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Japanese Karuta Cards: 100 Poets browse these categories for related items... All Items: Vintage Arts:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese: Pre 1950: item # 319782 Please refer to our stock # 9-088 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book $235 |
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| This fascinating deck of Japanese karauta cards for a New Year’s card game comes in its original covered lacquered paper box and dates from the early to mid-20th century. Known as the “100 Poet Cards,” the 200 cards used in this game feature short Japanese compositions from “Ogura Hyaku-nin Isshu,” a classic anthology of 100 poems that was compiled in the 13th century. Each of the 100 poems, whose themes are love, the seasons and several other subjects, is by a different author. The deck consists of 100 “yomi-fuda” (“cards to be read”), each containing the full 31 syllables of the short Japanese poem above the portrait of a Japanese man and woman wearing traditional Heian period clothing. The personages pictured in each yomi-fuda card are the actual authors of the verses. The remaining 100 “tori-fuda” (“cards to be gotten”) have shorter and larger text and no picture and contain the last two 14-syllable verses of the matching poem. To play the game, tori-fuda are scattered randomly face up on the floor. A non-participant “reader” then picks one yomi-fuda and starts reading its text. The goal of the players is to quickly recognize the poem and grab the corresponding tori-fuda faster than anyone else. In order to win, players must memorize not only each full 31-syllable poem, but also the position of each scattered card on the floor. The best players are often able to tell the right card upon hearing just the first one or two syllables which are read. The 100 poems card games are so popular in Japan that competitions are held regularly, particularly at New Year’s. The covered red lacquered box, which is divided into two sections, is decorated with a gold lacquer origami crane. The cardboard cards are all in excellent condition, but one yomi-fuda card is missing. The storage box has wear and seam cracks consistent with age and usage. Dimensions: each card is 2 7/8” x 2 1/8”. The box is 6 ¾” x 5” x 3” high. | ||||||||||||||
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