth deck because of aleister crowley. kaz

Jewel	19 Jun 2002
Thanks Jeannette! the article was very interesting.

Jeannette	19 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kaz ...i don't have any issues with the baghwan "clan" or the deck, they have been quite big here in holland, don't know about it now. i think this is along the same lines as the aversion to the thoth deck because of aleister crowley. Kaz: I'd agree. As I said before, both my hubby and I love the Osho Zen deck, but I've found that such things do make a difference to some people. As for myself, I guess I've never been enough of a "sensitive" to have ever been confronted by the negative histories (if they exist) of the decks I own and use. Thanks Rosie, Kaz, and Jewel for your kind comments. That was the first tarot-related article I had written in quite some time. It felt good to get back to doing some writing after many months of concentrating my tarot efforts solely on business-related matters. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Kyrie Blue	19 Jun 2002
Wow Rostie, That Derakkusu ban nihou Tarot deck is stunning!... You really found a good one! Hard to believe for me that a black and white deck could make me say "Wow" First, I said "oh, I love the Hermit"..then it was the chariot, and the hanged man, and justice, then I realized all the pictures made me say 'wow!' ...LOL... Fantastic deck!

Cerulean	26 Sep 2002
1. Well, for U.S. based decks, the Ukiyoe by Koji Futata (sp) and commentary by Stuart Kaplan is right on for the learning. The majors and courts are very detailed. However, you might think the paintings/woodcuts stiff and poster-like compared to two other suggestions. Marseilles style as Justice is 8, Strength is 11. Pips have small animals and flowers in the landscapes. 2. Moon Princess Himiko, very vivid colors, largish cards and I think Rider-Waite ordering. No LWB, interesting varition in art. Pips are very plain. Majors, courts and aces are bright, gorgeous colors. 3. Miracle Tarot--more delicate in lines and tones and longer, thin format. No LWB, but it's Rider-Waite in style. This makes for pretty readings.--I just got it, but like it much. Mari H.

Strega	26 Sep 2002
Thanks, Jeannette! :) I'm drooooooling over Osho Zen. I'm getting one after my "move".

blue_fusion	26 Sep 2002
well, though not exactly "asian", the victoria regina used some turn-of-the-century pics which featured asian scenes. of course, they were taken under the light of imperialism and colonialism... :)

SurlyStoat	03 Jan 2003
Re Liliana's previous comment: "Apparatley Connolly likes her decks slippery, I have the Connolley deck and cant even remotely shuffle it without it flying all over lol" - Both Connolly decks have a plasticized coating that is for water and stain resistance and durability, yet make the new decks behave like a handful of minnows. My solution is to lightly sand the back of each card with very fine sandpaper. FINE sandpaper, like 400 grit, used preferably or 600 grit Aluminum Oxide, like you get in a hardware store for fine finishing wood. Just a few swipes, lightly will do, not so much that you take off any of the printing. Thus sanded the backs may be a bit more prone to mild staining from coffee or colored candle wax, but so would be a more worn used deck too. The slippery fronts are slowed by the slightly more rough backs while shuffling and they won't get out of hand. Literally. On Topic I like the Connolly Feng Shui deck, but I am quite biased. What she has done is actually new, yet both traditionally Tarot and obediently Feng Shui. The LWB with the deck is less stellar than most, which is an achievement of sorts, and in many cases has particularly confusing misprints! But that aside, there is actually much deliberately saynthesized imagery, not arbitrary or random as those who just read that little pamphlet may decide is there. Hidden in plain sight as it were. [and as usual the artwork and printing (and coating) is crisp and clear.] Folk seem confused as to the assignation of Tortoises for Wands and Dragons for Pentacles, even offended! And some misprinted LWBs I have seen add to the confusion, perhaps these would become a sort of obscure collector's item in the far far future. In any case these are actually Chinese cardinal point symbolic assignations, and of course make sense in that context. Thanks for the interesting Topic.

Jewel	03 Jan 2003
Since I last posted here I have traded away my Roots of Asia, got the Golden Dragon and the Tarot of the Journey to the Orient. The Golden Dragon is very pretty, but I would call it an art deck. I was a bit dissapointed in that I doubt I will ever find another use for it than to look at it. The Tarot of the Journey to the Orient was another dissapointment to me :(. Rostie, you might want to check out the Margaret Petersen deck at Tarot Garden if you like the Roots of Asia. The art is similar in style but I think the Margaret Petersen is a better deck overall. The Majors are very evocative. This deck can be purchased as a Majors only or a 78 card deck. I got the 78 card deck, but the minors do nothing for me. I would recommend the Margaret Petersen as a Majors only deck and would highly recommend it over the Roots of Asia. Granted, this is just my opinion.

Demonesse	03 Jan 2003
What she has done is actually new, yet both traditionally Tarot and obediently Feng Shui. ---SurlyStoat I kinda doubt that. The celestial animals, maybe, but other than that, it seems to have zilch to do with feng shui. I'm interested in what you mean by this:"In any case these are actually Chinese cardinal point symbolic assignations, and of course make sense in that context." The Chinese Tarot is rather nice, but the Hanged Man is extremely ominous and "unlucky" viewed from the Chinese perspective. Or from any perspective, for that matter. Btw, the Hello Kitty is also an Asian tarot, since the character is of Japanese origin.

truthsayer	03 Jan 2003
i have the feng shui and osho zen. artistically both are beautiful. the OZ more so but after 3 years of trying to relate to it i'm trading it for a deck i can relate. of course, the real test will be if i want it back after it's gone. i do have a track record here... ;) i haven't tried reading with the FS yet but it doesn't seem to follow a tarot standard i can jump right in with. i haven't really found an asian tarot to date that i can relate except for the miracle deck. i love it but something about it feels more westernized than say the OZ or chinese deck. of course, since i've never lived around an eastern culture that would make sense. usually we're drawn more by the things we know than otherwise.

Cerulean	05 Jan 2003
Tarot Passages just posted an article about the Miracle. www.tarotpassages.com I also found more Japanese tarot decks by going to tarot garden and in the search engine, typing Japan. Only a few...so when I got to the page where I could enter the country of origin, I remembered the advice was to enter Japan in that field. About five pages came up. I found a Kabbalah Tarot, a golden-tinted deck that with an antique look...and with a budget in mind for the next few weeks, checked with www.sasugabooks.com. In about a month, they can get it. It's not the Miss Persphone or Kabbalah Tarot of Love, it's very different and 78 cards...but something about the differences is okay with me...

The asian tarot decks? thread was originally posted on 17 Jun 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.