Is the Portuguese Pattern Extinct?

Unsun replica

Cerulean said:

2. However I managed to locate Unsun Karuta as a booklet and replica by the authors Virginia and Harold Wayland and Alfred Ferg, who also were referenced in the Apache Playing card pattern thread.

http://screenfoldpress.com/unsunkaruta.html

I am glad to find the set retails for about $25.00 for U.S. customers...

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I didn't know Mr and Mrs Wayland had made a replica of Unsun Karuta!
Thank you for the information

Cerulean said:

I wish there were other options that didn't cost $500.00 for unsun karuta--but this was the only link of vendors outside of Japan that I was able to find as of July 2007.

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Ooishi Tengudo, the oldest karuta maker in Japan (established in 1800) has an English website, and receives orders from abroad.

Unsun karuta is here:
http://www.tengudo.jp/mainpage/eindex12.html

Roppo and I have this deck.
15,750 yen makes... around US$130.

It may sound a bit pricy, but this deck is partly handcrafted, and the quality is just marvellous!
I highly recommend


P.S.
Have you checked "The Dragons of Portugal" by Sylvia Mann & Virginia Wayland yet?

Is the order of the dragon related to the order of the same name of the Count de Foix? This order was one of the few which allowed ladies, which maybe of relevance re: the female court cards.

Apparently had a strong presence in Italy too, thinking of the six court cards of the Cary Yale with their equal numbers of men and women?

Kwaw

Thank you for the information...will reply when I get more information

Thank you for the recommendations.

I did research on the information suggested--it is a holiday in the U.S., so vendors are not replying to my query for a few days. The book that Kenji suggested sounds like it might have much more detail and I do look forward to having it...as well as finding out if such decks/booklet information is available as of July 2007 for me!

And I did email the Japanese vendor, thank you very much for the great recommendations!

I will reply to any questions when I do receive confirmation or new information that would be of interest.

Best regards,

Cerulean

Ebay copy of 'Dragons of Portugal' has now gone ~ I decided to buy it myself as according to the description it is in pristine condition and was reasonably priced.

Kwaw

kwaw said:

Ebay copy of 'Dragons of Portugal' has now gone ~ I decided to buy it myself as according to the description it is in pristine condition and was reasonably priced.
Kwaw

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Well the abebooks one arrived this morning ~

It has 74pp + index. 28 b/w illustrations. Pen inscription on front endpaper. The inner hinge is weak and a small (5 page) section has sprung. There is light rubbing & marking to cover, else good copy.

From a brief perusal it appears that among other things they 'hope to make a case that the Portuguese pack at least in part derives from the minchiate of Florence.'

I don't need two copies of course and when the ebay one arrives I will be trading or selling this one on if anyone is interested.

Kwaw

Thanks and note from Screenfold Press

The gentleman Alan Ferg from Screenfold Press (also one of the authors), returned my call yesterday while I was at work. I was able to contact him after my working hours. I confirmed the copies that were available as noted on the 2006 edition of his website. (This is July 2007)

I expressed thanks to him for bringing such works to card collectors and historians. He worked with with the Waylands when they were alive... and afterwards, with the children, to help bring these small editions out. (The booklets/card sets are privately printed). It was wonderful to hear the cheerful and kind tone of his voice as he spoke of his work and the Waylands. I got the feeling it was a cherished endeaver! I did let him know I posted his link to a forum for fans of such things...

My call to the telephone number posted on the website was returned within a working day...and I did the paypal option, as they could not accept credit card orders over the telephone. I do believe you can send a check to the P.O. box and call them if you wanted to check on the order...it will be sent via media mail, so it will take me awhile to receive and then read what I have.

Thanks Kraw, and others, for all the wonderful notes and report back! So as of July 2007, there's resources available and some neat 'discoveries' to enjoy...

My thanks to the originators of this thread...my original note of 'not even thinking' such good things were available was proven wrong. Here's hopes to happy July and summer discoveries to others! I'll post back...and eagerly also enjoy to hear if others come up with questions, ideas or other related notes to this thread...who knows, there might be enough interest to have another thread on this Latin-suited pattern!

Best wishes,

Cerulean

Cerulean said:

However I managed to locate Unsun Karuta as a booklet and replica by the authors Virginia and Harold Wayland and Alfred Ferg, who also were referenced in the Apache Playing card pattern thread.

http://screenfoldpress.com/unsunkaruta.html

I am glad to find the set retails for about $25.00 for U.S. customers...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link Cerulean. Just ordered a set. It is another $16 for p&p [surface mail 4-6 weeks] to UK total $41 dollars, with the exchange rate of 1 GBP = 1.95960USD currently used by Paypal the total UK price was £20.92.

Kwaw

I have ordered an Unsun Karuta Deck from friends in Japan. I still am unable to find a Tensho Karuta, which I presume is a 48 card deck as copied from the original woodblock chest in roppo's post. See Moongold's post #3.
I might be quite dense, but here's a question. Am I able to purchase a Portuguese deck today? That is 48 cards with 4 Courts, two female, two male; in the style of the 4 cards in the Japanese Musuem that were posted. It is the arrangement of the pips, that I am interested in. Apparently these were a Sicilean pattern originally.
I have a friend who went to a tiny museum in Malacca and saw some very old European playing cards there. Not Colonial cards- very old tattered ones. I wonder how many little places the Portuguese went to on their way to Japan, have card games that derived from the Portuguese pattern. It is funny, that it is said the pattern is extinct, when it actually has taken on a new life- like a butterfly. I was also musing on the idea that the playing cards that were the basis for lenormand cards might have been this portuguese type deck- because of the ship and the two female Courts~Rosanne

Rosanne said:

I have ordered an Unsun Karuta Deck from friends in Japan. I still am unable to find a Tensho Karuta, which I presume is a 48 card deck as copied from the original woodblock chest in roppo's post.

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From a further brief perusal of The Dragons of Portugal that arrived in post this morning:

The Tensho were a 48 card deck copy of the Portuguese pattern and were prohibited in 1648, 10 years after the expulsion of the Portuguese. Packs of 48 cards reappeared within space of 30 years of the prohibitions and still exist in various regional variations and are now refered to as mekuri karuta or bomon karuta. "All of them have something in common with the old Tensho and even Portuguese cards, some of them a good deal more than others. In general, however, very few court cards or dragon aces are easily recognisable."

Unsun karuta appeared in the 17th century and are also descended from the Portuguese / Tensho pattern; but 3 extra court cards and an additional suit were added making a total of 75 cards.

Another related pattern that disappeared following 18th century prohibitions was the sunkun karuta, "a modified version of the Tensho cards and incorporating also many features of the unsun pack." It had 7 court cards, six suits and an extra ace of batons called 'aza' giving a total of 97 cards.

Strange coincidence that the Japanese should add to the 48 card deck of the Portuguese dragon cards to arrive at a deck of 97 cards; the same number as those in the Florentine Minchiate that Mann / Wayland suggest the portuguese pattern is a cut version of, or at least in part derived from; the pips and courts of the Florentine Minchiate sharing many common features with those of the Portuguese pattern.

Source of information and quotes from The Dragons of Portugal by Sylvia Mann and Virginia Wayland.

Most of this information and illustrations can be found on Andy Pollets site too:

http://it.geocities.com/a_pollett/cards9.htm

Kwaw

Thanks Kwaw. Lucky ol' you with your book. Congrats! So I am not going to find a Tensho Karuta in its original form. What a pity. I will have to go look at some Minchiate now as I have ignored them up to this point. It's a small World- don't ya know (the song) especially this Tarot world when you get down to the nitty gritty. Bless those card playing sailors. ~Rosanne