Menko (めんこ, 面子), is a Japanese children’s card game played by two or more players, where each player throws a card onto another card on the ground in hopes of flipping it. It was very popular during the Showa era.
Similar games existed around the world, such as Ddakji (딱지) in Korea, Wáah pín (畫片) in China, Teks in Philippines, Patacó in Catalonia, and Milk Caps or Pogs in USA.
Menko, in their present form, are cards made of thick cardboard, which may be rectangular or circular. However, in the past, other materials were used.
In the Edo period (1603-1867), a game called “Ana-ichi” (‘one hole’) was played. Children threw shells, nuts, coins, baked clay, or other objects into a small hole dug in the ground, and whoever manages to have their object caught in the hole wins.
During the Tempo era (1831-1835), the use of menko made out of clay became popular as a tool for playing “Ana-ichi”.
There are different types of clay menko:
The game was played by children until the mid-Meiji era (1868-1912), when the name of the game was changed to “Menko”.
The popularity of using molded clay for playing menko continued during the early Meiji era but started to decline when menko made of lead were introduced.
During those times, there was a traditional snack called “Garagara senbei”, which originated from the Edo period, and was a folded rice cracker filled with toys and candies inside, which rattles inside when shaken, hence the name.
Garagara senbei were originally filled with clay menko, which were played with in a manner similar to playing with flat marbles. Eventually, the clay menko were replaced with lead menko.
At first they were played with in the same way as with clay menko. However, changing the material of menko from clay to lead made the menko more durable, which led to the creation of new methods of playing which were not possible with clay menko.
It is said that the popularity of lead menko boomed during the 1870’s, but in 1900, a lead poisoning incident in Osaka caused a sudden decline in its popularity. However, when Japanese novelist Shōhei Ōoka, who spent his elementary school days in the Taisho era, mentioned lead menko in his reminiscences, there are different opinions about when its popularity actually died down.
In the 1870’s, menko made out of paper were used in place of conventional lead menko. Children used to fold drawing paper many times to make paper menko; however, the introduction of cardboard was a breakthrough for adults who were thinking about commercializing it. The cheapness of the material sparked a massive menko boom, and many manufacturers joined into the menko industry. Then in the 1880’s, there was a technological innovation in printing, and the spread of inexpensive printing methods created a great deal of appeal for menko illustrations.
In the latter half of the 1950’s, bottled milk began to be served in school lunches instead of powdered skim milk. Because many children would keep the menko they won in games from other players, many schools considered menko as a form of gambling and banned them. Children then collected milk bottle caps, which were obtained one by one at school lunches, and used them as a substitute for menko.
A menko card is made of thick cardboard, which may be either rectangular or circular, and with both sides printed with various illustrations or information:
Front side - The front side of each menko is smooth, and printed on them are pictures that reflect the popular culture of their time, and reflect important information about their era. In the Edo and early Meiji period, images like ninja and samurai were popular. Before World War II, the most popular images were of the military, like fighter planes and battleships. After the war, characters from anime and manga were popular, as well as baseball players. In the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, Menko cards were decorated with holographs and sparkles.
Back side - The back side usually has a rough or plain paper texture, and are usually printed on a single color. Various information like rock-paper-scissors, western playing card number and suit, number of points, illustrations of weapons, etc. are printed on the back side, and children are free to create their own methods of playing based on those printed elements.