catlin

Which one of these do you have and which one do you think the most interesting?

I got Chinese today in a trade, have Golden Dragon and found some cards in the latter pretty interesting and some others not so well adapted for those sticking to traditional card meanings.

I still don't have Ukiyoe deck so I can't comment on this one.

Jewel

Hey Caitlin, I don't have either of those decks but I am real interested in the Golden Dragon. Could you tell me more about it. Info I am looking for:

(1) What elemental correspondences does it use?
(2) What are the positions of Strength and Justice?
(3) Are there any other changes to the Majors?
(4) What type of minors does the deck use? pips, illustrated or moody minors? (moody minors are like in the Thoth, Cosmic Tribe, Gill, etc).
(5) What would you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the deck?

I know it is alot, but I am real curious about this one.

Thanks!

__________________
Jewel
Entity of the Water/West Corner

Cerulean

It takes a bit of hunting on the Tarot.com site to get to where you can browse through their 50 decks. I kept following their 'about tarot' links:

http://www.tarot.com/store/browse_deck.php

The U.S. Games published Ukiyoe and Chinese deck cards are posted.

Of those two, for those who want traditional information, the Ukiyoe has the better little white book and the pip cards have scenic decorations that mirror the Hana Fuda game, a Japanese derived card game lifted from about 1600 from Portugese trade ships in the Nagasaki port. I've amused myself by picking how haiku or poetry from the 100 Poets game selections might correspond to a card or two in the Ukiyoe tarot. Lots of information and sound background when it comes to the brief ideas presened. I'm using these pips with my manga-style majors decks for my own enjoyment.

The Chinese Tarot's artist also illustrated a Dover clipart book, I think on Chinese decorative motifs? A very fluid, decorative style and with some brief description. Also works well as a pretty meditation deck when you flip through the pictures, after reading from separate books on Chinese Buddhist and zen poetry.

I've always been curious about the Golden Dragon. But I gave my Chinese and Feng Shui decks away soon after I got them. Culture-wise, my Ukiyoe and manga style tarots fill my Asian traditional tastes---but I've heard a Chinese Manga artist has a deck called Passion Tarot? That sounded like a fresh idea and a keeper for me.

Best wishes,

Mari Hoshizaki

__________________
cerulean daimon...prosperous gales waft ships along, and swell the spacious sails; add gentle peace, and fair-haired health beside, and pour abundance in a blameless tide." - Orphic Hymn 17 to Poseidon

Alta

I was looking at my decks this evening, and I am pretty sure that these three are only the decks of mine that try and at least mirror these older art styles.

I am not sure, because LWB for the Golden Dragon only mentions the name of the person who wrote the LWB and not the artist, if those cards are drawn by a Chinese artist. The Chinese tarot deck, definitely and according to the LWB, the Ukiyoe was done by a Japanese artist. Does anyone know?

I take it that the Ukiyoe reflects Japanese older artistic traditions and the other two Chinese, though I would certainly accept correction on that.

The Golden Dragon appears to have originally been called The Chinese tarot, and presumably got a name change somewhere along the line.

I realize that Jewel isn't around much any more, but to answer her questions:

(1) What elemental correspondences does it use? Coins - Earth; Wands - Fire; Swords - Air; cups - water.
(2) What are the positions of Strength and Justice? 11 and 8.
(3) Are there any other changes to the Majors?
Quite a bit of re-naming:
I The Apprentice
II The Waterporter
IIIThe Queen of Rice
IV The Emperor
etc
(4) What type of minors does the deck use? pips, illustrated or moody minors? (moody minors are like in the Thoth, Cosmic Tribe, Gill, etc).
Fully illustrated.
(5) What would you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the deck?

It is lovely. All three decks use a paler palette, not as harsh as I find some decks. There is a real elegance to all three decks.
The big drawback is the average Westerner's lack of familiarity with the myths and stories behind some of the pictures. Plus I would imagine that a lot of the cultural subtleties are lost.

The Courts in the Goldren Dragon (and to a somewhat lesser extent the Chinese Tarot) especially are what Jeannette called 'character-driven'. In other words to me the Court figures are very engaged in whatever they are doing, not just posing.

The interactions between the world of gods and the world of men is handled very smoothly.

Stylistically it seems to me that the Chinese tarot tends a bit more to the westernized almost kitchy form of Chinese art, or possibly just 'for the masses' Chinese art while the Goldren Dragon seems older, somewhat timeless with one foot in myth.

While I can see a lot of relationship between the first two, the Ukiyoe seems quite different, as I suppose it should be coming from the Japanese. The figures seem posed rather engaged, giving the deck a slightly detached surreal quality. Of course the minors are not illustrated unlike the first two, so that comment refers to the Majors and Courts. The figures all seem to be from the aristocracy while the Chinese decks seem more lively and are drawn from all walks of (then) life.

I like the decks and enjoy looking at them.

__________________
What goes around, comes around. If not examined too closely, it passes for justice.
~ Terry Pratchett