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Gosho-guruma by Ohishi Tengudo
Feel Tradition of 200 Years from the Karuta
Date:04, Dec, 2012
Investigated and Written by Misaka Youhei
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Talking about Hyakunin Isshu the card game of the one hundred famous poems, lately they have played it as a sort of karuta though it is a Japanese ancient collection of 31 syllable Japanese poems. Most of players take it out on New Year's Day in Japan. Then, it has recently been a common feature of New Year's Day.


Urahari Shiage Karuta (Right)
It surely looks a few curve
Compatible with tatami mats

Click a picture to enlarge


They've produced Hyakunin Isshu Karuta for over one hundred years; they are Oh-ishi Tengudo established in 1800. Originally they produced Hanafuda illegal at the time, as doing a rice factor for the public. Tengu means a long-nosed goblin in Japanese. At the old time, it was forbidden launching Hanafuda officially. So he had to rub his nose at the shop for taking Japanese playing cards. They compared rubbing noses to Tengu. They say long ago there were many Tengudo shops all over Japan.

Since old time, they have produced Hyakunin Isshu Karuta. First, they print its surface and put a piece of cardboard together. Set thin paper on it and put in order like wrapping it up, they call it Urahari Shiage, two sheets karuta. It looks a little curve compatible with tatami mats. Since old time, the shape has been familiar to Japanese.


Gosho-guruma
Price: 5,250 yen (tax in.)






Looking beautiful, it tastes handmade when you can never feel from recent mass-produced karuta cards. Now we are taking up Gosho-guruma, it is a standard type of their handcrafted cards. They have launched many kinds of two sheets karuta and you have to pay 120,000 yen for the highest type. Gosho-guruma is, however, a standard and it comes to 5,250 yen, including tax. You can take easily.

All official karuta cards for competitive use in Japan are two sheets karuta. So you had better choose this genuine karuta of two hundred years tradition for private when you are getting a karuta.



Oh-ishi Tengudo Co., Ltd.
 Address: 2-350-1 Ryogae-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
 TEL: +81-75-603-8688
 Official Site: Oh-ishi Tengudo






 

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