Japanese card-game (Ogura Hyakunin Isshu)
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This game is based on a collection of tanka (31-syllable poems) compiled by
Fujiwara Sadaie in the 15th century and known as the Hyakunin isshu. The
collecxion includes one poem by each of one hundred poets, among whom were
emperors, scholars and novelists, both men and women. Two hundred cards are
used in the game; half carry a portrait of the poet and the complete poem,
the rest have the second half of the poem only. The leader of the game
calls out the first half of a poem from the portrait cards and the players
try to complete the poem from the matching cards laid out on the tatami The
game became popular around the 17th century and it is still played as an
elegant pastime during the New Year holidays.
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