Hana Fuda & Divination...

Bernice

My deck has arrived :).

After spending several hours setting them out to discover how the hannafuda & playing card ranks were arranged, and finding a couple of odd confusing cards that broke the 'pattern', I decided to sit and read the little (very, very, little) leaflet about how to play the game.

Pity I didn't do this at first. Now the arrangement makes sense. Lots of sense.

The cards are the size of Bridge cards and whilst not the most 'slippy' card stock around, they are shufflable. I also like the images. One card has a man, a tree-thing and a frog. I'm sure I saw a post somewhere that mentioned a frog card, but the frogs appearance in the image is not in the leaflet. Must be to do with season/month. Maybe Japan has frogs around during that month.

Very pleased with this deck.


Bee :)
 

Moonbow

How exciting!

There's a man with umbrella and frog in the Willow cards (November) and he is apparently Ono no Michikaze, one of the founders of Japanese calligraphy.
 

Bernice

YES! The little November man has a brolly (Jack Spades). It interests me that he's 'someone', especially a founder of calligraphy. I had a go at calligraphy some years ago, have a couple of books still, but sadly not oriental calligraphy. Even so, I'm happy about this card. Thank you for info :)


Bee :)
 

Bernice

I wonder why the August cards are so bare, my leaflet says Pampus &/or Bald Head. (Whose bald head?). At first I thought I was looking at ploughed fields...... perhaps I am.

Bee :)
 

Moonbow

Pampus.

I think that the scans Kenji gave us of the handmade deck shows Pampus better than its depicted in our decks (third set of scans):

http://takatoboku.exblog.jp/9133160/

The silver lines of the Pampas grass in the Matsui cards helps me to make better sense of the images in my deck, though I still have no idea what the bald head refer to.

I have come up with a set of meanings from Japanese flower language, and I'm going to be spending some time using the meanings with a view to expanding them through use. Generally flower language is a bit restrictive when it comes to reading cards but its a starting point.
 

Bernice

Might also be able to incorporate the cards with points (numbers)? They could be considered more important than the no-point cards......? or not ...


Bee :)
 

Moonbow

I agree Bee, just looking at the cards its easy to see which are the more important cards in each suit and so carry the highest points.
 

kenji

Bernice said:
My deck has arrived :).

After spending several hours setting them out to discover how the hannafuda & playing card ranks were arranged, and finding a couple of odd confusing cards that broke the 'pattern', I decided to sit and read the little (very, very, little) leaflet about how to play the game.

Pity I didn't do this at first. Now the arrangement makes sense. Lots of sense.

The cards are the size of Bridge cards and whilst not the most 'slippy' card stock around, they are shufflable. I also like the images. One card has a man, a tree-thing and a frog. I'm sure I saw a post somewhere that mentioned a frog card, but the frogs appearance in the image is not in the leaflet. Must be to do with season/month. Maybe Japan has frogs around during that month.

Very pleased with this deck.


Bee :)
Click to expand...


Hi Bee,
Congratulations on your receiving the deck:)
I am glad you like the Japanese cards.
It would be great if we could play hana-fuda together some day;)

As to "bald head"---
In Japanese the PAMPUS cards are called "BOUZU".
This word primarily means "Buddhist monk", but by association,
also means "bold/shaved/close-clopped head".
Yes, it is just an association;)
 

kenji

Evie said:
Some nice cards in those links Bee.

I would prefer that the colours in mine were brighter as the blue looks almost black, and also some of the lines aren't clear but otherwise I adore these little cards.

Kenji, do you know if there are other Hanafuda decks easily available?
Click to expand...

Hi Eve:)

It seems that Mr R. Somerville has KO-BANA ("Miniature Hana-fuda", size 20 x 33 mm) packs by Matsui Tengudo in stock. I don't know if they are top quality (all-handmade) ones, though.

"Ohishi Tengudo", the Karuta firm of the longest standing in Japan (since 1800), is accepting orders from overseas:
http://tengudo.jp/english/flower.html

And you can find quite a lot -- good and bad -- at eBay.
I would be at your service if you would like to choose a good one there;)
 

Bernice

'lo Kenji,

At the link you gave I really liked the ones called, 'Echigo Flowers'. I'm guessing that no one else sells them :(.

Thank you for the PAMPUS explanation (Bald Head). Even though it is just an association I think it could be incorporated into some method for divination..... have filed it away for further thought.

I tried to play the game (just 2 players) with myself, but ended up confused. Too early I expect, I need to become more familiar with the images.

A delightful and intriguing deck, and the yaku combinations look very interesting. I'm still playing around with the cards....


Bee :)
 
Where can I see a list of affirmation decks? Oracle deck where all the cards make one picture