Database: Cards and Games of Chance

Betting was sometimes used in go and shogi games, yet because of their reliance on chance and luck it was dice games that attracted most to gambling and were apparently widespread among samurai in the 13th century. In fact, the Kamakura shogunate enacted a ban. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by the Portuguese, probably in the mid-16th century. The Japanese first played with imported cards but by the end of the 16th century had manufactured their own 48-card deck called "Tenshô Karuta" (cards of the Tenshô era). However, as since the first historical source on card games in Japan only dates to 1597, it is not known if they really existed in the Tenshô years (1573-92), although it is quite likely. Tenshô karuta were actively used for gambling and were miniaturized for easy portability. During the Edo period, gambling with karuta was banned, and in the late 18th century, the manufacture and sale of karuta was also subject to detection. Therefore, as a substitute for karuta, which consisted of 4 suits of 12 cards each, hanafuda, which consisted of 12 suits of 4 cards each, was invented, and was actively used for gambling through the modern era.