Edo's Hanafuda Review

Hanafuda Game Review

Hanafuda (花札) are playing cards from Japan used for a variety of games (like a standard 52 card deck in the states). Their name translates to “Flower Cards,” with a flower set (4 cards) to represent each of the 12 months in the deck (48 cards total). The specific game I talk about in the video is called Koi-Koi (very popular), but there are many. Nintendo started out as a company making Hanafuda cards!

I wanted to share Hanafuda cards because of their influence on me as a game designer. They made me step outside the box and think about card games in new ways. It is simple, but requires you to wrap your head around a different convention/culture. Do give it a shot!

Please like, subscribe, and share with your friends!

Hanafuda Wikipedia

Check out Hanafuda on BGG:

[juanpablol-t]

I mean those cards are beautiful and that 'click' sound they make is addictive to me as popping bubbles. Perhaps one of the coolest gifts, and koi koi it's fun to play. Correct my grammar please.

[ericengstrom]

I absolutely love traditional cards games. They are almost always taught by word of mouth. I mean, how weird is it to see written rules for cribbage or euchre (at least for me it is)? And games that use non-traditional decks was the influence for a game I'm making now (however, in my case I must have clear rules and card instructions). Very cool.

[Dragonsoulification]

Awesome video and I love this game and the card are awesome

[Paladin]

I played Hanafuda games (especially Koi Koi) when I lived in Japan, but I didn't know anybody who played in Korea. In fact, I was told that Hanafuda was not something Koreans ever talked about explicitly because of the Japanese influence (and all the occupation/pre-war memories that brings up).