Did you guys know that Nintendo was originally a playing card manufacturer that was founded in 1889 by a guy named Yamauchi Fusajirō? I have a set of Nintendo hanafuda playing cards (not to be confused with western playing cards) that date back to somewhere between 1954-1957. I'm trying to find one that pre-WWII but I'm still trying to figure out how to use Yahoo auctions because thats the main ebay-like website they use in Japan.
Pre-1960 Nintendo Deck Box and sealed deck of hanafuda cards. All playing cards in Japanmade before 1990 have tax stamps. This pair is from '54-'57
Side of a sealed deck. I know Google translate isnt great but it gives a rough idea
You can buy individual decks but you can also buy them in red/black pairs. In this picture the black deck on the left is still sealed but the red one on the right has been opened.
These arent Nintendo brand cards but it gives you an idea of the size of hanafuda cards.
The top symbol (pictured below) is Nintendo's manufacturers mark. That mark can be found on all Nintendo hanafuda cards no matter what brand they were sold under. "It says "marufuku" which literally translated means "circle fortune". The meaning of the name ‘Nintendo’ is not exactly known, but a U.S. Patent Office trademark describes it as “a corporation whose fortune or prosperity should be left to the mercy of heaven”. This could possibly be the origin of the phrase “leave luck to heaven”, which is widely regarded to be the meaning of the name. Despite being a full-fledged video game manufacturer, Nintendo still continues to manufacture Hanafuda today."
The last two symbols below Marufuku say "Tengu" which is a type of ancient Japanese "imp" I guess you could call him. Tengu is one of many many brand names that Nintendo has made over the years. The vintage deck I posted pics of above is "Otafuku" brand which was also made by Nintendo but discontinued sometime in the late 70s IIRC. Nintendos current brands are Daitoryo (Their flagship brand which translates to "President"), Tengu (step down in quality from Daitoryo), Miyako No Hana (Step down from Tengu and translates to "Flowers of the city", and Chiyozakura which is a step down in quality from Miyako No Hana and translates to "Thousand-year Sakura". Sakura btw mean Cherry Blossom or Cherry Blossom Tree.
Heres an example of what all the cards look like. I hope you guys find this half as interesting as I do
Pre-1960 Nintendo Deck Box and sealed deck of hanafuda cards. All playing cards in Japanmade before 1990 have tax stamps. This pair is from '54-'57
Side of a sealed deck. I know Google translate isnt great but it gives a rough idea
You can buy individual decks but you can also buy them in red/black pairs. In this picture the black deck on the left is still sealed but the red one on the right has been opened.
These arent Nintendo brand cards but it gives you an idea of the size of hanafuda cards.
The top symbol (pictured below) is Nintendo's manufacturers mark. That mark can be found on all Nintendo hanafuda cards no matter what brand they were sold under. "It says "marufuku" which literally translated means "circle fortune". The meaning of the name ‘Nintendo’ is not exactly known, but a U.S. Patent Office trademark describes it as “a corporation whose fortune or prosperity should be left to the mercy of heaven”. This could possibly be the origin of the phrase “leave luck to heaven”, which is widely regarded to be the meaning of the name. Despite being a full-fledged video game manufacturer, Nintendo still continues to manufacture Hanafuda today."
The last two symbols below Marufuku say "Tengu" which is a type of ancient Japanese "imp" I guess you could call him. Tengu is one of many many brand names that Nintendo has made over the years. The vintage deck I posted pics of above is "Otafuku" brand which was also made by Nintendo but discontinued sometime in the late 70s IIRC. Nintendos current brands are Daitoryo (Their flagship brand which translates to "President"), Tengu (step down in quality from Daitoryo), Miyako No Hana (Step down from Tengu and translates to "Flowers of the city", and Chiyozakura which is a step down in quality from Miyako No Hana and translates to "Thousand-year Sakura". Sakura btw mean Cherry Blossom or Cherry Blossom Tree.
Heres an example of what all the cards look like. I hope you guys find this half as interesting as I do
Month / Suit Flower | Hikari (20 points) | Tane (10 points) | Tanzaku (5 points) | Kasu (1 point) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January Pine | Crane and Sun | Poetry tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
February Plum blossom | Warbling white-eye | Poetry tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
March Cherry blossom | Curtain | Poetry tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
April Wisteria | Cuckoo | Plain tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
May Iris | Eight-plank bridge | Plain tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
June Peony | Butterflies | Blue tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
July Bush clover | Boar | Plain tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
August Susuki grass[a] | Full moon | Geese | 2 cards | |||||
September Chrysanthemum | Sake cup | Blue tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
October Maple | Deer | Blue tanzaku | 2 cards | |||||
November* Willow | Ono no Michikaze or figure with umbrella | Swallow | Plain tanzaku | (Lightning) | 1 card | |||
December* Paulownia | Chinese phoenix | 3 cards |
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