Sashikomi [指込 - さしこみ] is a 2-player gambling game played using hanafuda. It belongs to the kabu genre of showdown games, whose goal is to make a hand whose sum ends in “9”. It is mostly luck-based, but includes a discard-and-draw choice reminiscent of that used in Draw Poker that gives it some strategy.
¶ Setup
First, the two players agree upon the amount of money to wager and each put up an identical amount.
Players select the dealer for the round in whatever method is agreeable to both parties.
The dealer thoroughly shuffles a standard 48-card deck and sets it on the table.
¶ Gameplay
The dealer takes the first 3 cards from the top of the deck - this becomes their hand. The other player then takes the next 3 cards to be their own hand. Players’ hands are kept private from the other player.
Next, the dealer evaluates their hand and decides whether to discard (only) one of their cards and draw a new one. They may do this only once. Then the dealer’s opponent is offered the same choice, with the same restrictions of only one card, one time.
Finally is the showdown: Both players reveal their hands. The value of the hand is decided by the ones’ digit of the sum of their cards’ numeric values according to the standard suit order. The player whose hand value is the highest (i.e. the closest to 9) wins the round, and earns all money wagered.
¶ Example Round
The two players agree to play for $5. Player A is arbitrarily selected to be dealer. Player A shuffles the cards and then deals 3 cards to themself and 3 cards to Player B.
Player A received a hand consisting of 
Wisteria (=4), 
Iris (=5), and 
Paulownia (=12). 4+5+12=21. The last digit of 21 is 1, so this hand’s value is 1. (This is a very poor hand.)
Player B’s dealt hand consisted of 2 
Bush Clovers (=7x2) and 1 Wisteria (=4). 7x2+4=18. The last digit of 18 is 8, so this hand’s value is 8. (This is a rather good hand.)
Player A, being the dealer, takes the first turn deciding whether to trade a card. They discard the Wisteria and draw a new card from the deck: a 
Susuki Grass (=8). Their new hand is : 5+8+12=25, which ends in 5, so Player A’s final hand value is 5.
Player B then has the option to discard one card and draw one new one; however, Player B is content with their hand and chooses not to exchange a card. Thus Player B’s hand remains at a value of 8.
Lastly, the players reveal their hands to one another and compare their values. Ultimately, Player B had the better hand, and so wins the round. Player A pays player B $5.
¶ Bibliography
- Kusaba, Jun. “In Search of Old Hanafuda Games.” Jun Kusaba’s Game Research Site, Jan.-Feb. 1995, https://sites.google.com/a/banjoyugi.net/kusabazyun/Home/reproductioned/history/kohanafuda.
- Shiono, Suehiko. Teikei Aru Hanzai No Chōsa. Shihōshō Chōsaka, 1921, National Diet Library, dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1878761. p. 91.