The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-08-20
JAPANESE PLAYING CARDS.
Forty Nine Make Deck and They Are
Queerly Marked.

orty- Nine Make "A Deck and They Are
Queerly Marked.
The history Of playing cards, their
introduction into Europe from the east
by the gvpsies or by the home-return-
ing crusaders. the change and develop
ment they underwent while being
adapted from the cards of the orient
and altered into those that are familiar
to our eyes. have been dwelt upon by
numbers of writer's says Science. but
the cards used in Japan have not been
mentioned in any CT the best-known
histories. although they are more dis
tinctly original than any others, and
thew show no marks of the common
origin which the Italian, Spanish. Ger
man, French, Hindoo, and Chinese
cards display.
The japanese cards. we learn from
a paper bv Mrs. j. King van Rensse-
laer, in the Proceeding of the Ma
tional Museum" (vol. 13. No. $3.50. are
obloug and are made of pasteboard.
The backs are painted black. with
none of the checkered. dotted marks
which usually decorate European cards.
The designs seem to be stenciled, and
are brightly and appropriately colored,
and then covered with an enamel or
varnish which makes them quite as
slippery as our own. They are very
much smaller than our cards, being a
little more than two inches long by
one broad.
Forty-nine in number, they are di-
vided into twelve suits Jf four cards in
each suit. One card is 4 trile smaller
than the rest of the pack. and has a
plain white face not cnbellished with
anv distinctive emblem, and this one is
used as Joker" The other cards
are covered with designs that repre-
sent twelve flowers or other things APP
Droprate to the week of the year.
Each card is distinct aud different
from its fellows, even if bearing the
2Gme emblem. and they can be easily
distinguished and classified. not only
by the symbolic flowers they bear, but
also by character or letter that
marks nearly every card. and which
seems to denote the vegetable that
represents the month. The only month
that has has no floral emblem is Au-
gust and that suit is marked by noun
tains and warm looking skies.
January is represented by pine trees
which, on two of the cards. are shown
against lurid sky; the third one has
a gravish background, that throws the
trees into stroug relief, and the fourth
has setting sun fecked with light
clouds, the pines barely indicated in
front OF it. and the greater part of the
= "A E
white bodied, red-eycd stork.
February displays rs its emblem a
plum blossom. the four cards devoted
to this month bearing its flower in
various positions.
March has red-cherry blossom, and
April the hanging tendri!s of the
wistaria vine. On one of TIE cards of
this suit is wee yellow bird which is
tiling across its surface under Grim
son cloud.
For Nav there arc beautiful blue
birds springing from long spiky leaves.
One card shows in one of its corners
part Of dock or pier. and also the
water out Of which the flower is lifting
its lovely head.
June is represented by blood-red
butterflies are lowering.
On July'S cards star-shaped leaves,
some yellow, some red, and some
black, are scattered over their sur
faces. These leaves resemble those Of
our gum or liquid amber trees. but
they bear the Japanese name Of hagi.
On one of the cards belonging to this
suit 4 deer is represented standing un-
der the branches of this strangely hued
tree. This is the only figure which re-
calls in any way the embcms used on
cards belonging 10 other nations. as
on one Of the Chinese cards is found
either Il deer or else Chinese characters
which have been translated to mean:
This is Il deer"
Augu-t is represented by four pict-
urcS of grass-covgrel mountains, in
three Of which they are sharply de-
fined against c}oudod blue sky, and
II the fourth the sun, looking hot and
sultry, beams down on Il trccieSs hill.
Three birds fly across !hc sky on one
of these cards.
September bears the Mikado's flow
er. yellow and red chrysauthcmum;
October a maple Tree with rel or vel
low leaves. and Oh enc card is yell
low boar trotling Of toward the
symbolic tree.
November shows on one CT It's cards
willow sharply outlined against a
leaden sky. Tnc willows on fellow
card look uind-tos>rd. and long
tailed bird Skins across tie sky. A
third card is covered with inky clouds,