Iroha Karuta for Hino City
Special version of Iroha Karuta, a traditional Japanese matching game, made for Hino City, Tokyo.
Packs of Iroha Karuta don’t always have 96 cards and don’t always depict proverbs. The present set was made for Hino City, located in the western part of Tokyo. It depicts people, places, parks and amenities connected with Hino City. This type of Iroha Karuta appears to be called Kyodo Karuta. All the locations are marked on the accompanying map
The set retains the traditional format of an Iroha Karuta set, with yomifuda and torifuda, and a kana (circle) in the top right corner (also used on the map). In this example, the cards have brown borders and square corners, and the yomifuda have lengthy text in Japanese on the reverse
Above: Iroha Karuta for Hino City by an unknown maker, c1995. 2 x 46 cards + 2 blank cards + slip and booklet with text in Japanese + map of Hino City with Japanese text on the reverse , in decorated drop-lid box. Size: 70 x 100 mm.
I was presented with these cards by two Japanese students visiting Edinburgh in July 1995. They had no idea that I collected playing cards and that this was the perfect gift for me!
Further Reading
Fuda Wiki: Iroha Karuta►
Wikipedia: Hino, Tokyo►
By Roddy Somerville
Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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