Bush Clover [萩, hagi] is the name of a suit in traditional hanafuda decks. It is generally taken to be the seventh suit, representing the month of July [7月, shichigatsu] or the number 7.
The cards in this suit all feature green and red bush clover fronds. There are two Chaff cards, one Plain Ribbon, and one Animal. The Animal card of the Bush Clover suit features an orange Boar [猪, inoshishi] emerging from the bush.
Due to its somewhat ambiguous appearance, this suit is also known by various alternative names in Japanese, including ‘Red Beans’ [赤豆, akamame] and ‘Red Fruit’ [赤実, akami].
¶ Cards
¶ Boar
Bush Clover with Boar [萩に猪, hagi ni inoshishi], or simply Boar, is the Animal card of the Bush Clover suit.
This card is part of the famous “Boar-Dear-Butterflies” [猪鹿蝶, inoshikachō] yaku in many hanafuda games from Japan, including Koi-koi, Hana-Awase and Roppyakken.
¶ Plain Ribbon
Bush Clover with Ribbon [萩に短冊, hagi ni tanzaku] is the Ribbon card of the Bush Clover suit.
This card combines with the Wisteria Ribbon and Iris Ribbon to form the “Grass Ribbons” yaku in many games, including Hana-Awase, Roppyakken, and Go-Stop. In other games such as Koi-Koi and Hachi-Hachi it merely contributes to generic Ribbon yaku.
¶ Chaff
The Bush Clover suit, like most, has two Chaff cards.
¶ Bibliography
- Ōishi Tengudō, “花札の謎シリーズ！７月札『萩に猪』,” blog post, July 2013.
- Rin & Char, “各月に描かれた絵柄の意味,” りんとちゃーの花しらべ, blog post, September 2019.
- Hanafuda Hawaii, “Symbols and Motifs in Hanafuda,” March 2025.