Hanafuda

Hanafuda (花札) is a Japanese gambling card game which evolved from Western playing cards.

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Though refined card games were played in Japan by the nobility since its early eras, they were not commonly used for gambling, or played by the lower classes. This changed, however, in the 18th year of Tenmon (A.D. 1549) when Saint Francisco Xavier landed in Japan. The crew of his ship had carried a set of Hombre (48-card Portuguese) playing cards from Europe, and card games became very popular among the Japanese. When Japan closed off all contact with the Western world in 1633, the usage of foreign playing cards were banned.

Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....

Gambling: Gambling (or betting) is any behavior involving risking money or property (making a wager or placing a stake) on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity depends partially or totally upon chance or upon one's ability to do something....

Playing cards: REDIRECT Playing card...