Tensho Karuta [天正かるた] is the term used for karuta (playing cards) made in Japan, which were faithful copies of Portuguese playing cards (Nanban Karuta [南蛮カルタ]), except they were smaller in length and width than their Portuguese counterparts. (See History of Playing Karuta in Japan)
Originally, they were simply known as Karuta, which is a Japanese pronunciation for carta, the Portuguese word for cards. Nowadays, to differentiate them from the other types of karuta, they were named Tensho Karuta due to the speculation that these karuta started to be locally manufactured in Japan sometime during the Tensho Era (1573-1592), in the town of Miike in Chikugo Province (present-day Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture). During this time, card decks from Portugal were also being imported to Japan which probably started in 1571 when the Nagasaki port was opened to foreign traders.
The name may have also come from the game Tensho, which was a predecessor to the games Mekuri and Hana-awase; however, decks named in this context, named Tenshofuda [テンショ札], did not always have designs faithful to the Portuguese counterparts, and such decks are classified under Mekurifuda.
They proved to be popular among the Japanese people, although their use in gambling caught the ire of the ruling authorities. Bans were enacted, especially during the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868). Those caught gambling with them were fined, imprisoned, punished, or even put to death. Stores that were openly selling karuta were ordered to stop selling and dismantle their stores. Nevertheless, people kept playing and gambling with karuta undercover. Manufacturers continued to produce karuta in the underground market.
Another problem with Tensho Karuta is that it featured foreign imagery that could be mistaken for Christian iconography, especially the suit of cups which looked like the Holy Grail. This was considered dangerous, since Christianity was formally banned since 1602, and any person caught practicing Christianity was immediately put to death. A person owning a Karuta deck could be accused of being Christian and executed.
Considering this, it seemed that karuta manufacturers tried to cover up or change the iconography of Karuta. They replaced the courts with illustrations suitable for Japanese tastes, such as images of Samurai or Buddhist iconography. Eventually, manufacturers heavily overprinted them with color or transformed them into abstract shapes or strokes, likely as a way to reduce costs.
The resulting Karuta decks slightly varied in design and structure depending on the region in Japan it was made, and the kind of game that was popular in those regions. These types of cards were given various names based on the games played with them, such as “Tensho Karuta”, “Yomi Karuta”, “Mekuri Karuta”, “Kingo Karuta”, “Kabu Karuta”, etc., but because of the similarities in their structure and design, they are now all classified as Mekurifuda.
¶ Deck Overview
Just like a Portuguese playing card deck, there are 4 suits in a Tensho Karuta deck - clubs, swords, cups, and coins. There are 12 ranks of cards: Dragon, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Maid, Horse, and King.
Some Mekurifuda patterns have gold and silver overprints to differentiate which card is which suit and to identify the point values of cards when playing Mekuri.
¶ Names of Suits
| English names |
Portuguese names |
Japanese names |
|---|---|---|
| Clubs | Paus | Hau / Pau |
| Swords | Espadas | Isu |
| Cups | Copas | Koppu / Kotsu |
| Coins | Ouros | Oru / Ouru |
¶ Numbers and Courts
| Number | English names |
Japanese names |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragon/Ace | Pin/Tsun/Un/Aza | Pin is the kabu term for ‘one’, and likely has Portuguese origins. Tsun also likely has Portuguese origins. Un from Portuguese Um meaning ‘one’. Aza from Portuguese As meaning ‘ace’, refering specifically to the Dragon of Clubs. |
| 2 | Two | Ni | - |
| 3 | Three | San | - |
| 4 | Four | Shi/Yon | - |
| 5 | Five | Go | - |
| 6 | Six | Roku | - |
| 7 | Seven | Nana/Shichi | - |
| 8 | Eight | Hachi | - |
| 9 | Nine | Ku/Kyu | - |
| 10 | Maid | Juu/Tou/Sota | Juu/Tou means ‘ten’ in Japanese. Sota is exactly the Portuguese term meaning ‘servant’. |
| 11 | Horse/Knight | Uma/Kaba | Uma means ‘horse’ in Japanese. Kaba is a shortening of Portuguese cavalo (‘horse’) or cavaleiro (‘horseman’). |
| 12 | King | Kiri/Rei | Kiri is likely a shortening of Latin Christus. Rei is exactly the Portuguese term meaning ‘king’. |
¶ Games that can be played with Tensho Karuta
Since Tensho Karuta is structurally and visually identical to a 48-card Portuguese deck, any game that uses a 48-card deck (such as a Spanish playing card deck) can be played using Tensho Karuta.
It is thought that trick-taking games like Triunfo or Ombre were played when the Portuguese introduced card games to Japan. Unfortunately, no evidence of those particular games being played in Japan exists. However, a similar trick-taking game called Hachi-nin Meri was played on an expanded Tensho Karuta deck called Unsun Karuta.
A lot of Japanese card games played using other types of cards were originally played using Tensho Karuta. For a list of Japanese games that can be played using Tensho Karuta, see Mekurifuda Games.