Updated Wednesday, 7th October 2026

Japanese Hanafuda Brands

For over a century, dozens of Japanese manufacturers have produced Hanafuda cards, each competing for customers using distinctive branding and art styles. Understanding these manufacturers — their marks, brands, and histories — is essential for collectors, historians, and anyone seeking to identify and attempt to date vintage decks. This guide covers both current producers and the many extinct companies whose cards can still be found circulating today.

Identifying a Deck

The branding system of traditional Hanafuda manufacturers can be confusing. Commonly, the top of the container (box or wrapper) displays a brand name which generally indicates the quality of the cards inside. Meanwhile the front end identifies the card type. For example, a box of Nintendō cards with a portrait of Napoleon on the top indicates that it contains their highest-quality cards, but that doesn’t prove what is inside: it could contain either Hanafuda or Kabufuda cards (it is worth noting that Nintendō Mushi cards often use a sticker on the top to indicate the box contents).

The end of a Hanafuda wrapper with Japanese writing indicating its contents. — The end of a Nintendō wrapper indicating that it contains standard (八々花 hachihachibana) Hanafuda cards, with black (黒) backs.

Traditionally, decks were boxed in sets of two, usually pairing one deck with black backing paper along with another having red backing paper. The outer box containing the two decks side-by-side then has enough width to display a wider image on the front (often a variation of the box image), and each deck inside the box would be wrapped individually.

An example wrapper for a deck is shown folded flat below. The front end of the box (at bottom right) is as discussed above. The sides of the wrapper display the packaging of other brands from the manufacturer and sometimes awards that they have won, and the rear end of the wrapper (at top left) usually has text about the manufacturer or a list of brands.

A hanafuda wrapper folded flat, showing the top face of the box and the four sides around it. — Anatomy of a Tamura Shōgundō Hanafuda wrapper.

Manufacturer’s Marks

Within the deck, the manufacturer’s name or mark typically appears on the yellow Paulownia “junk” card. On older decks, however, it might appear on a Peony or Wisteria (see below for an example), or even on an entirely different card.

Three cards all featuring Paulownia flowers, with maker’s marks printed upon them. — Examples of manufacturer’s marks as they appear on the Paulownia card (from left to right): Nintendō, Angel, and Maruē.

Manufacturer’s marks typically consist of a character enclosed within a geometric shape. The character might be a simplified version of the company name,Also be aware that Japanese can be written in either direction; Ostasiatische Spielkarten (136) describes a deck made by a mysterious manufacturer named ‘Dōtennin’! or some other favourable term. When spoken aloud, both the shape and the character are ‘read’ together, so that Nintendō’s mark — a stylized 福 (fuku ‘good fortune’) inside a circle — is read maru-fuku ‘circle-fuku’, much like the brand “Circle K”.

Common shapes include: the circle (丸 maru), square (角 kaku), carpenter’s square or corner at top-right (┐) (矩 kane), and an upward-pointing corner (∧), referred to as a mountain (山 yama).

However, there are many exceptions to these conventions, and some manufacturers use symbols that function more like logos.

Index of Marks

The following index provides quick navigation to each manufacturer’s section based upon their specific maker’s mark(s). Click any symbol to jump straight to the detailed entry:

Nihon Karuta, Tamada Fukushōdō

Usui Nikkagetsudō, Kyōto Karuta

(none)
Seieidō

—
Alaska playing cards

Dating Decks

Dating old decks can be difficult, as manufacturers have published little information about when certain brands or patterns were produced. Thus, we can only go via publicly-available information. However, several clues can help to narrow down the age of a deck:

A blank hanafuda card with the number 120124 printed on it. — A Nintendō blank card indicating the date of manufacture (2012–01–24).

Explicit dates: on recent Nintendō decks, the blank card included has a 6-digit date of manufacture printed on it. This is the only case I know where the date is explicitly marked.
Tax stamps: the most reliable dating method for older decks is to examine their tax stamps (see below), if the deck has any still present. This works for decks produced from 1902 up until the playing-card tax was abolished in 1989.
Text direction: Japanese text written right-to-left generally indicates that the deck was made before the end of WWII (from here on, I use the term ‘pre-war’). Thus, 任天堂 is written 任天堂 on very old decks. However, some manufacturers (such as Ōishi Tengudō or Nihon Karuta) have persisted in using right-to-left ordering even into the modern era, so this indication must be used with caution.
Barcodes: for more recent decks, barcodes can give some clues: Japanese barcodes beginning with 49⋯ have been used since 1978, but barcodes beginning with 45⋯ were introduced in 1992.

Tax Stamps

For most of the 20th century, Hanafuda cards were taxed by the Japanese government. Because the tax rate changed frequently, stamps can help to identify when a deck was sold. Unfortunately, many second-hand decks will not retain the tax stamps that were present at the time they were purchased.

The following table summarizes the tax rates over time, based on a series of articles provided by Ebashi:

Tax levied on Hanafuda sets over time.
Date Introduced	Tax Amount
July 1, 1902	20 sen
April 1, 1926	50 sen
April 1, 1940	70 sen
November 22, 1941	1½ yen
February 15, 1944	3 yen
August 30, 1946	10 yen
March 31, 1947	30 yen
November 30, 1947	100 yen
July 7, 1948	130 yen
March 28, 1951	50 yen
March 31, 1954	60 yen
June 14, 1957	60 yen
October 1, 1960	60 yen
March 31, 1962	40 yen
April 1, 1989	abolished

A square blue tax stamp reading ‘50 sen’ in Japanese with a stylized chrysanthemum flower. The stamp is overprinted with black ink reading ‘Nintendo’ in Japanese. — This 50 sen stamp has a clear Nintendō (任天堂) cancellation mark.

A square blue stamp reading ‘50 sen’ in Japanese with a stylized chrysanthemum flower. — Late Taishō‐era tax stamps: blue 50 sen on left, red 1 yen on right.

Two dark blue square stamps reading ‘ten yen’ in Japanese, with elaborate borders and stylized chrysanthemum flowers. Both stamps are overprinted by a single black ink stamp reading ‘Nintendo’ in Japanese. — Two 10 yen (拾圓) stamps; the deck had 30 yen total, indicating that the deck was sold in 1947. The cancellation mark is Nintendō’s.

Two very dark blue square stamps reading ‘fifty yen’ in Japanese, and with a depiction of a Japanese emperor in the centre. — Two 50 yen (𠄡拾円) stamps, indicating the deck was sold between 1947–48.

A long rectangular stamp coloured pink, with elaborate border and a serial number in centre. — Tax stamps of the type used from 1960 until the tax was abolished in 1989. Pink was used for Hanafuda decks and purple was used for Western style (“trump”) decks.

Current Manufacturers

All current Japanese manufacturers that I know of are based in Kyōto prefecture. This continues a long tradition: the Kansai region (which includes both Kyōto and Ōsaka) has been the centre of Hanafuda production since the appearance of the cards.

Nintendō (任天堂)

Nintendō’s marufuku mark, registered in 1900 by Yamauchi Fusajirō (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編 (1905), 67).

Nintendō is the most prominent company that produces Hanafuda cards today. The company was founded in Kyōto in 1889 by Yamauchi Fusajirō (山内房治郎), and it was run by the Yamauchi family for three generations until Yamauchi Hiroshi (山内溥) stepped down in 2002.

A brief summary of their later success: after WWII, Nintendō managed to survive a period of crushing taxation on playing-card products, which wiped out many of the smaller manufacturers. In the second half of the 20th century they (famously!) diversified into children’s toys and, later on, video games.

Nintendō’s manufacturer’s mark is a circled 福 (fuku, ‘fortune’). This was originally the trade-name (屋号 yagō) of the Yamauchi family.

A wooden storefront with wrought-iron railings and a bicycle parked outside. — The Nintendō storefront in Kyōto (original source dates this as 1889, but it seems more likely to be after 1900).

Some early Nintendō trademarks, registered in 1900 by Yamauchi Fusajirō (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 67). Note that at this time Nintendō had not yet started using the stylized form of the marufuku symbol.

In the past Nintendō produced many varieties of local-pattern Hanafuda cards or Mekuri cards, but today they only produce Hanafuda and Kabufuda cards. Their current brands are:

大統領 (daitōryō, a translation of ‘first consul’, Napoleon’s title from 1799–1804), trademarked in 1901東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 67.
(丸福)天狗 ((Marufuku)tengu, ‘Marufuku Tengu’), trademarked in 1912東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第５輯　下 (1913), 276.
都の花 (Miyako no Hana ‘flowers of the city’); presumably Kyōto

A Hanafuda wrapper featuring an image of Napoleon on the front. — Nintendō’s Daitōryō packaging (1970s). Note the Marufuku mark at top right.

A Hanafuda wrapper featuring a red figure with a big nose, holding a fan made of feathers. — Nintendō’s Tengu packaging.

A Hanafuda wrapper with cherry blossoms and willow leaves hanging over a river. — Nintendō’s Miyako no Hana packaging.

Brands which Nintendō used to produce in the past include:George Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’ (1981), 54.

An actor wearing a mask of a white-faced woman with large cheeks, raised eyebrows, and a smile on her lips. — Otafuku (also known as Okame) is a traditional character associated with good luck, and often appears in kagura performances alongside Hyottoko.

正宗 (Masamune, a famous swordsmith), trademarked in 1900;東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 67. see trademark at right
大将 (taishō, ‘general’), trademarked in 1900;Ibid. see trademark at right
お多福 (otafuku, ‘moon-faced woman’), trademarked in 1900Ibid.
大天狗 (daitengu, the most powerful or chief type of Tengu), introduced in 1977
平安 (heian, ‘peace’, also a Japanese era name)

A Hanafuda wrapper with a red figure with a big nose, holding a fan made of feathers. — Nintendō’s Daitengu packaging.

A Hanafuda wrapper with a woman with a pale, round face, holding a fan. — The otafuku wrapper.

福壽 (fukuju, ‘fortune & longevity’), picturing the lucky god Fukurokuju (福禄寿); the 福 is also again the Nintendō maker’s mark and the character 壽 appears on the sake cup card
蛭子 (Hiruko, another lucky god also known as Ebisu)
大福 (daifuku, ‘great luck’), with the wrapper depicting some of the attributes of the lucky god Daikokuten

春遊 (shun’yu, ‘spring outing’, especially of the Emperor)
逰[ぶ?]かるた (asobu karuta, ‘playing cards’)
立山 (tateyama, one of the three holy mountains of Japan)

羽衣 (hagoromo, ‘feather robe’)
虫 (mushi, ‘insect’); with an image of swallows
菊水 (kikusui, ‘floating chrysanthemum’)

三羽鶴 (sanbadzuru, ‘three cranes’), not in use as of 1980
a wrapper picturing a cat (with no brand name), but which is probably a 招き猫 (maneki neko, ‘beckoning cat’)
小錦印 (konishiki shirushi, ‘Konishiki brand’), depicting a sumo wrestler’s keshō-mawashi; Konishiki Yasokichi (1866–1914) was the 17th yokozuna

大王印 (daiō shirushi, ‘great king brand’, I am unsure if this refers to anyone in particular)
another (unnamed?) seal-type wrapper
御所櫻 (goshozakura, ‘imperial palace cherry blossoms’)

金龍 (kinryū, ‘gold dragon’)
日乃出 (hinode, ‘sunrise’)

白梅 (hakubai, ‘white plum’), not in use as of 1980
勝天狗 (shōtengu, ‘victory Tengu’)
常磐 (tokiwa, ‘eternal’, a reference to the waka that appears on the pine cards in some decks)

An abstract image of a white plum flower on a red background. — The hakubai wrapper.

Some green pine trees in a misty landscape. — The tokiwa wrapper.

Others I do not have any images of include:

櫻乃山 (sakura no yama, ‘mountain cherry blossoms’), not in use as of 1980
朝日桜 (asahi sakura, ‘sunrise cherry blossoms’)
千代桜 (chiyo zakura, ‘thousand-year cherry blossoms’)
四光印 (shikōjirushi, ‘four brights brand’), trademarked in 1916東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第９輯　下 (1917), 286.
丹頂 (tanchō, ‘red-crested crane’, that appears on the pine bright)

One interesting deck they used to produce was Hana-Trump, which combined Hanafuda cards with the cards of the international standard playing card deck. Each rank of the standard pack corresponds to a month of the Hanafuda deck:

The 5 bright cards from a Hana-Trump deck, which are hanafuda cards printed on the center of the standard international playing card deck. — The 5 Brights of Nintendō’s “Hana-Trump” deck.

Because there are four more cards in the standard deck compared to the Hanafuda one, Nintendō added an additional four cards (and two jokers) to the set. These extra cards are counterparts for specialized pieces of equipment present in boxed Hachi-Hachi (八八) sets.

Four additional cards corresponding to the Kings of the standard deck, and one joker card. — The extra cards of Nintendō’s “Hana-Trump” deck. From left-to-right, after the joker, these are: a blindfolded samurai, with text reading 不見出 (88 sets have a piece labelled 不見転, ‘loose morals’); a gunbai (軍配), a military leader’s fan which is nowadays used by sumo referees, which is inscribed 跡絶之章 (88 sets have a piece labelled 両桐絶体之章); a rice winnowing basket (箕 mi) inscribed 手役之章 (hand-yaku prize); and an award medal reading 吟見勲賞 (Ginmi Kunshō, ‘Ginmi Medal’), which is a prize for the ‘top player’ (Ginmi, usually spelt 吟味, 88 sets have a piece labelled 銀見勲章).

Currently Nintendō also produce many novelty decks themed with their videogame characters, such as Mario (pictured below), Pokémon, Mario Pikachu (limited edition, 2016), Kirby (2020), among others.

Nintendō’s Mario deck, featuring recurring characters from the Mario series.

Nintendō have also on occasion produced decks for other companies, such as the Shikishima Hanafuda (敷島花札) produced for OkunoKaruta (奥野かるた店), a games shop in Tōkyō.

Okuno Karuta’s Shikishima Hanafuda. The cards were designed by the print artist Itō Takumi (伊藤卓美, b. 1946). They are larger than normal Hanafuda and the cards are printed on flat cardboard, not wrapped with backing paper.

Ōishi Tengudō (大石天狗堂)

Also based in Kyōto, ŌishiTengudō produces a wide variety of traditional Japanese card games. As far as I know, they are the only major manufacturer still producing Mefuda cards. They also produce reproductions of even older cards, such as the Unsun deck.

Two sets of Hanafuda cards with colours printed by hand, indicated by streaks in the inks. — Cards from two different hand-printed Ōishi Tengudō decks, showing the high variability caused by the technique.

Ōishi Tengudō’s earliest trademark, registered on the 5th of October 1893 by Ōishi Sato (大石サト) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 65). This trademark was clearly based on that of Sanjōya.

A card with wisteria showing the manufacturer’s mark. — Ōishi Tengudō’s manufacturer’s mark, on a Wisteria card from an old Narikin deck.

Their main manufacturer’s mark is み with corner at top, but on some decks (e.g. Echigo-kobana), they have used 大 in a square. In the past they have also used circled 高.

Ōishi Tengudō’s product line has featured the following brands:Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 57–8.

The takarabune is a mythical ship that carries the seven lucky gods, as shown in this print by Hiroshige (c. 1840).

金天狗 (kintengu, ‘golden Tengu’), also used for Kabu and Tehonbiki cards, trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下 (1924), 330.
銀天狗 (gintengu, ‘silver Tengu’), also used for Kabufuda, trademarked in 1921Ibid., 331.
若天狗 (wakatengu, ‘young Tengu’)
三天狗 (santengu, ‘three Tengu’)
成金 (narikin, ‘newly rich’, derived from a Shogi term), also used for Kabufuda, trademarked in 1921Ibid., 333.
リンカーン (rinkān, ‘Lincoln’), no longer in use as of 1979
福助 (fukusuke, a large-headed good luck doll), trademarked in 1917,東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１１輯　下 (1919), 328. no longer in use as of 1979
當矢 (atariya, ‘winning arrow’)
四季 (shiki, ‘four seasons’)
大江山 (ōeyama, a mountain near Kyōto)
寳船 (takarabune, ‘treasure ship’)
御所車 (goshoguruma, ‘ox-drawn coach’)
来福 (raifuku, ‘fortune comes’, a reference to the full yojijukugo “笑門来福”, ‘fortune comes to the home of those who smile’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下, 333.
花津久志/花𛁫くし (hanazukushi, ‘assorted flowers’)
舞楽, (bugaku, a courtly dance with music)
𛀿𛀬ら, (sakura, but written with hentaigana characters)
一癶, (ippatsu, ‘one shot’, e.g. baseball home run or a mahjong term)
梅印, (umejirushi, ‘plum brand’), trademarked in 1915東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第８輯　下 (1916), 293.
三福, (sanfuku, ‘three fuku [masks]’), trademarked in 1915Ibid., 295.
國光, (kokkou, ‘national glory’), trademarked in 1915Ibid., 297.
橋立印, (hashidatejirushi, ‘Hashidate brand’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１７輯　下 (1923), 272.
松島印, (matsushimajirushi, ‘Matsushima brand’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
(unnamed but with a picture of Miyajima, completing the Three Views of Japan), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
由良之助, (Yuranosuke, the name of a fictionalized version of the real-life Ōishi Kuranosuke), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
覇王 (haō, ‘supreme ruler’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下, 332.
曻龍 (shoryū, ‘rising dragon’), trademarked in 1921Ibid., 333.
將軍 (shōgun, ‘Shogun’), trademarked in 1921Ibid., 334.

An image of a tengu mask on a gold background. — Ōishi Tengudō’s kintengu wrapper. This is now their standard brand.

An image of a tengu mask on a silver background. — Ōishi Tengudō’s gintengu wrapper.

A Hanafuda box front featuring a large Koban coin with ‘Narikin’ (newly rich) written on it. — Ōishi Tengudō’s narikin wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a boat carrying seven people. — Ōishi Tengudō’s takarabune wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with cherry blossoms and an old street light. — Ōishi Tengudō’s sakura wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with peonies, cherry blossoms, and other flowers. — Ōishi Tengudō’s hanazukushi wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a mountain and a man gazing into the distance. — Ōishi Tengudō’s ōeyama wrapper. The man is wearing the clothing of the Shugendō sect, which Tengu are also depicted as wearing.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of Abraham Lincoln. — Ōishi Tengudō’s Lincoln wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with an arrow striking the centre of a target. — Ōishi Tengudō’s atariya wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with three tengu masks. — Ōishi Tengudō’s santengu wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with flowers. — Ōishi Tengudō’s shiki wrapper.

In addition to the many standard & local patterns of Hanafuda they produce, they also publish some novelty decks, such as the Kyōto Hanafuda:

Five hanafuda cards with depictions of landmarks and various aspects of Kyōto life. — The Kyōto Hanafuda’s 5 Brights, showing icons and landmarks of Kyōto. From left to right they represent: a fox with a jewel in its mouth, from the gate of the Fushimi Inari shrine (伏見稲荷大社); Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉), Kita no Mandokoro ( 北政所), and Yodogimi (淀君) at Fushimi Castle (伏見城 ); the character 大 (dai, ‘large’), which is lit on fire on mount Daimonji (大文字山) during the festival of Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火, ‘five mountain fire’); the warrior monk Benkei (弁慶) meeting Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経), who is playing the flute, at Gojō bridge (五条橋); and the Kyōto Sanga (京都サンガ) football club, whose logo contains the Chinese/Japanese phoenix that is normally featured on the Paulownia bright card.

In conjunction with Ganzofutonekodō (元祖ふとねこ堂), they produced Hananekofuda (花猫札), featuring Japanese cats:

Hanafuda cards with Japanese cats on them.

Angel (エンゼル enzeru)

The front of a Hanafuda wrapper reading ‘genroku’ in Japanese characters and with cherry blossoms. — Angel’s Genroku packaging (1970s, the current packaging is different).

A Hanafuda wrapper with an image of an actor in Kabuki makeup and holding a sword. — The Taihei packaging.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of a dragon. — The Daitenryū packaging.

Angel was originally named Okina Karuta Honpo (翁かるた本舗), and was first based in the city of Yōkaichi (now Higashiōmi), Shiga prefecture (滋賀県八日市市). It is now based in Kyōto. They still use the character 翁 (okina) as their maker’s mark, or otherwise the name Angel is written エンゼル. On some cards this is spelled 縁是留.

Angel currently produces Hanafuda and Kabufuda in two brands:

千鳥 (chidori ‘numerous birds’)
元禄 (Genroku, an era which spanned 1688–1704)

Historical brands include:Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 45.

玉将 (gyokushō, ‘king of the lesser player’, a Shōgi term)
翁 (okina, ‘old man’, the name of a special ritual Noh play)
泰平 (taihei, ‘tranquility’)
纏 (matoi, ‘fireman’s standard’), also used for Kabufuda
旅 (tabi, ‘trip’)
大天龍 (daitenryū ‘great Tenryū’)

Angel also produces cardboard novelty hanafuda for brands like Disney and Hello Kitty, and both HyakuninIsshu and Iroha Karuta.

At one point they produced a Hana-Trump deck with similar construction to that of Nintendō’s (above).

Tamura Shōgundō (田村将軍堂)

An example yaguruma symbol of seven arrows in a wheel, with the flights facing outwards. — The yaguruma is a windmill-like device of arrows arranged in a wheel and allowed to rotate in the wind. They are associated with festivals, particularly the May 5th Tango no Sekku festival, where they are placed on top of tall poles from which koi streamers are flown.

A small manufacturer, founded in 1921. Unlike other manufacturers, their mark is not a standard kanji-shape combination, but instead a stylized depiction of a yaguruma ( 矢車, ‘arrow wheel’). They have also published Harifuda and Shirofuda (blank cards) under the mark ㊀ (circled 一). They currently produce Hyakunin Isshu, Manyo Karuta, and Hanafuda.

Most of Tamura Shōgundō’s cards are produced with hand-wrapped backing paper; they have another web page that details their manufacturing process.

Tamura manufactures two types of Hanafuda cards; firstly the standard pattern, with brands (these have been maintained since the 1970s):Ibid., 39.

紫宸殿 (Shishinden, the ceremonial hall of Kyōto Imperial Palace)
大将軍 (daishōgun, ‘general’), also used for Kabu, Tehonbiki, Shiro (blank) cards
満点 (manten, ‘perfect score’), also Kabufuda
栄光 (eikō, ‘glory’), also Kabufuda
京乃錦 (Kyō no nishiki, ‘brocade of Kyōto’, indicating the autumn leaves)
花くらべ (hanakurabe, ‘comparing flowers’)
夜櫻 (yozakura, ‘evening cherry blossoms’)
春風 (harukaze, ‘spring breeze’), also used for Kabufuda
花あそび (hanaasobi, ‘flower playing’), no longer in use as of 2019
世界長 (sekaichō, ‘world leader’), no longer in use as of 1980
宝玉 (hōgyoku, ‘jewel’), no longer in use as of 1980
将軍 (shōgun, Shogun), used for Tehonbiki only
総帥 (sōsui, ‘commander-in-chief’, depicting the Duke of Wellington (ウエリントン)), no longer in use as of 1980

A hanafuda wrapper with cherry blossoms and a brazier. — Tamura Shōgundō’s yozakura wrapper. This is an outer-box wrapper designed to contain two decks.

A hanafuda wrapper with a palace on a lake. — Tamura Shōgundō’s harukaze wrapper. This is an outer-boxed wrapper designed to contain two decks; a wrapper for the individual deck can be seen above.

A hanafuda wrappper with a man in military uniform. — Tamura Shōgundō’s daishōgun wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a sunrise surrounded by wreaths. — Tamura Shōgundō’s eikō wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with flowers on a wagon. — Tamura Shōgundō’s hanakurabe wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a bridge and overhanging maple leaves in autumn colours. — Tamura Shōgundō’s kyō no nishiki wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with 'manten' written in kanji. — Tamura Shōgundō’s manten wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a Japanese palace. — Tamura Shōgundō’s Shishinden wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a depiction of an apprentice geisha under blossoms and autumn leaves. — Tamura Shōgundō’s Kyō maiko brand.

They also print a revised pattern, Nishiki (錦), which is larger and has a squarer format than standard cards, and is printed with more, bolder colours. This is sold under brands:

京舞妓 Kyō maiko, ‘Kyōto maiko’ (an apprentice geisha)
祇園茶屋 Gion chaya, ‘Gion teahouse’ (a district of Kyōto)
にしき花かるた Nishiki hana karuta, ‘Nishiki flower cards’

Five hanafuda cards with very bold colours, unlike normal hanafuda cards. — The 5 Brights of the Nishiki pattern.

Extinct Manufacturers

The following manufacturers were once producers of Hanafuda cards but have since ceased production. Many of their decks can still be found circulating.

Matsui Tengudō (松井天狗堂)

A Japanese storefront with disintegrating sign and a pine tree growing in front. — The Matsui Tengudō store as it appeared in 2017, 7 years after shutting down.

Matsui Tengudō was founded in KyōtoThere was also an Ōsaka-based Matsui Tengudō, started by the younger brother of Matsui Shigejiro, which had actually opened before the Kyōto branch. It used the same manufacturer’s mark and existed in 1914 (商工社, 日本全国商工人名録 (1914), 219) but closed after the second generation. in 1897 by Matsui Shigejiro (松井重次郎), and was run by the Matsui family for three generations until it closed in 2010 after Matsui Shigeo (松井重夫 , 1931–2016) retired.Iwano Art Co., ‘松井天狗堂の買取致します’ (2017).

Matsui Tengudō was the last manufacturer to make cards entirely by hand;Rebecca Salter, ‘Game over: the last days of hand-made Japanese playing cards’ (2008). Matsui Shigeo had recovered this process in 1976 as a way to distinguish his cards from those being produced by other manufacturers, after a former teacher of his told him to “make something that doesn’t exist anywhere”.村上健司, 手わざの記憶 (2009).

Since closing, Matsui Tengudō decks now fetch high prices on Yahoo! Auctions, often selling for several hundred US dollars.

The 5 Bright cards from a deck produced by Matsui Shigeo to demonstrate his printing technique (1978). This deck was produced as part of a demonstration for members of the International Playing Card Society.

Matsui’s mark was 松 in a square.

Known brands produced were:

鳳凰 (hōō, the Japanese phoenix)
龍虎 (ryū ko, ‘dragon and tiger’), also used for Kabu, Tehonbiki, and Komaru cards
九一 (kuppin, ‘nine and one’, the highest combination in Kabufuda games), used for Kabu cards only
金龍󠄁 (kinryū, ‘gold dragon’), used for Komaru cards only
菊華 (kikka, ‘chrysanthemum’)
牡丹 (botan, ‘peony’)
冨士櫻 (fujizakura, ‘Fuji cherry blossoms’), also used for Kabufuda
三光 (sankō, ‘three brights’)

A Hanafuda wrapper with an image of a red peony on it — The botan wrapper.

A Hanafuda wrapper with a plum blossom, pine tree, and curtain with cherry blossoms printed on it. — The sankō wrapper.

A Kabufuda wrapper showing the highest (9) and lowest (1) kabu cards. — The kuppin wrapper.

A wrapper with an image of Mount Fuji and stylized cherry blossoms. — The fujizakura wrapper.

Matsui also produced custom extended Hanafuda decks with 13 and 14 months, which can be used to play games with more people. The 13-month deck features bamboo as the additional suit, while the 14-month deck has both bamboo and lotus.

All the cards from Matsui Tengudō’s 13-month deck.

The bamboo cards from the 13-month deck. From left-to-right they are: a sixth Bright card featuring the kanji for “tiger” (寅), a tane card with a sparrow, a tanzaku card, and a kasu card.

Ace (エース ēsu)

Ace was a manufacturer based in Kyōto. Their brands included:Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 44.

大公爵 (daikōshaku, ‘grand duke’, also used for Kabufuda)
大西郷 (daisaigō, ‘great Saigō’)
エース (ēsu, also used for Kabufuda)
大提督 (daiteitoku, ‘grand admiral’, featuring a picture of Horatio Nelson)
大勝利 (daishōri, ‘huge win’, featuring a picture of Tōgō Heihachirō)
紅葉 (momiji, ‘autumn leaves’)
源氏 (genji, ‘Genji’)
金鶏 (kinkei, ‘golden pheasant’)
日本光 (nihon hikari, ‘light (of) Japan’, i.e. Fuji)
祇園桜 (gionzakura, ‘Gion cherries’)
聖徳太子 (Shōtoku Taishi, ‘Prince Shōtoku’)
白梅 (hakubai, ‘white plum’)

They also made two all-plastic Hanafuda decks: 金花 (kin-hana ‘gold flowers’) and 銀花 (gin-hana ‘silver flowers’).

A Hanafuda wrapper with the image of a Lord Nelson on the front. — Packaging of Ace’s Dai Teitoku brand, featuring Lord Nelson.

A Hanafuda wrapper with the image of a European nobleman on the front. — Packaging of Ace’s Dai Kōshaku brand; this is from a Kurofuda deck.

A Hanafuda wrapper with the image of a Japanese man in a double-breasted coat. — Packaging of Ace’s Dai Saigō brand.

Maruē (マルエー)

Maruē was from the city of Mino, in Gifu prefecture (岐阜県美濃市). Their manufacturer’s mark was a circled 英 (ē), i.e. maru-ē. However, 英 has the meaning of ‘flower’ and can also be read with the same pronunciation as 花 hana, making this mark very punny.

A Hanafuda wrapper with an image of cherry blossoms on the front. — Packaging for Maruē’s Goten Sakura brand (1970s).

A Hanafuda wrapper with silver dragon on the front, wrapped in clouds. — Wrapper for the Ginryū brand.

A Hanafuda wrapper with an image of a Chinese-style lion with roses. — Wrapper for the Kinjishi brand.

A Hanafuda wrapper with gold dragon on the front, swimming in water. — Wrapper for the Kinryū brand.

A Hanafuda box with silver dragon on the front, wrapped in clouds. — Box for the Ginryū brand.

A Hanafuda box with gold dragon, swimming in water. — Box for the Kinryū brand.

A Hanafuda box with a lion and roses or peonies. — Box for the Kinjishi brand.

Brands produced by Maruē included:Ibid., 52.

東洋一 (tōyōichi, ‘best in the East’), also used for Kabufuda
金獅子 (kinjishi, ‘gold lion’), also used for Kabufuda and Tehonbiki cards
金龍 (kinryū, ‘gold dragon’)
銀龍 (ginryū, ‘silver dragon’), also used for Kabufuda
御殿櫻 (gotenzakura, ‘palace cherry blossoms’)
夜櫻 (yoruzakura ‘evening cherry blossoms’)
梅の花 (ume no hana ‘plum flowers’)
秀吉 (hideyoshi ‘Hideyoshi’)

Tanaka Gyokusuidō (田中玉水堂)

Tanaka Gyokusuidō’s trademark, registered on the 16th of October 1893 by Tanaka Heibe (田中平兵衛) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 65).

Tanaka Gyokusuidō was founded around 1893, and existed in Kyōto through 1914 (when it was run by Tanaka Haru 田中ハル),商工社, 日本全国商工人名録 (1914), 151. and 1948,山口泰彦, 最後の読みカルタ (1998), 102. but had stopped producing in the early 1960s.Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 33. Their brands (including Fukusuke and Ginsuehiro) and manufacturer’s mark were taken over by Iwata Honten.Ibid., 48–59.

Five Brights from a Tanaka Gyokusuidō deck.

Their maker’s mark was 田 with corner on top, and brands included:

福助 (fukusuke, a large-headed good luck doll)
銀末廣/銀末広 (ginsuehiro ‘silver fan’)
末廣 (suehiro ‘fan’)
大帝王 (daiteiō ‘great emperor’)
春 (haru, ‘spring’)
横綱 (yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo)
大関 (ōzeki, the second-highest sumo rank)
高徳 (Takanori, Takanori Kojima, a warrior famous for inscribing a poem of loyalty to the emperor onto a cherry tree)
花扇 (hanaōgi, ‘flower fan’)
金剛 (kongō, a mythical indestructible substance)
よろしい (yoroshii, ‘all right’), trademarked in 1947
達磨 (daruma, Daruma)
黄 (ki, ‘yellow’)
白 (shiro, ‘white’)
小判 (koban, a large coin)

Iwata Honten (岩田本店)

Iwata Honten’s trademark, registered on the 27th of February 1918 by Iwata Yoshinosuke ( 岩田芳之助) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１１輯　下, 330).

Iwata was founded around 1918. They did not make their own cards but had them made by other manufacturers, including Tamura Shōgundō, Nintendō, and Nihon Karuta. Their mark was や in a fan shape.

Brands included:Ibid., 48.

福助 (fukusuke, a large-headed good luck doll)
銀末廣/銀末広 (ginsuehiro ‘silver fan’)
小判 (koban, a type of coin), manufactured by Nintendō
雪月花 (setsugetsubana ‘snow, moon, and flowers’), manufactured by Nintendō
般若 (hannya, a noh mask representing a horned female demon), manufactured by Nihon Karuta
金舞扇 (kinmaiōgi, ‘gold dancer’s fan’), (probably) manufactured by Nihon Karuta
銀舞扇 (ginmaiōgi, ‘silver dancer’s fan’), (probably) manufactured by Nihon Karuta

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of a fan, and a gold background — The kinmaiōgi wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of a fan, and a silver background — The ginmaiōgi wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of a horned mask. — The hannya wrapper.

Nihon Karuta Seizō (日本骨牌製造) & Tamada Fukushōdō (玉田福勝堂)

A box front depicting the storefront of a Japanese karuta manufacturer. — A Tamada Fukushōdō box depicting a storefront, from the collection of Lady Charlotte Schreiber, bequeathed to the British Museum in 1895. (This deck is briefly described in Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed to the Trustees of the British museum by the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber (184), under ‘Japanese #2’.)

Some early Tamada trademarks, registered in 1899 by Tamada Yasunosuke (玉田安之助 ) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 66).

Earliest Nihon Karuta trademarks, registered in 1915 (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第８輯　下, 295).

The mark of both of these companies was 中 with corner at top-right.

Nihon Karuta claimed to have been founded in 1806.村上, 手わざの記憶. It is hard to prove this, but an earlier company named Tamada Fukushōdō that used the same manufacturer’s mark had definitely existed in Kyōto since before 1895 (see image). It is unclear precisely what the relationship was between the two companies, but Nihon Karuta advertised their decks as being in the “Tamada style” (玉田式), and certainly the patterns they printed were very similar. Nihon Karuta decks also often have the Tamada name printed on their branding cards. A safe guess would be that Nihon Karuta was a rebranding or expansion of the original Tamada Fukushōdō name, either to reflect the scope of a larger company or to project its ambitions.

Nihon Karuta itself seems to have been founded in 1915, as this is when its earliest trademark registrations appear.東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第８輯　下, 295. Other records show that it existed in 1916,商工社, 日本全国商工人名録 (1916), 135. 1948山口, 最後の読みカルタ, 102. and through to at least the early 1980s.Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 54.

Brands of both companies have included:Ibid., 54–5.

花の王 (hana no ō, ‘queen of flowers’, the Cattleya)
七福神 (shichi fukujin, the Seven Lucky Gods)
大隊長 (daitaichō, ‘battalion commander’)
ふじ (fuji, ‘Fuji’)
四光 (shikō, ‘four brights’)
金の仲 (kane no naka, ‘golden relationship’, a reference to the trademark pronounced kane-naka), trademarked by NK in 1919東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１４輯　下 (1922), 242.
百万弗 (hyakumandoru, ‘a million dollars’)
天狗 (tengu, Tengu)
万両 (manryū, ‘10 000 coins’), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid.
千両 (senryū, ‘1000 coins’)
九重櫻/九重さくら (kokonoezakura, ‘Kokonoe cherry blossoms’)
梅印 (umejirushi ‘plum brand’)
金富士 (kinfuji ‘gold Fuji’)
御所車 (goshoguruma ‘ox-drawn coach’)
金鷲 (kinshū ‘golden eagle’)
雲龍 (unryū ‘cloud dragon’), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid., 241.
金龍 (kinryū ‘golden dragon’), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid., 242.
金世界 (kinsekai, ‘gold world’), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid.
大入 (ōiri, ‘full house’, a theatre term), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid.
東錦 (higashinishiki, ‘eastern brocade’), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid.
萬國一/万国一 (bankokuichi, ‘best in the world’), trademarked by NK in 1919Ibid.
のお正月 ([nihon karuta] no oshōgatsu, ‘Nihon Karuta’s new year’)

A hanafuda wrapper featuring a fan. — Tamada Fukushōdō’s higashinishiki box.

A hanafuda wrapper featuring three people sitting on the floor playing a hanafuda game. — The kane no naka box.

A hanafuda wrapper with plum blossoms — The umejirushi box.

A hanafuda wrapper featuring a palace and cherry blossom trees. — Nihon Karuta’s kokonoezakura box.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of Mount Fuji — The fuji wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a shining jewel. — The hyakumandoru wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a battledore paddle. — The oshōgatsu wrapper.

Nihon Karuta’s standard pattern was a variation on the Hachihachibana which included more detailing in the form of fine blue lines. The standout feature was the full moon card, which featured a rabbit pounding mochi in the moon:

Five Hanafuda cards, which have thin blue lines showing detail in the black areas, unlike standard Hanafuda cards. — The bright cards of Nihon Karuta’s special pattern.

Under the brand name of “Wind Mill”, Nihon Karuta have also produced Western-style playing cards, including their own Hana-Trump deck:

Five playing cards with the Hanafuda design in center and a corresponding Western card depicted in the corners that are not occupied by the card indices. — The bright cards of Nihon Karuta’s Hana-Trump deck. These are obviously based on the much older Universal Trump-Hana deck.

Five cards, one a joker and the other four being kings with various objects depicted. — The extra Hachi-Hachi-related cards of Nihon Karuta’s Hana-Trump deck. There is a windmill depicted in the corners of the Joker card.

Yamashiro Shōten (山城商店)

Some of Yamashiro’s trademarks, registered in 1901 & 1902 by Yamashiro Yosaburō (山城與三郎) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 66).

A Kyōto manufacturer that existed from at least 1901 through 1948,山口, 最後の読みカルタ, 102. but stopped producing in 1962.Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 33. Their manfufacturer’s mark was ㊉ (circled 十). The founder was 山城與三郎 Yamashiro Yosaburō, which was sometimes abbreviated to 山與 Yamayo on printed cards.

In addition to Hanafuda cards, they also produced Kabufuda and Mekuri cards.

Brands of both companies have included:

金坊主 (kinbōzu, ‘gold baldy’, ‘baldy’ being a nickname for a priest)
関羽 (kan’u, Guan Yu), trademarked in 1901東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 67.
九紋竜 (kumonryū, ‘nine-tattoo dragon’, a nickname for ShiJin), trademarked in 1902Ibid.
大黒 (daikoku, Daikokuten)
山猟 (yamasatsu, ‘mountain hunter’)

The front and back cover of a pamphlet — An uncut sheet of Mushi cards, by Yamashiro.

The frontage of a very wide Japanese store, with signs depicting several figures. — A box wrapper from around 1900 featuring an imaginary depiction of the Yamashiro store exterior; in reality it was nowhere near as large as this. The advertising boards at the left depict Guan Yu and Shi Jin, who represent two of the company’s brands (see trademark images at right).

Ryūtendō (龍天堂)

The wrapper for Ryūtendō’s kurama kintengu brand.

Existed in Kyōto in 1948;山口, 最後の読みカルタ, 102. their mark was a circled 龍 ryu “dragon” (they also possibly had another trade name of マルナ maruna with circled 名 ‘na’ as mark). Brands included:

龍田川 (tatsutagawa, ‘Tatsuta river’)
天龍 (tenryū, ‘Tenryū’)
龍王 (ryūō, ‘dragon king’)
鞍馬金天狗 (kurama kintengu, ‘Kurama golden tengu’; according to myth, Kurama is the home of the king of the tengu)
福宝 (fukuhō, ‘good fortune, treasure’)

Inoue Juntendō (井上順天堂)0

Existed in Kyōto in 1948;Ibid. mark was a circled 順.

Nakao Seikadō (中尾清花堂)

Nakao Seikadō’s trademark, registered on the 12th of July 1894 by Nakao Kiyosuke (中尾清助) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 66).

Founded around 1894, and still existed in Kyōto in 1948. TheirIbid. mark was セ with corner at top-right.

Brands included:

世界長 (sekaichō, ‘world leader’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下, 331.
日の出 (hinode, ‘sunrise’)
三日月 (mikazuki, ‘crescent moon’)

Tsuchida Tenguya (土田天狗屋)

Tsuchida Tenguya’s trademark, registered on the 16th of April 1894 by Tsuchida Tsurumatsu (土田鶴松) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 66).

Founded around 1894, Tsuchida Tenguya was based in Ōsaka, and also manufactured Western and kabu cards. Their mark was 天 in a square.

Wrapper, maker’s mark (on Wisteria), and advertising card from a daitengu deck.

In the 1930s they offered the following brands (in descending price order):

花の譽 (hana no homare, ‘flower’s honour’)
福天狗 (fukutengu, ‘lucky tengu’), also used for mushi-, kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
金天狗 (kintengu, ‘golden tengu’), also used for mushi-, kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
銀天狗 (gintengu, ‘silver tengu’)
大天狗 (daitengu, ‘great tengu’), also used for mushi-, kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
美人天狗 (bijintengu, ‘beauty tengu’)
中天狗 (nakatengu, ‘middle tengu’)
花天狗 (hanatengu, ‘flower tengu’), only used for mushifuda
三天狗 (santengu, ‘three tengu’)
國の花 (kuni no hana, ‘nation’s flower’)
八重櫻 (yaezakura, ‘eight-fold cherry blossom’, a double-flowered cherry blossom), also used for mushifuda
福助 (fukusuke), only used for kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
紅梅 (kōbai, ‘red plum’)
張貫 (harinuki, a manufacturing technique), only used for kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
一楽 (ichiraku, ‘one of one’s hobbies’), only used for kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
五光 (gokō, ‘five brights’)
青天狗 (aotengu, ‘blue tengu’), only used for kabu-, mekuri-, and mamefuda
天狗 (tengu, ‘tengu’), only used for mamefuda

An outer wrapper for the daitengu brand.

Usui Nikkagetsudō (臼井日月堂)/Kyōto Karuta (京都カルタ)

Usui Nikkagetsudō’s trademark, registered on the 9th of October 1894 by Usui Iwajirō (臼井岩次郎) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 66).

Founded around 1894, their mark was ヱ in an angle, this company was at first called Usui Nikkagetsudō and then later Kyōto Karuta — not to be confused with the later Kyōto Karuta who were active in the 1960s & 70s!

Their brands included:

百萬圓 (hyakumanen, ‘one million yen’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.

Baba Keieidō (馬場京栄堂)

Existed in Kyōto in 1948;山口, 最後の読みカルタ, 102. mark was a circled 京.

Heibon (平凡)

This Tōkyō manufacturer stopped producing shortly after 1972.Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 42. Their maker’s mark was the phrase 天下一 (tenkaichi ‘best in the world’) written inside a large koban. Their brands included:

四天王 (shi tennō the four heavenly kings), also used for Kabufuda
牡丹獅子 (botanjishi ‘peony and lion’), also used for Kabufuda
金時桜 (kintokizakura ‘Kintoki and cherry blossom’)
旭富士 (asahifuji ‘Fuji sunrise’)
桜判官 (sakurahangan ‘cherry blossom judge’, a reference to Tōyama Kagemoto)

A hanafuda deck with an image of a stylized lion and peony flower. — Heibon’s botanjishi wrapper. Note the sticker indicating that the box contains Kabufuda cards.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of a Japanese judge’s haircut and cherry blossoms. — Heibon’s sakurahangan wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with an image of the sun rising over Mount Fuji. — Heibon’s asahifuji wrapper. (Low-resolution image from the side of a botanjishi wrapper.)

Kawakita (川北)

Kawakita had its own brands but cards were made by Yamashiro Shōten. It closed after 1962.Ibid., 48–9. Brands included:

牛若丸 (ushiwakamaru, the childhood name of Minamoto no Yoshitsune)
金閣寺 (kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion in Kyōto)
銀閣寺 (ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion in Kyōto)
弁慶 (benkei, a famous warrior monk)
大文字 (daimonji, a mountain in Kyōto)
祇園 (gion, the geisha district of Kyōto)

Kohara Honten (小原本店)

Kohara was a manufacturer based in Ōsaka until 1980.Ibid., 48. Their manufacturer’s mark was a circled さ, and brands included:

鬼印 (onijirushi, ‘ogre brand’, also for Kabufuda and Harifuda)
王将 (ōshō, the king of the stronger player in Shōgi, also used for Kabufuda)
大登龍 (daitōryū, ‘great rising dragon’), also used for Kabufuda
金札印 (kinfudajirushi, ‘golden card brand’)
鍾馗 (shōki, Shōki the demon-queller)
馬印 (umajirushi, ‘horse brand’)
宝船 (takarabune, ‘treasure ship’)
寶引 (hōbiki, ‘treasure pull’, a kind of lottery where one rope out of a bundle was tied to the prize, and whoever pulled it won; these were Hikifuda cards)
蝶々 (chōchō, ‘butterflies’)
松竹梅 (shōchikubai, ‘pine bamboo plum’, the “three friends of winter”)
折鶴 (oridzuru, ‘origami crane’)
八千代 (yachiyo, ‘forever’, literally ‘eight thousand years’)
鳴戸 (naruto, ‘whirlpool’)
船 (fune, ‘ship’), used for Kabufuda
成駒家 (narikomaya, a kabuki actor’s yagō, probably here referring to Nakamura Ganjirō II)
三ッ葉葵 (mitsuba-aoi, a mon consisting of three birthwort leaves used by the Tokugawa clan)

A hanafuda wrapper with an angry ogre mask. — The onijirushi wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a ship sailing a flag reading “treasure” in Japanese. — The takarabune wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a warrior wearing a helmet with long horns. — The shōki wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with two butterflies on it. — The chōchō wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a folded paper crane. — The oridzuru wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with bamboo, pine needles, and plum blossoms. — The shōchikubai wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a large drum and a blossom-viewing curtain. — The yachiyo wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with birds circling a whirlpool. — The naruto wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a ship on it. — The fune wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a symbol repeated on it. — The narikomaya wrapper. The repeated symbol is イ菱 ‘イ caltrop’, the mon of the Nakamura Ganjirō line of actors.

Nakao Kōkeidō (中尾晃恵堂)

A company in Ōsaka which had its cards manufactured by Nihon Karuta. Its mark was circled 恵. The only brands I know of are:

梅ヶ枝 (umegae, ‘plum branch’)
松風 (matsukazu, ‘(the sound of) wind blowing through pine trees’)

A hanafuda wrapper with a stylized plum tree. — The umegae wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a stylized pine tree. — The matsukaze wrapper.

Nishimura (西村)

A card with a samurai wearing traditional clothing and carrying an open umbrella — An extra ‘advertising’ card featuring the kabuki character Sukeroku, who appeared often in Nishimura’s branding. Sukeroku popularized the style of umbrella called a ‘snake-eye umbrella’ (蛇の目傘) due to its pattern, so this type of umbrella is also referred to as a Sukeroku-gasa (助六傘).

Early Nishimura trademarks, registered in 1915 by Nishimura Inosuke (西村伊之助 ) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第８輯　下, 296).

At first an important manufacturer in Tōkyō, but later cards were made by other makers including ŌishiTengudō.

The company existed in 1914, and was run by a NishimuraInosuke (西村伊之助).商工社, 日本全国商工人名録 (1914), 45.

Their mark was a circled い, and their brands included:Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 54–8.

金助六 (kinsukeroku, ‘golden Sukeroku’)
銀助六 (ginsukeroku, ‘silver Sukeroku’)
小天狗 (kotengu, ‘little Tengu’)
花の花 (hana no hana, ‘flower of flowers’)
白雪 (shirayuki, ‘white snow’)
百万石 (hyakumangoku, ‘one million koku’, a nickname for the rich Kaga domain, or its lord, in the Edo period), no longer produced as of 1980
奴さん (yakkosan, ‘guy’, a samurai manservant, also a traditional origami shape imitating a man), no longer produced as of 1980
奴印 (yakkojirushi, ‘guy brand’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下, 331.
竹印 (takejirushi, ‘bamboo brand’), trademarked in 1915東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第８輯　下, 296.
櫻印 (sakurajirushi, ‘cherry brand’), trademarked in 1915Ibid.
月𛀙瀬/月ヶ瀬 (tsukigase, a place famous for its plum blossoms), trademarked in 1915Ibid.
星印 (hoshijirushi, ‘star brand’), trademarked in 1916東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第９輯　下, 289.
花乃王 (hana no ō, ‘king of flowers’, i.e. the peony), trademarked in 1918東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１１輯　下, 331.
龍田川 (tatsutagawa, ‘Tatsuta river’), trademarked in 1918Ibid.
大正錦 (Taishō nishiki, ‘Taishō brocade’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下, 330.
弁慶 (Benkei, ‘Benkei’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
二福 (nifuku, ‘two fortunes’, picturing Ebisu and Daikokuten), trademarked in 1921Ibid., 331.
圓満 (enman, ‘harmony’), trademarked in 1921Ibid., 332.
東山 (higashiyama, ‘Higashiyama’)

A picture of a die surrounded by various playing cards. — Two Nishimura advertisements, from the December 1907 issue of the “Tokyo Toilet Trade Journal”. The advert on the right shows that they also sold Ōishi Tengudō products.

Kyōto Karuta (京都かるた)

A Kyōto manufacturer, founded by an ex-employee of Nihon Karuta. They were active in the 1960s & ’70s, but closed in the 1990s.梅林勲, ‘地方の花札屋さん’ (2006). Their brands included:Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 49.

金の司 (kin no tsukasa ‘officer of gold’)
大帝王 (daiteiō ‘great emperor’, also used for Kabufuda)
神鉾 (kamihoko ‘sacred halberd’, also used for Kabufuda)
つかさ天狗 (tsukasatengu, ‘chief tengu’)
花あらし (hanaarashi, ‘flower storm’, a heavy fall of blossoms)
短冊 (tanzaku, ‘poetry strip’)
ぼたん (botan, ‘peony’)

Dai Nippon (大日本)

A manufacturer from the city of Yōkaichi (now part of Higashiōmi), Shiga prefecture (滋賀県八日市市). Their logo is a group of three gourds, which is considered to be a lucky symbol.

Brands included:Ibid., 46.

銀達磨 (gindaruma ‘silver Daruma’)
千姫 (senhime ‘Lady Sen’)
銀瓠 (ginhyō ‘silver gourd’)
金瓠 (kinhyō ‘gold gourd’)
豊太閤On some versions of this, it is misspelt 豊太閣. (hōtaikō, a title of honour for Toyotomi Hideyoshi)
千成 (sennari, short for 千成瓢箪 sennaribyōtan ‘thousand gourds’, the standard used by Hideyoshi)

A hanafuda wrapper with a man wearing tall headdress and holding a fan. — The hōtaikō wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a woman wearing robes. — The senhime wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a gold gourd on a red background and with cherry petals falling. — The kinhyō wrapper.

A hanafuda wrapper with a silver gourd on a blue background and with maple leaves falling. — The ginhyō wrapper.

Nippon Yūgi Gangu/Nichiyū (日本遊戯玩具/ニチユー)

A red human-like Tengu with a long nose. — Nippon Yūgi’s kintengu brand.

Nippon Yūgi (also known as Nichiyū) was founded in Tōkyō in 1946. They still exist but no longer appear to produce Hanafuda cards, instead specializing in tarot. Their previous brands included:Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 54.

白鶴 (hakuzuru, ‘white crane’)
(日遊)金天狗 ((nichiyū) kintengu, ‘Nippon Yūgi golden Tengu’)
鳳 (ōtori, ‘splendid bird’, a male Japanese phoenix)
宴 (utage, ‘banquet’)
大入叶 (ōirikanō, ‘grant a full house’, a theatre term)
兜 (kabuto, ‘samurai helmet’)
花川戸 (hanakawado, a place in Tōkyō)
花あわせ (hana-awase, ‘flower matching’)

They also produced a poker-sized Hanafuda deck that included point values on the cards, as well as the name of the month and the flower associated with the month. Interestingly, the point values on some of the cards indicate that they were intended to be played with Hawaiian rules.

Five hanafuda cards with points which are marked with values listed in the corners, the flower listed at top, and the month listed at bottom. — Nippon Yūgi’s poker-format deck, possibly created for sale in Hawai'i.

Universal (ユニバーサル)

Universal also published standard Western decks; this Ace from a “No. **706**” deck shows the logo of a star containing the letters U & C intertwined.

The Universal Playing Card Company was founded in 1914, and based in Ōsaka.‘ウニバーセルトランプ’ (1935). Their maker’s mark on Hanafuda decks was a drawstring purse (巾着 kinchaku); elsewhere they used a six-pointed star containing “UNIVERSAL” or an interlocked U & C. Their own brands included:

ゴム花 gomuhana, ‘rubber flower’,Hatton, ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’, 59–62. for decks made with plasticised cards
萬年花 mannenhana, ‘10 000 year flower’Ibid.
壺 tsubo, depicting a vase (in yellow) like that shown on the Joker card below

In addition to Hanafuda, they produced Western cards and Ceki cards for export. In 1935 they exported a total of 10 million decks.‘ウニバーセルトランプ’.

Like other manufacturers, they produced combination Trump-Hana (トランプ花) decks, and in multiple sizes: the smallest size deck (numbered “350”) has cards that are much closer in size to that of Hanafuda than other brands’ combination cards are. A very similar deck was published under the brand “Star Playing Cards” (numbered “807”, with a five-pointed star).

The Bright cards of Universal’s Trump-Hana deck. This particular deck is listed as number “350” on the packaging.

The extra Hachi-Hachi-related cards of Universal’s Trump-Hana deck. I’m not sure of the significance of the “vase” Joker, since usually the Joker has the manufacturer’s name. It could be intended as a multilingual pun on “Universal” (ユニバーセル yunibāseru) → “Universe” (ユニバース yunibāsu), which sounds like “uni-vase” (one vase).

Two small playing cards, the first a joker with a person in a robber-mask inside a star shape, and the second a paulownia card with yellow background and the words “U.P.C. Co.” — The joker and manufacturer’s Paulownia card from the “Star Playing Cards” brand. The Universal #350 deck’s manufacturer’s card is identical to this one.

A larger sized Hana-Trump deck (numbered “25”) of theirs has different Kings which feature additional Hanafuda-style cards that could be used as an additional suit in games with more players.

The Bright cards of Universal’s Hana-Trump deck. This particular deck is listed as number “25” on the packaging.

The Bamboo–King extra suit of Universal’s Hana-Trump deck. The extra cards, from left-to-right, are: an additional Bright card featuring Princess Yaegaki (八重垣姫 ), a character from the traditional bunraku (and later kabuki) play 24 Paragons of Filial Piety (本朝廿四孝, Honchō Nijūshikō), who is taking a magical helmet to her lover across frozen Lake Suwa; the tanzaku card, which is inscribed さゝ𛂜ゆき (sasa no yuki, ‘snow on bamboo’); the tane card, showing two sparrows; and the kasu card, which has a yellow background similar to one of the Paulownia cards.

The reverse of the deck features a grape vine pattern. There are also two jokers included, one featuring a kadomatsu (門松), and the other with significantly less effort invested in its design. Note the small six-pointed stars in the corners, containing the letters U & C intertwined.

Kawai

A manufacturer from Ōsaka, whose mark was 万 with corner at top-right.Gernot Prunner, Ostasiatische Spielkarten (1969), 135.

Akata Shōjōya (赤田猩々屋)

Akata Shōjōya’s trademark, registered on the 24th of April 1900 by Akada Hanjirō (赤田半次郎) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 67).

A Kyōto manufacturer whose mark was 松 in a circle. Their mascot was a shōjō, a Japanese sea spirit who is depicted as carrying a long-handled sake ladle.

A card with an image of a woman carrying a fan with the manufacturer’s name written upon it, surrounded by leaves of the various plants of the Hanafuda deck — An additional manufacturer’s card included with an Akata Shōjōya deck, produced after 1902. BnF Gallica has high-quality scans of this deck, and Yale University also owns a copy.

A newspaper ad in Japanese with pictures of Hanafuda and Western playing cards. — An advertisement for Akata Shōjōya cards in the Nichi Bei Times, September 1921. This indicates the cards were being imported into San Francisco in the 1920s.

Suisando (翠山堂)

A manufacturer that has a very finely-detailed deck of cards reproduced in A History of Playing Cards (13). I know of no further information about them.

Nihon Goraku (日本娯楽)

Nihon Goraku was founded in 1945 as Takahashi Shōten (高橋商店), was renamed Nishinihon Koppai (西日本骨牌) in 1966, and became Nihon Goraku in 1968.日本娯楽, ‘会社案内｜日本娯楽’ (2018). They were based in Shinhama, Onomichi city, Hiroshima (広島県尾道市新浜), and originally had their cards manufactured by Kyōto Karuta. Nowadays the company imports musical instruments.

Their mark was a circled 娯. Their brands were:

山伏 (yamabushi, a mountain-dwelling hermit, practitioner of Shugendō)
福の神 (fuku no kami, ‘god of fortune’, the name of a recurring character in kyōgen and also the title of a play)
天狗 (tengu), also used for Kabufuda
竹印 (takejirushi, ‘bamboo brand’)

Nishiguchi Shōten (西口商店)

Nishiguchi also manufactured board games (such as Gunjin Shogi) Some of their decks were manufactured by Nihon Karuta. Their mark was a circled 榮, the same as Kyōwadō. Brands included:

おたのしみ (otanoshimi, ‘enjoyment’)

Nishiguchi’s trademark, registered on the 3rd of October 1914 by Nishiguchi Eisuke ( 西口榮助) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第７輯　下 (1915), 226).

A hanafuda wrapper showing images of hanafuda cards. — The otanoshimi wrapper.

Kyōwadō (京和堂)

A company about which I know very little. Presumably from the name they were based in Kyōto. Their mark was a circled 榮, the same as Nishiguchi Shōten. Their brands included:

京寶船 (kyōtakarabune, ‘Kyōto treasure ship’)
京紅梅 (kyōkōbai, ‘Kyōto red plum’)This is a likely categorization based upon the design of the box, but the maker’s mark appears to be different.

Kamigataya (上方屋)

Kamigataya’s earliest trademark, registered on the 2nd of October 1889 by Maeda Kihei ( 前田喜兵衛) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 65).

For more about Kamigataya, see the history article. Early on, Kamigataya had decks made (by Nintendō) with their own brand, but they would later sell Nintendō-branded cards directly. Their maker’s mark was 片󠄃 with angle.

In 1914, the company was run by one Kataoka Ei (片岡エイ). (Probably the logo dates from after Kamigataya was taken over by the Kataoka family.)

Their brands included:

白菊 (shirokiku, ‘white chrysanthemum’)
倭錦 (yamatonishiki, ‘ancient Japanese brocade’)
都錦 (miyakonishiki, ‘capital brocade’), trademarked in 1921東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下, 333.
𣲅戸錦 (edonishiki, ‘Edo brocade’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
八重錦 (yaenishiki, ‘multilayered brocade’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
御殿櫻 (gotenzakura, ‘palace cherry blossoms’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
大正櫻 (taishōzakura, ‘Taishō cherry blossoms’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
大正花 (taishōhana, ‘Taishō flowers’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
大正錦 (taishōnishiki, ‘Taishō brocade’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
𠮷野櫻 (yoshinozakura, ‘Yoshino cherry blossoms’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.
百萬圓 (hyakumanen, ‘a million yen’), trademarked in 1921Ibid.

The miyako nishiki wrapper, manufactured by Nintendō (credited as “F. Yamauchi”).

Marukin

Marukin was a company based in the city of Sakata, Yamagata prefecture (山形県酒田市). Their mark was a circled 金. Brands included:

金天狗 (kintengu, ‘golden Tengu’)

Ōtani Shōten (大谷商店)

Ōtani Shōten was a company based in the town of Sakurai, in Shiki district, Nara prefecture (奈良県磯城郡桜井町, now part of Sakurai). Their mark was a circled 大. Brands included:

千島 (chishima, ‘thousand islands’, the Japanese name for the Kuril Islands)

Tōhoku Karuta (東北骨牌)

Tōhoku was a manufacturer based in the city of Tendō, Yamagata prefecture (山形県天童市 ). They originally appear to have been a manufacturer (including for Seieidō), but later outsourced production to Tamura Shōgundō. The company seems to still exist in some form as Tendon Shogi. Their manufacturer’s mark was a circled 特 , and their own brands included:

初梅 (hatsuume, ‘new plum’)
出羽桜 (dewazakura, ‘Dewa cherry’)
白菊 (shiragiku, ‘white chrysanthemum’)

Seieidō (精英堂)

A hanafuda deck wrapper with an image of a smiling man carrying a fishing pole and two fish. — Seieidō’s Ebisu brand.

Seieidō was a post-war manufacturer. They do not appear to have had a manufacturer’s mark, instead writing their full name on the Paulownia card. Their brands included:

戎印 (ebisujirushi, ‘Ebisu brand’)

Tamei Fukujudō (為井福寿堂)

Tamei’s trademark, registered on the 8th of January 1900 by Tamei Tatsunosuke (為井辰之助) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 67).

Tamei was founded around 1900 and unusually used a romanized version of their name as a mark. I only know of one brand:

弁慶 (benkei, not printed on box)

Sanjōya (三條屋)

Sanjōya’s trademark, registered on the 24th of November 1890 by Kawasaki Matayoshi (川崎又吉) (東京書院, 日本登録商標大全. 第六編, 65).

Sanjōya was the second company to apply for a trademark for Hanafuda after Kamigataya. Their mark was 上 in a square. Another mark they used (for the store itself) was 又 under a mountain.

Maruyoshi (マル芳)

Based in Ōsaka, their mark was 芳 in a circle. I know of nothing else about this manufacturer.

Itō Kōji Shōten (伊藤幸治商店)

A Kyōto manufacturer, only has one deck that I know of:

近代花 (kindaibana, ‘modern flowers’)

Alaska playing cards

Alaska was a playing-card company that also manufactured some hana-trump decks. I know of nothing else about them.

The five brights of Alaska’s hana-trump deck.

Unknown

The following brands appear on decks whose manufacturers who have not yet been identified. If you have information about any of these feel free to contact me to help complete this catalogue.

𛂁𛁲゙𛁈𛀸/な𛁲゙𛁈𛀸/なでしこ (nadeshiko, ‘pink’ (the flower))
勝力士 (katsu rikishi, ‘winning sumo wrestler’)
優良太平楽 (yūryō taiheiraku ‘excellent happy-go-lucky’, which is the name of a gagaku piece)

A hanafuda wrapper with a costumed dancer and drum. — The taiheiraku wrapper.

References

Anonymous (1935). ‘ウニバーセルトランプ’ [text in Japanese]. Pages 472 in 全国百貨店有名取引業者総覧. 百貨店新聞社: Japan.
Hargrave, Catherine Perry (2000). A History of Playing Cards. Dover Publications: Mineola, New York, USA. ISBN: 978-0-486-41236-8. First published in 1930.
Hatton, George (1981). ‘Modern Japanese Wrappers’. The Playing-Card vol. 10 (2), November 1981: pages 33–63.
Iwano Art Co. (2017). ‘松井天狗堂の買取致します’ [text in Japanese]. Iwano Art Co.
O’Donoghue, Freeman Marius (1901). Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed to the Trustees of the British museum by the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber. Longmans & Co.: London, UK.
Prunner, Gernot (1969). Ostasiatische Spielkarten [text in German]. Deutsches Spielkarten Museum: Germany.
Salter, Rebecca (2008). ‘Game over: the last days of hand-made Japanese playing cards’. Andon vol. 83, March 2008: pages 39–46.
商工社 (1914). 日本全国商工人名録 [text in Japanese]. 商工社: Japan.
商工社 (1916). 日本全国商工人名録 [text in Japanese]. 商工社: Japan.
山口, 泰彦 [Yamaguchi Yasuhiko] (1998). 最後の読みカルタ [text in Japanese]. 帝国コンサルタント社友会科学文化部出版局.
日本娯楽 (2018). ‘会社案内｜日本娯楽’ [text in Japanese] [archived]. 日本娯楽.
村上, 健司 [Murakami Kenji] (2009). 手わざの記憶 [text in Japanese]. 中央公論新社: Tōkyō, Japan.
東京書院 (1905). 日本登録商標大全. 第六編 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1913). 日本登録商標大全. 　第５輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1915). 日本登録商標大全. 　第７輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1916). 日本登録商標大全. 　第８輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1917). 日本登録商標大全. 　第９輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1919). 日本登録商標大全. 　第１１輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1922). 日本登録商標大全. 　第１４輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1923). 日本登録商標大全. 　第１７輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
東京書院 (1924). 日本登録商標大全. 　第１８輯　下 [text in Japanese]. 東京書院: Japan.
梅林, 勲 [Umebayashi Isao] (2006). ‘地方の花札屋さん’ [text in Japanese]. Japan Academy of Gambling & Gaming Studies Newsletter (9), Friday, 30th June 2006.

Japanese Hanafuda Brands

Identifying a Deck

Manufacturer’s Marks

Index of Marks

Dating Decks

Tax Stamps

Current Manufacturers

Nintendō (任天堂)

Ōishi Tengudō (大石天狗堂)

Angel (エンゼル enzeru)

Tamura Shōgundō (田村将軍堂)

Extinct Manufacturers

Matsui Tengudō (松井天狗堂)

Ace (エース ēsu)

Maruē (マルエー)

Tanaka Gyokusuidō (田中玉水堂)

Iwata Honten (岩田本店)

Nihon Karuta Seizō (日本骨牌製造) & Tamada Fukushōdō (玉田福勝堂)

Yamashiro Shōten (山城商店)

Ryūtendō (龍天堂)

Inoue Juntendō (井上順天堂)0

Nakao Seikadō (中尾清花堂)

Tsuchida Tenguya (土田天狗屋)

Usui Nikkagetsudō (臼井日月堂)/Kyōto Karuta (京都カルタ)

Baba Keieidō (馬場京栄堂)

Heibon (平凡)

Kawakita (川北)

Kohara Honten (小原本店)

Nakao Kōkeidō (中尾晃恵堂)

Nishimura (西村)

Kyōto Karuta (京都かるた)

Dai Nippon (大日本)

Nippon Yūgi Gangu/Nichiyū (日本遊戯玩具/ニチユー)

Universal (ユニバーサル)

Kawai

Akata Shōjōya (赤田猩々屋)

Suisando (翠山堂)

Nihon Goraku (日本娯楽)

Nishi­guchi Shōten (西口商店)

Kyōwadō (京和堂)

Kamigataya (上方屋)

Marukin

Ōtani Shōten (大谷商店)

Tōhoku Karuta (東北骨牌)

Seieidō (精英堂)

Tamei Fukujudō (為井福寿堂)

Sanjōya (三條屋)

Maruyoshi (マル芳)

Itō Kōji Shōten (伊藤幸治商店)

Alaska playing cards

Unknown

References

Nishiguchi Shōten (西口商店)