Kingo (きんご) is a hanafuda game for 2 to 7 players. The name derives from the Portuguese word quinze, which means ‘fifteen’.
Originally the game was played using Tensho Karuta, and later to facilitate easy identification of numbers on the cards, a one-suited mekurifuda deck called “kingo-fuda”, which may have been the same or similar deck as either Irinokichi or Kinseizan, was used.
Kingo may refer to a wide variety of games where players’ card points should not exceed 15. The game described below uses only 40 cards, and can be played using either a Hanafuda or Kabufuda deck.
¶ Equipment
40 cards of a standard Hanafuda deck is used. Remove all November 
and December 
cards.
A standard 40-card Kabufuda deck may also be used.
If western playing cards are used, remove all Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Jokers.
In addition to the cards, Go Stones are used to keep track of the players’ scores.
¶ Hanafuda Months Table
If playing with Hanafuda, familiarity with which month corresponds to which value is required.
| Value | Month | Icon | Flower |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January |  |
Pine |
| 2 | February |  |
Plum Blossom |
| 3 | March |  |
Cherry Blossom |
| 4 | April |  |
Wisteria |
| 5 | May |  |
Iris |
| 6 | June |  |
Peony |
| 7 | July |  |
Bush Clover |
| 8 | August |  |
Susuki Grass |
| 9 | September |  |
Chrysanthemum |
| 10 | October |  |
Maple |
¶ Setup
Game setup involves choosing a dealer - 親 [おや, oya], shuffling the deck, and distributing the initial cards.
A decision must be made as to how long the game will last - 12 rounds is traditional, though other common options are 6 rounds, 3 rounds, or until all but one player runs out of stones.
Also, a decision must also be made as to how much points a wager costs per round. It may be fixed throughout the game, or changed every time a round starts (the decision of which may be done either before or after dealing the cards, usually by the dealer).
¶ Choosing the Dealer
There is no required method for selecting who is the first dealer, though a typical method in hanafuda games is to shuffle the deck and have both players draw one card each. The player who drew a suit for the earliest month becomes the dealer. If both players drew from the same suit, the player drawing the higher point card becomes the dealer. In cases where there is a tie, this process can be repeated.
¶ Dealing the Cards
The dealer shuffles the cards and deals one card to each player’s hand, starting from the player to the dealer’s right up to the dealer himself/herself. The rest of the cards are put face-down on the table as the draw pile.
¶ Placing the Wager
Each player then places a wager into the table to form the pot, which will be received by the winner of the round.
¶ Gameplay
Each round, the dealer is the first to play. Turn to play goes counter-clockwise.
During a player’s turn, he/she draws a card from the draw pile and put it in his/hand to increase the value of their hand.
Afterward, the player can keep drawing cards until his/her hand value total becomes close to 15, or pass the turn to the next player if he/she thinks the next draw will push his/her hand’s value beyond 15.
¶ Bareta (Bust)
If the player’s hand value reaches 16 or higher, his/her hand busts (バレタ, bareta). The player automatically loses the round and has to pass the turn to the next player immediately. In addition, the wager he/she must place in the pot during that round is doubled.
If all players bust, then the round is void. All wagers go back to the players, and the cards must be redealt by the same dealer.
¶ Showdown
The round ends once all players have passed their turn. All players then reveal their hands.
The player with the highest hand value (up to 15) wins the round, takes the pot, and becomes the dealer for the next round.
If two or more players have the highest hand value, then they split the pot equally. If the pot cannot be split equally, the player nearest to the dealer’s right takes the largest share. In both cases, the player nearest to the dealer’s right becomes the dealer for the next round.
¶ Teyaku
¶ Shigoro
Shigoro (シゴロ) is a 3-card hand consisting of an April card, a May card, and a June card, and is worth 15 points.
If it appears during showdown, the amount in the pot is doubled (normal wagers are 2x, Bareta wagers are 4x).
A player with Shigoro beats other players with 15-point hands that are not Shigoro. However, he loses to a player with a Kingo.
¶ Kingo
Kingo (きんご) is a 3-card hand consisting of 3 May cards, and is also worth 15 points.
If it appears during showdown, the amount in the pot is tripled (normal wagers are 3x, Bareta wagers are 6x).
A player with Kingo beats all players regardless of their hand.
¶ Kingo: Banking Variant
The game is mostly the same as mentioned above, except that all bettors play against the dealer, instead of each player playing against everyone.
¶ Setup
¶ Choosing the Dealer
The method mentioned above may be used to determine the seating order, by checking the sequence of the cards drawn by each player. Once dealer is chosen, all bettors sit against the opposite side of the table as the dealer.
If the dealer represents an establishment- say, when playing at a casino or gambling parlour- then their role will obviously be fixed, though the other players may still use this process to determine their seating order.
¶ Dealing the Cards
The dealer shuffles the cards and deals three cards to each player’s hand, starting from the bettor to the dealer’s farthest right, counter-clockwise, up to the dealer themselves. The rest of the cards are put face-down on the table as the draw pile.
¶ Choosing a Card and Discarding the Rest
Each bettor chooses 1 card from their hand that they like, and discards the other 2 cards.
If all 3 cards are October
The dealer takes all discarded cards and shuffles them into the draw pile.
¶ Placing the Wager
Each bettor then places their wager onto the table.
¶ Gameplay
Each round, the bettor to the dealer’s farthest right is the first to play, and the dealer is last to play. Turn to play goes counter-clockwise.
During a player’s turn, he/she draws a card from the draw pile and put it in his/hand to increase the value of their hand.
Afterward, the player must keep drawing cards until his/her hand value total becomes close to 15.
¶ Tsun
If a player thinks the next draw will push his/her hand’s value beyond 15, they may pass the turn to the next player. This is called Tsun (つん).
A player cannot pass their turn unless the value in their hand is 12 or higher. The only exception is if a player forms a Teyaku that they can avail.
Some play such that this value is 13 or 11.
¶ Bareta (Bust)
If a player’s hand value reaches 16 or higher, his/her hand busts, and he/she must reveal their hand immediately.
That player automatically loses the round and has to pass the turn to the next player.
¶ Showdown
The round ends once all players have passed their turn. All players who do not have bareta already then reveal their hands.
- If the bettor has a higher value than the dealer, the bettor wins an amount equal to their wager. (This may be reduced by the rental fee (tera-zen) to the gambling parlor)
- If the bettor has a lower value than the dealer, the dealer wins and takes the player’s wager.
- If both dealer and bettor have equal hands worth 15 points, then it is considered a tie. The bettor takes back their wager.
- If both dealer and bettor have equal hands worth less than 15, then the dealer wins.
¶ Teyaku
Decide first which of these Teyaku to adopt before playing the game.
Teyaku are listed from strongest to weakest. Players who can avail a Teyaku, and the payment multipliers for bettors are also mentioned.
¶ 1. Kingo (Dealer and Bettor - 3x)
Kingo (きんご) is a 3-card hand consisting of 3 May cards.
It is considered the strongest hand in the game, and beats all other hands regardless of their value or Teyaku.
If a bettor has this hand, the payment they receive from the dealer is tripled.
If the dealer has this hand, they take all wagers.
¶ 2. Arashi (Bettor Only - 2x)
Arashi (あらし) or Zoro (ゾロ) is a 3-card hand consisting of 3 cards of the same month.
If a bettor forms Arashi, the hand is not considered ‘Bareta’, regardless of the sum of the month numbers of the cards.
Also, if a bettor forms Arashi, the payment they receive from the dealer is doubled.
¶ 3. Goshita Gomai (Bettor Only)
Goshita Gomai (五下五枚 - ごしたごまい) is a hand consisting of 5 cards, each having a month number of 5 or less.
If a bettor forms Goshita Gomai, the hand is not considered ‘Bareta’, regardless of the sum of the month numbers of the cards.
¶ 4. Ittan-juuroku (Dealer and Bettor - 3x)
Ittan-juuroku (いったん十六) is a 2-card hand with a total value of 16 points.
This hand is not considered ‘Bareta’, despite having a value of 16 points.
If a player has this hand, the payment they receive from the dealer is tripled.
¶ 5. Shippin (Dealer only)
Shippin (四一 - しっぴん) is a 2-card hand consisting of an April and a January .
¶ 6. Kuppin (Dealer only)
Kuppin (九一 - くっぴん) is a 2-card hand consisting of a September and a January .
¶ 7. Shigoro (Dealer and Bettor - 2x)
Shigoro (シゴロ) is a 3-card hand consisting of an April card, a May card, and a June card, and is worth 15 points.
If a bettor forms Shigoro, the payment they receive from the dealer is doubled.
¶ 8. Normal 15-point hand
Any hand with a total value of 15 points, which doesn’t form any Teyaku.
¶ 9. Goppin (Dealer only)
Goppin (五一 - ごっぴん) is a 2-card hand consisting of a May and a January .
This hand is weaker than any normal 15-point hand.
¶ 10. Normal hand less than 15 points
Any hand with a total value less than 15 points, which doesn’t form any Teyaku.
The value of the hand determines its strength.