Hana Cards (花カード) were a unique type of Hanafuda printed using western-style cardstock. They were introduced by Nintendo around the 1950’s, and continued to be manufactured until the late 1960’s, usually for export to Hawaii, USA.
¶ Features
The deck contains 48 cards, plus one joker, for a total of 49 cards.
Unlike traditional hanafuda, which were small and thick, and cannot be bent to any degree without damaging them, Hana Cards were printed on bridge-size western-style cardstock, making them easier to shuffle.
The faces contained a small illustration of the standard hachi-hachi-bana pattern. To facilitate easier playing, the suits are indicated by both the name of the plant above the illustration, and the name of the month below the illustration, in both English and Japanese Romaji. Also, the point value of the card is indicated on its indices.
Included in the set was a booklet containing Japanese-language instructions for games that can be played using Hana Cards. Curiously, these were not games traditionally played using hanafuda, but were actually western card games adapted for play using hanafuda!
¶ Games Included in the Hana Cards Booklet
¶ 1. Babanuki (old maid)
The game can be played by 2 or more players. All 49 cards of the deck are used, including the joker.
First decide the dealer in any method preferred. The dealer shuffles and deals one card at a time to each player’s hand, starting with the person to his left, clockwise, until all the cards in the deck have been dealt. The number of cards in each player’s hand will vary slightly; this is normal.
Each player looks carefully at their own hand and discards any pair of cards that have matching suits. (If there are three cards of the same suit in your hand, you cannot put all three on the table. Only two of these cards must be discarded.) This way, no cards with the same picture will remain in any players’ hand.
Once all players have done discarding cards, they then arrange their cards in a fan shape and hold it in one hand, making it easier for the opponent to pick a card from the hand and easier for the player to see their own cards.
Starting with the dealer, each player picks one card from one of their opponents’ hands:
- If the card matches suit with any of the cards in their hand, they discard the matching cards.
- If it doesn’t, the card remains on the player’s hand. The turn passes to the player to their left.
Players keep doing this until one player discards all the cards in their hand completely; that player wins the game.
The joker card acts as the “old maid” in this game, and cannot be matched and discarded. If you have it in your hand, you want an opponent to take it away from you. So, the game has an element of psychological battle where you try to read the facial expressions of your opponents as you decide which card to pick, while taking care not to emote yourself when it’s your opponent’s turn to pick.
¶ 2. Shinkei Suijaku (concentration)
This game is a test of the players’ memory. It can be played by 1 or more players. 48 cards of the deck are used (excluding the joker).
Shuffle and place all cards on the table place down in a grid of 4 cards per column and 12 cards per row.
Each player take turns flipping over any two face-down cards on the table face up.
- If the two cards don’t have matching suits, they are turned face down again, and the player passes the turn to the next player.
- If the two cards have matching suits, then the player turns another face-down card on the table face up. If the third card doesn’t match suit with the 2 other face-up cards, all 3 cards are turned face down again, and the player passes the turn to the next player.
- If the third card matches suit with the 2 other face-up cards, then the player turns another face-down card on the table face up. If the fourth card doesn’t match suit with the 3 other face-up cards, all 4 cards are turned face down again, and the player passes the turn to the next player.
- If the fourth card matches suit with the 3 other face-up cards, then the player takes all 4 cards into their score pile, and they take another turn.
Players must remember the positions of the cards already turned by the other players in order to successfully turn four matching cards and add more cards to their own score pile.
The game continues until all the cards on the table are taken by the players. The player with the most cards in their score pile wins the game.
¶ 3. Doubt
The game can be played by 2 or more players. 48 cards of the deck are used (excluding the joker).
First decide the dealer in any method preferred. The dealer shuffles and deals one card at a time to each player’s hand, starting with the person to his left, clockwise, until all the cards in the deck have been dealt. The number of cards in each player’s hand will vary slightly; this is normal.
Starting with the dealer clockwise, each player discards a card to the table face-down, while declaring the month number of the discarded card aloud. For example, if the dealer discards a Wisteria card, the dealer declares “4”. The player to the dealer’s left must discard an Iris card and declare “5”, the player to that player’s left must discard a Peony card and declare “6”, etc. (If a player discards a Paulownia and declares “12”, the next player must discard a Pine and declare “1”.)
However, a player may discard a card and declare a month number that is NOT of the discarded card. (There are also situations where a player has no choice but to do so.)
At any time during the game, if a player notices that an opponent misdeclares the month number of their discarded card, the player may call “Doubt!” and reveal the discarded card:
- If the discarded card’s month number was indeed misdeclared, the player who discarded the card must take the entire discard pile into their hand.
- If the discarded card’s month number turns out to be declared correctly, the player who called “Doubt!” must take the entire discard pile into their hand.
Also, a player may also discard multiple cards of the same suit instead of just one card, without anybody noticing. If an opponent notices, they may call “Doubt!” and reveal the multiple discarded cards. When proven guilty, the discarding player must take the entire discard pile into their hand.
The first player to get rid of all the cards in their hand wins the game.
¶ 4. Kazoku-awase (happy families)
This game is a good way to test your familiarity with the cards of each suit in hanafuda. It can be played by 3 or more players. 48 cards of the deck are used (excluding the joker).
First decide the dealer in any method preferred. The dealer shuffles and deals one card at a time to each player’s hand, starting with the person to his left, clockwise, until all the cards in the deck have been dealt. The number of cards in each player’s hand will vary slightly; this is normal.
The goal of the game is to create as many sets of four cards of the same suit as possible.
After the cards have been dealt, each player then checks their hand for any four cards of the same suit. They are grouped together and placed face-up on the table in front of them. Once all players have done discarding cards this way, the first turn begins, starting with the dealer.
During a player’s turn, they choose another one player and they ask them for a specific card, preferably a card that is part of an incomplete set that the player has in their hand. This is done by mentioning the name of the player they want to ask, then asking for the card that they want (by mentioning both the rank and the suit), making sure to end the request with “today, please”.
*Example: “Player B, can you give me a bright of cherry blossom today, please?”
You may also refer to the cards by their month instead of their suit, as long as everybody playing is familiar with the hanafuda months.
Example: “Player B, can you give me a bright of March today, please?”
In the case of bright and animal cards, you may also refer to them by the object or animal on the card.
Example: “Player B, can you give me a cherry blossom curtain today, please?”
The point is that you are asking for a specific card, not just a specific suit.
Example: “Player B, can you give me a cherry blossom card today, please?”
The above example is wrong, and Player B reserves the right to respond by asking what is the rank of the card they’re asking for.
Also, there is a penalty for forgetting to include “today, please” completely at the end of the sentence when asking for a card.
Example 1: “Player B, can you give me a bright of cherry blossom?”
Example 2: “Player B, can you give me a bright of cherry blossom today?”
Example 3: “Player B, can you give me a bright of cherry blossom, please?”
The above examples are wrong, and the asking player forfeits their turn and passes it to Player B. Player B then gains the right to ask all players for a specific card during this turn only, instead of just asking one player.
Example: “Can anyone give me a bright of susuki grass today, please?”
Once a player has asked another player for a card:
- If the player being asked has the card in their hand, they must give it to the asking player.
- If the player being asked doesn’t have it, they respond with “Sorry, I don’t have it”. The turn passes to the player being asked.
In the case that the asking player receives the card they want, they must respond with “Thank you”. The asking player then takes another turn.
There is a penalty for forgetting to say “thank you”.
If the asking player forgets to say “thank you”, not only must they return the card they received to the player who gave it to them, but they must also give them another one card from their hand.
The game ends once all players have discarded all their cards. The player with the most sets of four cards wins.
¶ 5. Unmei no Uranai (destiny fortune telling)
This card fortune-telling game can be played alone, or can be used to read somebody else’s fortune. 40 cards of the deck are used, excluding the joker and the peony 
and bush clover 
suits.
The cartomancer thoroughly shuffles the deck and divides it roughly into 3 equal face-down piles.
The person whose fortune will be read must choose one of the 3 piles. The cards in the pile are then placed by the cartomancer on the table face-up, one-by-one, from left to right.
The cartomancer then writes down the meaning of each face-up card in order to read the person’s fortune.
If you are the cartomancer, then you must use your intuition in order to piece the meanings of the cards together, using the table below as a guide. Also, if you are reading another person’s fortune, you must take in consideration their feelings and explain the cards to them in a gentle manner, especially if there are many bad cards that appeared.
¶ Meaning of the suits
| Icon | Plant | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 |
Pine | FORTUNE - Good luck, wealth and prosperity. Even if you have given up on something, a new path will open up and the light will shine. It’s a good time for love, marriage, starting a business, building a new house, employment, etc. |
 |
Plum Blossom | MISFORTUNE - A lonely and difficult future. Things that are going well would soon go wrong. Your love partner may have a change of heart. Your business may be affected negatively. Be careful. |
 |
Cherry Blossom | OPPORTUNITY - Auspicious sign for seizing opportunities. Whatever you wish will come true. However, if you do not seize the opportunity quickly, you may miss it. |
 |
Wisteria | INCONVENIENCE - You are ready to move forward toward your goal, but the conditions are not yet ready. You must be patient and wait for the cherry blossoms to bloom. |
 |
Iris | DELIBERATENESS - If you take it one step at a time and work hard, you will gradually reach your goal. But do not rush and make a big leap, as you will surely make a grave mistake. Keep calm. |
 |
Susuki Grass | STEADFASTNESS - Stay true to your intentions and do not waver in your decisions, and you will find great happiness in the near future. |
 |
Chrysanthemum | UNCERTAINTY - A fickle and confused mind. You will quiver in your decision-making and not be able to make one. You must calm down and reflect on your actions. |
 |
Maple | PERSEVERANCE - The road ahead is difficult, but you will not fail. As long as you reflect on yourself and always do the right thing, keep carrying on and moving forward, and you will gradually be blessed with a good fortune. |
 |
Willow | FRIENDSHIP - Follow your own path diligently and keep a pleasant attitude, and you will be socially recognized. Many people around the world will help and cooperate with you, and you will be successful, so this is a very good omen.) |
 |
Paulownia | ARROGANCE - Self-righteousness and lack of self-reflection. You are too stubborn and assertive, and do not listen to what others have to say, so you easily trip up and fall. Please try to maintain a spirit of cooperation. |
Example reading:
Whatever you do, you must calmly reflect and think about it. But, even though difficult obstacles are expected in the future, if you reflect on your actions and decide that you are doing the right thing, you can resolutely stick to your original intention and forge ahead with single-minded determination. However, if you are too confident and stubborn in sticking to your original intention, you may be tripped up by others, but if you exercise self-restraint, you will be able to seize the opportunity and achieve your goals. And if you maintain a humble attitude and follow your own path, you will be recognized and famous in society, and your later years will be very auspicious.
The 8 cards are for example purposes only. The actual pile contains 13 cards, more or less.
¶ Hawaiian Version
Hana Cards were known to be exported to the United States during the 1960’s. These sets of cards came with an English-language instruction for playing Koi-Koi.
However, the game that was played in Hawaii was not Koi-koi, but Sakura, which used card points different from the ones printed on the cards.
Considering this, versions of Hana Cards made specifically for playing Sakura were created. The face design is identical, except the indices carried the card points used in the game of Sakura (cards worth no points have blank indices). The decks made by Nintendo were distributed by a Hawaiian company called Paradise Factors.
¶ Predecessors
¶ Hana-Trump
Printing hanafuda designs on western-style cardstock was not a new idea. Hana-Trump, which combined the elements of hanafuda and french-suited playing cards and printed them on western-style cardstock, were already being made by Nintendo before Hana Cards were introduced.
The differences are Hana-Trump were typically smaller than western playing cards, whereas Hana Cards had the same size (Hana-Trump that had the same size as western playing cards also existed). Also, Hana Cards omitted all elements of western playing cards (suits and numbers) from its faces.
¶ Yasen Hanafuda
Another type of hanafuda was already being printed on western-style cardstock before Hana Cards were introduced, called Yasen Hanafuda. They were made by Universal Playing Card Co., and had the same thickness and material as western playing cards, and the same face design, height, and width as traditional hanafuda. Based on the brand name and label, it is suggested that this type of hanafuda might have been carried around in the battlefield by soldiers because they fit easily in the pocket due to their small size.
¶ Modern Equivalents
Hana Cards, in both the standard and Hawaiian version, were already long discontinued by Nintendo. However, there exist modern equivalents that are similar to Hana Cards.
¶ Master Hanafuda
Master Hanafuda was a set of hanafuda cards printed on western-style cardstock, published by Beverly in Japan for its “Master” board game series.
Just like other games in the “Master” series, Master Hanafuda aims to assist players into the rules of the game while they’re playing, by putting hints on the cards themselves.
The face format is similar to Hana Cards: There’s a small illustration of a hachi-hachi-bana pattern hanafuda in the middle of the card. The month and card points are both written on the left side of the illustration in Japanese.
In addition, all the possible yaku that can be formed by each card is fully illustrated at the bottom part of the face of each card. Yaku for both Hana-awase and Koi-koi are illustrated.
¶ Hanafuda Hawaii Style
Hanafuda Hawaii Style was designed by Helen Nakano and her son Jason Nakano, who drew the illustrations. It was sold by her company, Hanafuda Hawaii LLC, since 2009, in order to promote the local game of Sakura around Hawaii.
The first edition was originally made of small, stiff cardboard similar to traditional hanafuda decks, but it has been discontinued in favor of the “extra-large” version printed on western-style cardstock, to make the cards easier to read. This version is still being sold today.
Just like the Hawaiian version of Hana Cards, each card of a Hanafuda Hawaii Style deck has markers that indicate the month of the card (denoted by its archaic Japanese month name written on the top right of the card) and its point value (on the top left of the card).
In addition, some cards have markers (denoted by one of the Japanese characters in the i-ro-ha poem) on the bottom of the card, which indicate that the card is a part of a certain yaku in the game.
¶ Bibliography
- Nintendo Hana Cards Booklet, 1950’s
- Directions of Playing “HANAFUDA” Japanese Flower Card Game, 1960’s
- Paradise Factors, A Japanese HANA FUDA (Flower Cards) Game, 1960’s