Poems and plants on cards

Ogura Hyakunin Isshu: an anthology became a card tradition

Waka: a short poem within a longer tradition

Waka names a tradition of Japanese verse whose scope changed over time. Earlier forms included long poems; later usage centred on the short pattern of 5–7–5–7–7 sound units. Poems circulated in exchanges, contests and carefully arranged collections.

Tanka: thirty-one sound units, many ways to speak

Tanka conventionally uses five groups of 5–7–5–7–7 Japanese morae. A mora is a rhythmic sound unit, so the pattern cannot be checked by counting English syllables or written characters.

Hanafuda: twelve months in forty-eight cards

Hanafuda are Japanese cards whose designs centre on seasonal plants. A common pack has four cards for each of twelve months, making forty-eight cards that can support several different games.

Matsu: pines in cultivation, ceremony and pictures

Matsu is a Japanese name for pines, not a single species. Different pines appear in coastal planting, cultivated gardens, bonsai and New Year decorations. Pine groves also became subjects for ink-painted screens.

Hana-awase: matching months, yaku, and three-player scoring

Hana-awase uses a forty-eight-card hanafuda deck to match months and score captured cards and yaku. Nintendo’s three-player rules provide the example here, with explicit comparisons to Oishi Tengudo’s version.

Wisteria: climbing stems, trellises and floral motifs

Kiku: growing and viewing chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums in Japanese horticulture are cultivated flowers shaped by generations of breeding and care. Petals can spread, curl or hang in long strands, while one plant can be trained into striking display forms. Courtly viewing, Edo gardening and modern flower production belong to this continuing history.

Autumn leaves: why yellow and red differ

Autumn foliage is the changing colour of leaves before they fall. Japanese kōyō can refer broadly to this seasonal display, including the foliage of maples and other plants. Yellowing and reddening involve different pigment processes.