Maple [紅葉, momiji] is the name of a suit in traditional hanafuda decks. It is generally taken to be the tenth suit, representing the month of October [10月, jūgatsu] or the number 10.
The cards in this suit all feature falling maple leaves of different colors. There are two Chaff cards, one Blue Ribbon, and one Animal. The Animal card of the Maple suit features an orange Deer [鹿, shika] standing alongside a maple tree.
¶ Cards
¶ Deer
Maple with Deer [紅葉に鹿, momiji ni shika], or simply Deer, is the Animal card of the Maple suit.
This card is part of the famous “Boar-Dear-Butterflies” [猪鹿蝶, inoshikachō] yaku in many hanafuda games from Japan, including Koi-koi, Hana-Awase and Roppyakken.
¶ Blue Ribbon
Maple with Blue Ribbon [牡丹に青短, botan ni aotan] is the Ribbon card of the Maple suit, and one of the three Blue Ribbons.
The Peony Ribbon combines with the Peony Ribbon and Chrysanthemum Ribbon in a large number of games to form the yaku called “Blue Ribbons.”
¶ Chaff
The Maple suit, like most, has two Chaff cards.
¶ External links
For examples of traditional art with the same motifs as this suit of hanafuda, see also the following category on Wikimedia Commons:
¶ Bibliography
- Ōishi Tengudō, “花札の謎シリーズ！１０月札『鹿に紅葉』,” blog post, October 2013.
- Rin & Char, “各月に描かれた絵柄の意味,” りんとちゃーの花しらべ, blog post, September 2019.
- Hanafuda Hawaii, “Symbols and Motifs in Hanafuda,” March 2025.