Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a company most-known today as a video game manufacturer, but started out as a manufacturer of Hanafuda and other Karuta. It was founded in September 1889 by Yamauchi Fusajirō (山内房治郎), who named the company Yamauchi Nintendo (山内任天堂).
In 1902, they started selling the first locally-produced western playing cards in Japan.
Nintendo’s manufacturer’s mark is a circled 福 (fuku, ‘fortune’), called Marufuku (丸福).
The meaning of the name ‘Nintendo’ is not exactly known, but a U.S. Patent Office trademark describes it as “a corporation whose fortune or prosperity should be left to the mercy of heaven”. This could possibly be the origin of the phrase “leave luck to heaven”.
Despite being a full-fledged video game manufacturer, Nintendo still continues to manufacture Hanafuda today.
Currently, Nintendo produces the standard Hanafuda pattern in 3 main brands, which differ only in the texture of the cards, and the packaging design.
| Brand | Packaging | Card texture |
|---|---|---|
| Daitoryo (大統領, president) |
Beige-colored plastic box with a black/red flap that closes on both ends of the box. | Heavy clear-coat on the front; Glossy on the back |
| Tengu (天狗) |
Beige-colored plastic box with a black/red flap that closes on both ends of the box. | Faint clear-coat on the front; Glossy on the back |
| Miyako no Hana (都の花, flowers of the capital) |
Two-piece clear plastic box. | Uncoated front; Slightly matte back |
Nintendo also uses a different brand called “Chiyozakura”, which was first released sometime in the 1990’s (possibly 1994) for sale in convenience stores. It has the same price as a Miyako no Hana deck, and the quality is the same.
| Brand | Packaging | Card texture |
|---|---|---|
| Chiyozakura (千代桜, Thousand-year Sakura) |
Two-piece clear plastic box. | Uncoated front; Slightly matte back (Same as Miyako no Hana) |
In addition to the standard hanafuda decks, Nintendo currently produces Mario Hanafuda, which was first released in Japan on November 2015, and features characters from the Super Mario and Donkey Kong series on all of the cards.
| Brand | Packaging | Card texture | Card pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Hanafuda (マリオ花札) |
Two-piece clear plastic box. | Heavy clear-coat on the front; Glossy on the back (Same as Daitoryo) |
Standard Hanafuda but with Mario and Donkey Kong characters on all of the cards |
Note: Brands produced by Nintendo for other companies are not listed here.
| Brand | Rarity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Asahi Sakura (朝日桜, Morning Sun Sakura) |
Common | Came in two label designs. The first design was a diamond shape inside an oval, and shared the same label design with Goshozakura, Kumoizakura, and Yaezakura. The second design looked similar to the label designs of Marufuku Sakura and Heian. |
| Azuma Tengu (東天狗, Eastern Tengu) |
Uncommon | Same label design as Tengu, but with silver background instead of gold. Could be the replacement for the brand Gintengu. Briefly succeeded by Daitengu in 1977. An example with a newer label design (probably from 1994 or later) had a gold background instead of silver, but the clothing of the Tengu was purple instead of green. |
| Chujo (中将, Lieutenant General) |
Rare | Also used for shirofuda decks. |
| Daifuku (大福, Great Fortune) |
Very Rare | An unused label exists. Another example shows a paulownia box set of black and red decks. Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Daikoku (大黒, short for Daikokuten) |
Unique | |
| Daioh jirushi (大王印, Great King mark) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. Shares the same label design with Oedo. |
| Daitengu (大天狗, Great Tengu) |
Uncommon | Introduced in 1977 as a replacement brand for Azuma Tengu. The label features a floating Tengu head among the clouds, in a silver background. |
| Eiyu (英雄, Hero) |
Very rare | Features a portrait of Saigo Takamori (西郷隆盛) |
| Fuji (不二, Peerless) |
Very rare | |
| Ginsekai (銀世界, Silver World) |
Unique | Shares the same label design with Kaoh jirushi. Handprinted hanafuda deck. |
| Gintengu (銀天狗, Silver Tengu) |
Unique | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. Shares the same label design with Kintengu, except for the background color. |
| Gion (祇園) |
Rare | |
| Goshozakura (御所櫻, Imperial Palace Sakura) |
Unique | Shares the same label design with Goshozakura, Kumoizakura, and Yaezakura. |
| Hagoromo (羽衣, Angelic Clothing) |
Very rare | Shares the same label design with Kikusui. |
| Hakubai (白梅, White Plum) |
Common | Shares the same label design with Ume jirushi. |
| Hakutsuru (白鶴, White Crane) |
Unique | |
| Hana no Yama (花の山, Mountain of Flowers) |
Uncommon | Shares the same label design with Tsukimi Yama. Has a similar label design to that of Sakura no Yama. There was a label variant where the mountains were pink and black instead of green. |
| Hatsuzakura (初櫻,First Sakura) |
Uncommon | Came in two label designs, but there are only minor differences between them. |
| Heian (平安, Peace) |
Rare | Came in two label designs. The first design was a Sakura tree on a silver background, and shared the same label design with Marufuku Sakura. The second design was a woman in Japanese clothing, against a yellow background. |
| Hi no De (日の出, Sunrise) |
Uncommon | Came in two label designs. The first design was a red shield with a gold Marufuku logo on a dark blue background. The word ‘NINTENDO’ was printed in Romaji at the bottom part of the label. The second design was a sihouette of a pine tree on a mountain, with a red sun rising on a yellow background. |
| Hiruko (蛭子, another name of Ebisu) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Ho-oh (鳳凰, Phoenix) |
Lost | Shares the same label design with Kinpo. Appears in the Nintendo Company Guide 2019. |
| Hyaku-en (百圓, 100 yen) |
Very rare | |
| Kame jirushi (亀印, Turtle mark) |
Rare | Only used for shirofuda decks. |
| Kaoh jirushi (花王印, Flower King mark) |
Lost | Appears in one of the photos by Yamauchi No. 10. Shares the same label design with Ginsekai. |
| Kikumaku (菊幕, Chrysanthemum Curtain) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Kikusui (菊水, Chrysanthemum Water) |
Unique | Shares the same label design with Hagoromo. |
| Kinpo (金鳳, Golden Phoenix) |
Very rare | |
| Kinryu (金龍, Golden Dragon) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Kintengu (金天狗, Golden Tengu) |
Common | The brand Tengu was known by this name throughout the mid-20th century, and had a similar label design, but the Tengu is drawn slightly different. Same label as Gintengu, but the background is gold instead of silver. There was a label variant from 1945-1946 where the Tengu had gold skin instead of red, and the background was red instead of gold. |
| Konishiki jirushi (小錦印, Sumo Wrestler) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Kumoizakura (雲井櫻, Heavenly Sakura) |
Rare | Shares the same label design with Goshozakura, Asahi Sakura, and Yaezakura. |
| Kyo no Hana (京の花, Flowers of Kyoto) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. Possibly a brand variant of Miyako no Hana. |
| Marufuku jirushi **(**丸福印, Marufuku mark) |
Lost | There is one example of a box with this label, but the contents are for a different hanafuda. Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. The brand was represented by only a large Marufuku logo in the label. |
| Marufuku Sakura (丸福桜) |
Very rare | Shares the same label design with Heian. Brand was written in Romaji on the label. An example from 1960 came in a box marked “Made in Japan" and “Black” in English; this was possibly an exported product. There was also a variant of the label where the brand is only represented by the Marufuku logo; it is difficult to tell if this label falls under “Marufuku jirushi” or “Marufuku Sakura”. |
| Masamune (正宗) |
Very rare | The brand was written in cursive in the label. Nevertheless, Nintendo card catalogs describe this brand as “正宗” |
| Masayuki (正行) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Matsu jirushi (松印, Pine mark) |
Lost | No photos exist on the internet yet. Only mentioned in Nintendo card catalogs. Only used for shirofuda decks. |
| Mushi (虫, Insect) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. Despite the brand name, the label depicts two swallows under a willow tree. |
| Oedo (大江戸, Great Edo) |
Unique | Shares the same label design with Daioh. |
| Ohtengu (王天狗, King Tengu) |
Very rare | Shares the same label design with Kintengu, but with a more elaborately detailed clothing. There’s an example that was intended for sale in Japanese-occupied Korea. |
| Otafuku (お多福) |
Common | There was a label variant where only the face of Otafuku was shown instead of the whole body. |
| Ranko (蘭光, Orchid light) |
Very rare | Label appears in the Nintendo Company Guide 2019. Used in Dairenbana decks. |
| Sakura no Yama (櫻の山, Mountain of Sakura) |
Uncommon | Label design looks similar to those of Hana no Yama and Tsukimi Yama. |
| Sanbazuru (三羽鶴, Three cranes) |
Common | Label features three cranes in a red background. There was a label variant where there’s a red sun and blue background behind the three cranes. |
| Shiko jirushi (四光印, Four Lights mark) |
Unique | Handprinted hanafuda deck. |
| Shun’yu (春遊, Spring Outing) |
Very rare | |
| Taisho (大将, General) |
Unique | |
| Take jirushi (竹印, Bamboo mark) |
Lost | No photos exist on the internet yet. Only mentioned in Nintendo card catalogs. Only used for shirofuda decks. |
| Tancho (丹頂, Red-crested Crane) |
Uncommon | |
| Teasobi Karuta (手遊かるた, Hand-playing Cards) |
Lost | Appears in the Nintendo Brands and Chihofuda Poster from early Showa era. |
| Tokiwa (常磐, Eternal) |
Rare | Has the word ‘MARUFUKU’ written on the label in English. |
| Tsukimi Yama (月見山, Moon-viewing Mountain) |
Lost | Shares the same label design with Hana no Yama. |
| Tsuru jirushi (鶴印, Crane mark) |
Lost | No photos exist on the internet yet. Only mentioned in Nintendo card catalogs. Only used for shirofuda decks. |
| Ume jirushi (梅印, Plum mark) |
Very rare | Shares the same label design with Hakubai. Only used for shirofuda decks. |
| Yaezakura (八重桜, Double-layered Sakura) |
Very rare | Shares the same label design with Goshozakura, Asahi Sakura, and Kumoizakura. |
| Yoroshii (よろしい, another term for Yaku) |
Lost | Label appears in the Nintendo Company Guide 2019. Another brand of the same name was produced by Nintendo for Iwata Honten, but it featured different packaging design. |
| Yu no Hana (湯の花, Flowers of the Hot Spring) |
Unique |
In addition, Nintendo released Club Nintendo Hanafuda in 2007, which featured characters from the Super Mario on only the scoring cards, and all Chaffs were left in their original design. It was available as a reward in the Club Nintendo Rewards Program, first as a red deck, then later as a black deck.
| Brand | Packaging | Card texture | Card pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club Nintendo Hanafuda (クラブニンテンドー花札) |
Beige-colored plastic box with a black/red flap that closes on both ends of the box. | Uncoated front; slightly matte back (Same as Miyako no Hana) |
Standard Hanafuda but with Mario characters on all scoring cards. |
And finally, Nintendo released some hanafuda decks with gold and silver backs. Some of them are commemorative items, and released in extremely limited quantities.
| Brand | Rarity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kin-Gin (金銀, Gold-Silver) |
Uncommon | Came as a set of Gold-back and Silver-back decks, in a large gold colored carboard box. Each deck is wrapped in cellophane wrapper only, and encased in two-piece plastic box with a clear top and a transparent gold-colored bottom. The cards themselves have a foil finish on the front and shiny metallic finish on the back. |
| Tokusei Hanafuda (特製花札, Special Hanafuda) |
Unique | Released sometime between 1975-1985 (possibly 1978). Came as a two-deck set, in a large paulownia box with a pull cord to elevate the decks from the box. Insert describes the set to be a 20th anniversary gift for something, and used gold and silver leaf. The decks were wrapped in textured gold or silver foil wrapper, with ‘特製花札’ marked on them. It is unknown what the cards inside look like. |
| (No brand) | Unique | Released in commemoration of the Nintendo Headquarters Development Building on June 2014. Came as a set of Gold-back and Silver-back decks, in a very large paulownia box with Mario engraved on it along with other hanafuda motifs and the word はなふだ (hanafuda) and the Marufuku logo. The box itself is wrapped inside a purple cloth with the Marufuku logo on it, and the entire thing is stored inside a plain cardboard box with the Nintendo logo on it. The decks were not wrapped; only encased in a two piece plastic box with a clear top and black bottom. The faces of the cards have gold outlines on the gold deck and silver outlines on the silver deck. |
In addition to the above, Nintendo has also manufactured various Character Hanafuda decks, which are usually available in limited quantities only.
| Brand | Date of Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beichō Family Warōtei | ca. 1974-1976 | Asahi Broadcasting Corp. |
| Carta de Flor | 2022 | Brownies Shop. Sold exclusively at the Brownies Shop website. |
| Dragon Quest Hanafuda | 2017 | Square Enix |
| Idolmaster Cinderella Girls: Koi-koi Cinderella | May 2016 | Bandai Namco. Available only as a prize during the 21st Dream LIVE Festival (From April 30-May 8, 2016), by reaching the top 300 or getting specific ranks (1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 4,000, or 7,000). The participant must also apply with a “special application ticket”, which can be obtained in gacha, until May 9, 2016. |
| Jojo’s Bizarre Hanafuda: Mori cards | 2009 | Bandai |
| Jojo’s Bizarre Hanafuda: Stone Mask | 2009 | Bandai |
| Jojo’s Bizarre Hanafuda: Golden cards | 2009 | Bandai |
| Kirby Hanafuda | January 2020 | Nintendo/HAL. Distributed by Ensky. |
| Pokemon Hanafuda | November 2013 | Pokemon/Nintendo/Creatures/Game Freak. Distributed by Movic. |
| Mario Pikachu Hanafuda | October 29, 2016 | Pokemon/Nintendo/Creatures/Game Freak. Sold only at Pokemon Center stores in Japan. |
| Snoopy Comic Hanafuda | October 2, 2010 | Bandai. Sold exclusively at the Premium Bandai website. |
| Brand | Date of Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kogarashi Monjiro Hanafuda | 1970’s? | Contains standard hanafuda pattern. |
| Over The Century Hanafuda | ? | Contains standard hanafuda pattern. |