The Wild History of Japanese Playing Cards: From Banned Contraband to Gaming Icons

The Wild History of Japanese Playing Cards: From Banned Contraband to Gaming Icons

Evolution of Japanese Playing Cards

The Japanese are titans in the gaming world, but their journey to prominence is nothing short of extraordinary. It all started with their exposure to a metaphorical forbidden fruit—a Portuguese dragon deck—and escalated into an all-out war on cards, culminating in mafia killings over tiny images of chrysanthemums and wisterias.

Let's take a diving deep into the world of Japanese playing cards, tracing their origins from the greedy hands of European traders through their evolution into flower cards and, eventually, their massive influence on modern gaming. So grab a snack, settle in, and let’s explore how a little bundle of paper managed to change the world.

See the full video on Play-In Game's Youtube

Part I

The Arrival of the Portuguese: Japan Opens Pandora’s Box of Cards

Our story begins in 1543, when Portuguese traders first set foot on Tanegashima Island, an isolated part of Japan’s Kyushu region. They came bearing firearms, Christianity, and most importantly for us—playing cards. These weren’t just ordinary decks. The Portuguese cards, known as karuta (from the Portuguese carta), were based on Spanish and Portuguese suits:

• Ouros (Coins)

• Espadas (Swords)

• Copas (Cups)

• Paus (Clubs)

Ancient Portuges Dragon Decks

With only 40 to 48 cards per deck, they were a hit, blending the allure of foreign culture, gambling, and—more controversially—Western religion.

Part II

The Gateway to Colonial Influence

The Portuguese weren’t just merchants. They were followed by Jesuit missionaries, including the famous Francis Xavier, who sought to spread Christianity across Japan. And what better way to break cultural barriers than with card games? Playing cards became an entry point for the Jesuits to engage with the Japanese.

But as much as these cards brought entertainment, they also symbolized foreign influence—and not everyone in Japan was thrilled about that. The rise of Christianity was met with suspicion and hostility. By the early 1600s, the ruling Tokugawa shogunate decided to slam the brakes on Westernization, launching a brutal crackdown on Christianity and, by extension, Portuguese playing cards.

The First Japanese Cards: Tensho Karuta

Before the crackdown, Japanese artisans had already begun producing their own playing cards, directly inspired by the Portuguese decks. The first known Japanese-made cards were called Tensho Karuta, crafted in the late 16th century.

These decks retained the four Iberian suits, but they had a uniquely Japanese aesthetic—smaller, more stylized, and easier to produce. The cards were often hand-painted with bold reds, blacks, and golds. But just as they were hitting their stride, the government shut them down.

Top vs. Bottom: Portuguese Aces vs. Japanese Tensho Karuta Aces

The great card purge was part of a broader move to eradicate Christianity from Japan. By 1597, not only were Tensho Karuta cards being confiscated and destroyed, but Christian converts were being executed in Nagasaki as a warning to others. To this date, no Tensho Karuta cards exits. They have been forever snuffed out.

But here’s the thing: the Japanese loved their playing cards. And no government ban was going to stop them from gaming.

Part III

The Great Card Ban: Japan Finds a Workaround

When the government banned foreign playing cards, Japanese players did what any dedicated gamer would do: they found loopholes. Artisans started making new card decks that carefully avoided looking too Western.

The Evolution of Secret Cards

Some of the clever replacements included:

 Unsun Karuta: A 75-card, five-suited deck, just different enough from Portuguese ones to dodge the ban.

Kabu Fuda: A 40-card deck used for gambling.

Kamasu Fuda: The same as Tensho Karuta, but disguised with abstract designs instead of Iberian suits

But the biggest success of all? Hanafuda.

Part IV

The Rise of Hanafuda: Flower Cards as a Symbol of Resistance

Traditional vs Modern Hanafuda Cards

By the 18th century, a brilliant solution to the card ban emerged—Hanafuda (flower cards).

Instead of using numbers or Western-style suits, Hanafuda cards featured beautiful illustrations of plants, animals, and nature. It was a visual masterpiece, but beneath the artwork, these cards were still being used for gambling—just cleverly disguised.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Part V

The Game of the Yakuza

Naturally, this brought in the Yakuza. By the 19th century, Japanese crime syndicates were running underground gambling dens using Hanafuda cards. These cards became icons of rebellion, tied to forbidden games, secret meetings, and high-stakes bets.

The Yakuza and Hanafuda, Who Inspired Who?

The Yakuza connection didn’t stop there. Many Yakuza members tattooed Hanafuda imagery onto their bodies, blending the designs into their infamous full-body tattoos. In fact, some historians believe that many traditional Yakuza tattoo motifs come directly from Hanafuda decks.

Part VI

Enter Nintendo: From Flower Cards to Video Games

By the late 1800s, Japan was opening back up to Western influence, and the demand for playing cards was skyrocketing. In 1889, a Kyoto businessman named Fusajiro Yamauchi saw an opportunity.

He founded Nintendo Koppai, a company that specialized in high-quality Hanafuda decks and Poker decks—which made their way into Yakuza gambling dens. That’s right: before Nintendo made childrens video games their products were used by gangsters.

But as the 20th century progressed, Nintendo wanted to go legit. They started producing Western-style playing cards, and by 1969, they even partnered with Disney to bring family-friendly card games to Japan. This success bankrolled their transition into video games, leading to the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario, and the gaming empire we know today.

Epilogue

The Only Surviving Tensho Karuta Card

Earlier, I said there were no surviving Tensho Karuta decks, meaning we may never really know what they looked like... sort of....

There is exactly one known card from the original 16th-century decks that still exists today—a King of Clubs, preserved in a Japanese museum.

The Only Surviving Original Japanese Playing Card: The Tensho Karuta King of Clubs

This single card is living proof of a time when Japan and Portugal, two vastly different cultures, sat down and played a game together. It’s proof that, despite religious and

political divides, people will always find common ground through play.

So, the next time you hold a deck of cards—whether it’s a pack of Hanafuda, a standard poker deck, or even a deck of Uno—just remember: you’re holding a piece of history, one that has been played, banned, smuggled, and reinvented for over 400 years.