Kujuroku [九十六 - くじゅろく, lit. “Ninety-six”] is a type of fishing game that was attested to be played in the Akehama Town, in Ehime Prefecture of Japan.
The name comes from the par score of the game: 96 points.
It was played using Daini, which is a 40-card deck with only 1 suit: Coins. It bears a similar structure to Kabufuda, except that Daini has three special cards (1, 3, and 4) while Kabufuda only has two (1 and 4). Depending on the manufacturer of the deck, it may have either one or two jokers: the Oni-fuda (Demon card) is most common, while the Jizo-fuda (Buddha card) is usually omitted.
The game shares the same gameplay as Hana-Awase, and is attested to be played by 4 people, with 3 people participating in each round at once. (Of course, it is possible to play the game with 3 players only)
¶ Card Names
| NAME | Description | Number of cards in deck |
|---|---|---|
| I-tsun | Special “1” | 1 |
| Bakatsun | Normal “1” | 3 |
| Ni | “2” | 4 |
| Bakasan | “3”* | 4 |
| I-shi | Special “4” | 1 |
| Bakashi | Normal “4” | 3 |
| Go | “5” | 4 |
| Roku | “6” | 4 |
| Hichi | “7” | 4 |
| Hachi | “8” | 4 |
| Ku | “9” | 4 |
| Doh | “10” | 4 |
| Oni/Gaji | “Demon” | 1 |
| Jizo | “Buddha” | 1 |
- There is no name distinction between Special “3” and Normal “3” cards.
¶ Equipment
40 cards plus the Oni-fuda (demon card) of the Daini deck are used, for a total of 41 cards.
Since the special “3” is not treated differently in this game, you may also use a Kabufuda deck, and add the blank card as the wild card.
You may also use a Hanafuda deck if you are familiar with the month sequence of the cards.
Chips may be useful for keeping track of the players’ winnings. 30 chips per player is recommended (total of 120 chips).
¶ Game Setup
¶ Choosing the Dealer and Seating Arrangement
No method is stipulated for choosing the initial dealer. A method based on hanafuda games involves each player drawing a card from the deck, and the number sequence determines the seating order of the players, and the player with the lowest number becomes the dealer.
In the event of a tie, the special card is considered the lower card. If both cards are normal cards, then the players re-draw.
¶ The Round Participants
Once the seating arrangement is decided, players sit around a table in order counter-clockwise around the table:
Dealer > 2nd > 3rd > 4th(out)
Only the first 3 players participate in the round; the 4th player waits until the dealer loses its dealer status.
¶ Dealing the Initial Cards
The 3rd player shuffles the deck, and the 2nd player may choose to cut it.
The dealer then deals 6 cards to each player’s hand, and 6 cards face-up to the table. The remainder of the deck is placed face-down to form the draw pile.
The attested method of dealing is as follows:
- 3 cards to 2nd player
- 3 cards to 3rd player
- 3 cards to the dealer
- 3 cards face up on the field
- 3 cards to 2nd player
- 3 cards to 3rd player
- 3 cards to the dealer
- 3 cards face up on the field
If the Oni-fuda is dealt on the field, dealer takes it and one card on the field of the dealer’s choice into their capture pile.
If there are 3 cards of the same number on the field, the dealer takes 2 of those 3 cards and puts them in their capture pile.
If 4 cards of the same number are dealt to the table, then a misdeal is declared (since these 4 cards are impossible to capture); In this case, the cards are thrown in, shuffled again, and re-dealt.
¶ Gameplay
The core gameplay is identical to Hana-awase, except that instead of matching flowers, numbers/courts are being matched instead.
The round ends either when a player forms a Dekiyaku, or if all players run out of cards in hand.
Since there are a total of 18 cards in all players’ hands and only 17 cards on the draw pile, the last player to play a card from their hand no longer draws a card from the draw pile.
¶ Wild Card
The Oni-fuda is considered a wild card in the game. It can be used to capture any card on the field, regardless of number.
If dealt on the field, dealer takes it and one card on the field of the dealer’s choice into their capture pile.
If a player has it in hand, they may use it to capture a card on the field during any of their turns. However, it is not allowed to discard it on the field without capturing.
If it was drawn from the draw pile, it must be used to capture a card on the field.
If the field is empty:
- If a player has it in hand, they may discard it on the field. However, they may not use the drawn card to capture the Oni-fuda.
- If a player draws it from the draw pile, it is discarded on the field.
Once the Oni-fuda has been discarded onto the field, after the player’s turn ends, the Oni-fuda is removed from the game for the remainder of the round.
At the end of the round, if all players run out of cards in hand, and the Oni-fuda was used to capture a card, then the card remaining on the field that has the same number as the one captured by the Oni-fuda automatically belongs to the player who has the Oni-fuda.
Even if this remaining card is still not captured or has not yet appeared on the field, once the type and number of this card has been confirmed, it is treated as if the player already has it. So if this card can complete the player’s Dekiyaku, and the player captures all the other cards, then technically the player forms the Dekiyaku and the round ends.
¶ Scoring
¶ Dekiyaku
If a player forms a yaku, the round ends immediately, and the player receives chips from the other 2 participating players.
You may choose any one of the following Dekiyaku Set Configurations, prior to playing the game.
Note that Configuration B and C use the Special “3” card, so they cannot be played using a Kabufuda deck.
¶ Configuration A.
| NAME OF YAKU | Composition | Value (in Chips) |
|---|---|---|
| Shi Yaku | Four "4"s | 4 |
| San Yaku | Four "3"s | 6 |
| Danjoo | Oni-fuda + I-tsun + I-shi | 8 |
| Shi-Dan | Four "4"s + Oni-fuda | 12 |
| Shi-Dan-San | Four "4"s + Oni-fuda + Four "3"s | 18 |
¶ Configuration B.
| NAME OF YAKU | Composition | Value (in Chips) |
|---|---|---|
| Shi Yaku | Four "4"s | 4 |
| San Yaku | Four "3"s | 6 |
| Danjoo | Oni-fuda + Special “3” + I-shi | 8 |
| Shi-Dan-San | Four "4"s + I-tsun + One Baka-tsun + Four "3"s | 18 |
¶ Configuration C.
| NAME OF YAKU | Composition | Value (in Chips) |
|---|---|---|
| Shi Yaku | Four "4"s | 4 |
| San Yaku | Four "3"s | 6 |
| Danjoo | I-tsun + Special “3” + I-shi | 8 |
| Shi-San | Four "4"s + Four "3"s | 10 |
| Shi-Dan | Four "4"s + I-tsun + Special “3” | 12 |
| Dan-San | Four "3"s + I-tsun + I-shi | 14 |
| Shi-Dan-San | Four "4"s + I-tsun + Four "3"s | 18 |
¶ Configuration D.
| NAME OF YAKU | Composition | Value (in Chips) |
|---|---|---|
| San Shima | Four "3"s | 10 |
| Danna | I-tsun + I-shi | 15 |
| Nejikomi | Four "3"s + I-tsun + I-shi | 30 |
¶ Scoring when no Dekiyaku is formed
Each player’s total card points are then counted.
¶ Card Points
- The Oni-fuda is the highest scoring, worth 12 points.
- The "1"s, the "2"s, and the "10"s are worth 10 points each.
- Other cards are worth points equal to their number.
(The total card points in the deck is 300.)
There was a theory that the game was initially played without Oni-fuda, which reduces the total card points to 288. When divided by 3 players, it gives the score of 96, which is the par score used in this game.
¶ Chip Score Table
Depending on the player’s card score, the player either wins or loses chips.
The minimum score a player must reach during a round is 96 points. Any score below 96 causes the player to lose chips.
| SCORE | Chips won |
|---|---|
| 116 and above | +3 |
| 106-115 | +2 |
| 96-105 | +1 |
| 86-95 | -1 |
| 76-85 | -2 |
| 75 and below | -3 |
Due to the fact that the par score is not equally set, there will be an excess or deficiency in points settled. The following describes how to deal with these situations:
- If two players have negative chip scores, then the winner receives payments corresponding to the losers’ negative chip scores, regardless of the winner’s positive chip score.
- If two players have positive chip scores, then the winners are paid corresponding to their positive chip scores, regardless of the loser’s negative chip score.
- If all players have positive chip scores, then it is treated as a draw, and there will be no settlement in that round. The dealer deals the next round.
¶ The Next Dealer
The winner of the round or the player with the highest card score does not automatically become the dealer for the next round; It depends on whether the dealer manages to win the round or not:
- If the dealer forms a dekiyaku or has the most points, they become the dealer for the next round.
- If the dealer doesn’t have the most points, then the dealer gets out of the next round (the dealer doesn’t get to participate in the next round), and the player to the dealer’s right becomes the dealer.
¶ End of Game
The game continues until all players have had their chance to be a dealer in the game and have lost their dealer status.
The player with the most chips wins the game.
¶ Variant: Jizo-fuda
This variant was based on a presumed restoration of the rules of the game by Nobuaki Takerube.
In this variant, the Jizo-fuda is included in the deck as different wild card in the game, as a counter to the existing Oni-fuda card. In this case, the number of cards in the deck is 42.
Since a lot of Daini decks didn’t include the Jizo-fuda, the blank card can be used in its place.
Since there are 42 cards in the deck, the last player to run out of cards still gets to draw a card from the draw pile.
Unlike the Oni-fuda, which is used to capture any card on the field, the Jizo-fuda cannot capture any card except the Oni-fuda. Instead, it is taken on its own.
¶ Jizo-fuda when dealt on the field
If Jizo-fuda is dealt on the field, dealer takes it into their capture pile.
If both Jizo-fuda and Oni-fuda are dealt on the field, dealer takes it and the Oni-fuda into their capture pile (the dealer doesn’t get to take any other card from the field).
¶ Jizo-fuda during gameplay
If a player has it in hand, they may put it on the field without capturing anything.
If it was drawn from the draw pile, it must be put on the field without capturing anything.
After your turn ends, the Jizo-fuda card goes to your capture pile.
¶ Jizo-fuda and Oni-fuda
“If an Oni and a Jizo meet in the field, the Oni’s power will be subdued by the Jizo.”
-If both Jizo-fuda and Oni-fuda are dealt on the field, dealer takes it and the Oni-fuda into their capture pile (the dealer doesn’t get to take any other card from the field).
-If you used the Oni-fuda from your hand to capture a card on the field, and then you drew a Jizo-fuda from the draw pile, then the card captured by the Oni-fuda remains on the field (you do not take it). Instead, the Oni-fuda is captured by the Jizo-fuda.
-Also, if the field is empty, and you discarded the Oni-fuda from your hand onto the field, and then you drew a Jizo-fuda from the draw pile, then the Oni-fuda is captured by the Jizo-fuda.
-Likewise, if you discarded the Jizo-fuda from your hand onto the field, and then you drew an Oni-fuda from the draw pile, then the Jizo-fuda is captured by the Oni-fuda.
¶ Card Points
The card points are the same, except:
- Oni-fuda is now worth 0 points.
- Instead, the Jizo-fuda is worth 12 points.