The Secrets of the Hyakunin Isshu

Nowadays, thanks in part to "Chihayafuru," everyone understands that "Kyogi Karuta" (competitive karuta) refers to the Hyakunin Isshu. However, in the past, people often mistook it for "Iroha Karuta," and it was quite difficult to get them to understand (laughs).

In a typical Hyakunin Isshu game, a hundred cards are scattered about, and players grab the cards as the first and second halves of the poem are read consecutively. Competitive karuta is different. It is like a one-on-one sport, to the extent that it is nicknamed "Martial Arts on Tatami Mats." To begin with, you don't use all one hundred cards; only 50 cards are laid out on the field.

Furthermore, they aren't just scattered; 25 cards are arranged facing you, which is called your "own territory" (jijin), and the remaining 25 face the opponent, called the "opponent's territory" (itejin). And while only 50 cards are laid out, all one hundred poems are read. In other words, some poems are read even though their corresponding cards are not on the field.

Competitive karuta is a competition to see who can reduce the 25 cards in their own territory to zero first. If you take a card from your own territory, it decreases by one. If you take a card from the opponent's territory, you can send one card from your territory to the opponent. If the opponent makes a mistake (otetsuki), you can send another card from your territory. So, it's not necessarily a game won simply by the number of cards you take. It functions as a sport through a mix of various elements, such as maneuvering against your opponent.

Who started competitive karuta?

It is said that the writer Ruiko Kuroiwa established the rules for the competition, which had been disorganized until then. He reportedly unified them by founding the Tokyo Karuta Association in 1904.

Ruiko Kuroiwa was someone who also studied at the Gijuku, wasn't he?

The rules of competitive karuta are quite complex, so I pretty much gave up on explaining them in the movie. I tried, but if I had, the movie would never have ended (laughs). I figured if people understood it was "a competition to grab the cards as fast as possible," they would enjoy it.

In my mind, it felt like shogi combined with explosive speed. It's not just about being fast; there's a lot of maneuvering involved, like sending cards back and forth or deciding where to place them. Tactics vary completely between players, and I had the impression of a competition that was a hybrid of intellectual warfare, psychological warfare, and athletic elements.

Sasaki: In shogi terms, are there specific schools or patterns of fighting?

Hamano: People who mainly take cards from their own territory are called "defensive karuta" (mamori-garuta) players, while those who attack the opponent's territory are called "offensive karuta" (seme-garuta) players. Those are the two broad categories, but within defense, there are many variations, such as which areas they are fastest at or what kind of cards they send.

Regarding the division of cards, does each person take 25 cards and arrange them?

First, you turn all one hundred cards face down and mix them. Then, each player takes 25 cards and arranges them wherever they like.

You can turn them face up when you arrange them, right?

Yes. As long as it's within the designated area called the "fixed position" (teichi), you can place them wherever you like.

Top-class players understand each other's habits in both arrangement and how they take the cards. That's where the maneuvering comes in.

That's amazing. Even though I'm the chairman of the Keio Karuta Club, I don't know anything (laughs).

Mr. Hamano, what sparked your interest in starting competitive karuta?

When I was in elementary school, members of a university karuta club gave a demonstration in a class about learning Japanese culture. At that time, the Meijin and Queen matches were still broadcast on BS during New Year's. I saw that, thought it looked cool, and started competitive karuta in junior high school.

Was there a club in your junior high school?

No, there wasn't, so I looked for a local karuta club. It happened to be a club that practiced at Omi Jingu, which is the "holy land" of karuta.

That's incredible. Omi Jingu is like Koshien for karuta, isn't it?

Luxuriously enough, I practiced at Omi Jingu every week during junior high. I lived in Kyoto, but Otsu was close by.

What was it about karuta that hooked you?

I suppose it's the fact that the competition has so many different elements. First of all, you have to memorize one hundred cards. In a match, after both players arrange their cards, there is a 15-minute period to memorize which cards are where. So, first, there's memorization. Also, one match lasts over an hour, and to win a tournament, you have to play seven matches, so you need concentration.

Then, of course, there's physical strength, reflexes, and dynamic visual acuity. I was fascinated and became immersed in it because there are so many elements—too many to count.

It sounds tough, though (laughs).

Also, in regular tournaments, people of all ages and genders, from kindergarteners to seniors over 80, can compete together. Since junior high, I went to a nearby university to practice, interacted with various people, and I believe I had very valuable experiences. Most junior high students don't have the chance to interact with university students or adults, so I was able to see many different worlds from a young age.

Among all the necessary skills, where does your strength lie, Mr. Hamano?

I'd like to say everything, but perhaps it's my mental game. If an opponent takes a card or if I make a mistake, it's easy to think, "Oh, it's no use," but how you switch your mindset is crucial.

There's a lot to think about regarding how to fight each match, but I believe I've been able to become this strong because of my mental toughness.

Director Koizumi, did you originally know about competitive karuta?

I didn't know anything at all. I had read Yuki Suetsugu's manga "Chihayafuru," but I only started seriously researching and studying it after I received the offer to make the movie.

The manga serialization originally started around the end of 2007, and as it became popular, it seems there were talks of movie or drama adaptations in various places. Many people agonized over how to visualize it and gave up. After many twists and turns, and through a stroke of fate, the offer came to me.

Until then, there hadn't been any live-action movies about the Hyakunin Isshu, had there?

There might have been movies that used the Hyakunin Isshu as an element, but probably none that used competitive karuta as the subject matter.

Maybe just something like a two-hour TV drama called "The Hyakunin Isshu Murder Case" (laughs).

In making the movie, the sense of speed at the moment a card is taken is the most prominent feature, and of course, I thought that was very interesting. But what made it interesting as a story was that each card has a poem written on it, and those poems have meanings. This is a point that other competitions or sports don't have.

A soccer ball itself doesn't really have a story, right? The fact that each of the 50 cards on the court is imbued with a story and emotion was an element that I felt set it apart from typical hot-blooded sports stories when creating the narrative.

In the movie, there were shots taken from beneath the tatami mats. I thought it was very interesting how you could see the faces through the cards.

There are similar expressions in the manga. However, doing that in live-action was quite a high hurdle, and I regretted starting it (laughs).

In competitive karuta, faces are inevitably looking down, so if you want to capture those expressions, they look more beautiful when filmed from below. I thought that's why Yuki Suetsugu chose that angle, so I used it at key points in the movie as well.

Mr. Hamano, how did you receive the "Chihayafuru" manga and movie?

Inevitably, when sports or competitions like karuta are turned into manga or live-action movies, they are often far removed from the real thing. While that can have its good points, I hoped it would be done in a way close to the real thing to help spread competitive karuta.

When I first saw the "Chihayafuru" manga, I thought it was a dead ringer. I was impressed by how faithfully the depictions of buildings, the scenes of swiping cards, and the actual matches and locations were drawn. Similarly, with the movie, I am grateful that it was faithfully reproduced, including the addition of human drama.

Yuki Suetsugu is someone who does an immense amount of research. She has been drawing "Chihayafuru" for a long time, but she still does research to the point where you'd think there's nothing left to research.

She even observes what players are eating during the limited time between matches.

Recently, partly due to the influence of "Chihayafuru," many people are joining karuta clubs. There are about 30 people in a single school year.

The numbers have increased so much that it seems difficult even to secure practice spaces.

I've been a fan since the manga serialization began, but I never imagined it would be read by so many people. It has become so famous that there are now talks of professionalization, and there were even talks about cultural projects during the Tokyo Olympics.

That's what happens when the competitive population increases. When more people are involved, big things like professionalization start to move. In terms of spreading the competition, I think it was meaningful.

Also, when I say "I play karuta," people immediately go, "Oh, the 'Chihayafuru' thing," so I don't have to explain it to people anymore (laughs). I think that's the biggest change.

Among Japanese studies scholars in America, there are even those who are researching "Chihayafuru" itself. The population of researchers in classical Japanese literature is steadily decreasing, so as a researcher, I am very grateful that "Chihayafuru" has sparked interest in the Hyakunin Isshu.

Currently, research on the Hyakunin Isshu is actually flourishing among scholars of Japanese literature. However, the Hyakunin Isshu is a bit of a minefield, and it's a subject where someone like me can't speak carelessly. Because it is so famous, if you publish a casual idea, you risk being caught in a crossfire of criticism.

This is because the name "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu" is considered official, and it is said that Fujiwara no Teika selected them. However, this is not actually a settled matter. In the academic world, the theory that "it wasn't Teika" seems to be more dominant.

Is that so?

The general public certainly believes so. But if you pursue the facts, I also tend to belong to the "maybe it's different" faction.

The reason Fujiwara no Teika is thought to be involved is based on what is written in his diary, "Meigetsuki." In the entry for May 27, 1235 (Katei 1), there is a request from Utsunomiya Yoritsuna—the father of his son Tameie's wife—to Teika to select waka poems for shikishi (calligraphy paper) to be pasted on the shoji (which were like today's fusuma or screens) of his villa in Saga. This is said to be the origin of the Hyakunin Isshu. However, the diary doesn't say he wrote one hundred poems; it only says he wrote one poem each by people of old, from Emperor Tenji to Ietaka and Masatsune.

Since Mount Ogura is to the west of Saga, it was natural to look at this diary and link it to the "Hyakunin Isshu."

However, in modern times, something called "Hyakunin Shuka" was found. It is very similar to the Hyakunin Isshu, but the poets and waka are slightly different. A theory has emerged that this might be what appeared in that diary.

I see.

This is because of how ranks are written in the Hyakunin Isshu. The easiest examples are the names of the last two emperors, Gotoba-in and Juntoku-in; they weren't called that while Teika was alive. However, it's highly possible that the author names weren't on the shikishi themselves and were added by later people when they put them into book form. In any case, those names were granted after Teika's death.

On the other hand, Gotoba and Juntoku are not in the "Hyakunin Shuka," and the rank notations match the era when Teika was alive. Since the postscript-like text also mentions things suggesting Teika selected them, the theory was born that "Hyakunin Shuka" was Teika's selection, and the "Hyakunin Isshu" is different.

Furthermore, an Edo-period copy of a Hyakunin Isshu book said to have been written by Teika's son, Tameie, was found. As far as can be seen from the photographic version, the handwriting is from the Kamakura period. Whether Tameie actually wrote it is debatable, but the fact that such a thing existed means it can be said to have been established by Tameie's time. Because of such evidence, the theory that Tameie organized the Hyakunin Isshu is also influential.

I had no idea that was the case.

There are imperial anthologies of waka poetry, known as Chokusen Wakashu, which were commissioned by Emperors or retired Emperors (In) from the top poets of the day. Teika selected the poems for these, but the poems of Retired Emperor Gotoba and Retired Emperor Juntoku were not included in the imperial anthologies while Teika was alive.

Some believe he included them later out of a sense of obligation, as they were people he had served who were exiled following the Jokyu War. However, it is certainly strange that their poems were missing from the imperial anthologies up until the 'Shin Kokinshu' and 'Shin Chokusen Shu' in which Teika was involved, while poems by others were included.

Those poems do appear in the 'Shoku Gosen Shu,' which was selected by Tameie and compiled after Teika's death. Therefore, if we assume Tameie selected them, the contradiction is temporarily resolved. However, if I were to state that definitively here, I might risk being attacked by other scholars, so I'd rather not be too conclusive (laughs).

It is a fact, though, that he selected the poems for the Utsunomiya family's villa, right?

That is unmistakable. Though some people wonder if it's even possible to paste a hundred shikishi (poetry cards) in a private villa in the first place (laughs).

Also, while portraits of the poets (Kasane-e) are now paired with the poems, it is said that illustrations weren't added to the Hyakunin Isshu until the Edo period. Depicting the poet alongside their poem has existed since around the late Heian period, but for the Hyakunin Isshu, it happened much later.

It became a karuta game starting from the Edo period, didn't it?

That's right. Karuta came in from Portugal, and it's said that 'Unsun Karuta' (a Japanese adaptation of playing cards) evolved into things like the Hyakunin Isshu. Hyakunin Isshu in the form of karuta isn't seen until the Edo period, but by the 17th century, a considerable number of high-quality karuta sets were in circulation.

We don't know who first drew the illustrations, do we?

We don't. Looking at items published in the relatively early Edo period or hand-written karuta, you can see that even if the fine details differ, a basic standardized style for the portraits had been established. For example, Sarumaru raising his right hand mimics a pose from an earlier, different work, but it's an easy-to-recognize characteristic.

So the style was fixed.

However, when ukiyo-e artists appeared, they created different variations where the poets might be standing up or facing backward.

Also, the reason 'Ogura' is attached to the name is because there are many different variations; there is also a 'Shin Hyakunin Isshu' said to have been selected by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa in the Muromachi period. It selects poems from a hundred different people, starting from Emperor Tenmu to Hanazono-in. Parody versions were also made during the Edo period.

Since Teika's diary doesn't say he selected a hundred poems, it means someone must have given it the name 'Hyakunin Isshu' at some point. Does that mean it spread nationwide during the Edo period?

In the Edo period, books and karuta of the Hyakunin Isshu were being produced rapidly. Many remain in regional areas, and there are many 'popular edition' style karuta sets. There are also illustrated miniature books like this one published around the time Keio University was founded (photo).

The fact that it became karuta must have been a big factor. The promotion, or rather the strategy, must have been very clever. Were there no other popular karuta games before the Hyakunin Isshu?

There were an enormous variety of types, including 'The Tales of Ise karuta,' 'The Tale of Genji karuta,' sets based on the Analects of Confucius, and even those based on classical Chinese literature. There are many types of Hyakunin Isshu as well, but in the end, the one that survived most successfully was the 'Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta.'

The Hyakunin Isshu covers the period from the Manyoshu era to the era of Teika, when waka is said to have reached its literary peak. Because one could learn the history of waka and how to read poems compactly just by studying it, it was treated as a kind of textbook for those starting to learn waka from around the Muromachi period.

Also, many commentaries were created starting around the Muromachi period, and by the Edo period, several types were being published. There is also a world where the Hyakunin Isshu was turned into a formal academic study.

Hamano-san, did you learn the content and meanings as you played the sport?

99% of people who start competitive karuta enter through the sport itself; only about 1% start because they like waka poetry. I hardly knew the meanings either, and though I always think I should study them, I end up giving up.

In competitive karuta, there are 'kimari-ji' (decisive characters) where you can take a card as soon as you hear the first few syllables. To be honest, that is everything to us, so there are even top players who don't remember the words in the middle of the poem.

So you only memorize the beginning.

Since competitive karuta is becoming popular now, I feel a sense of responsibility as a top player that we must learn those aspects and pass them on.

Please do (laughs).

But conversely, you are listening to them very closely as sounds. Are there certain cards where the resonance feels particularly good?

There are, but it's strictly as a sound.

When I was filming the movie, there were times I could empathize with the content because waka has so many different stories. Since there are many love poems in the Hyakunin Isshu, it has great compatibility with the shojo manga 'Chihayafuru,' and if you read them closely, the content is almost like what we call J-POP today.

I see (laughs).

Sentiments like 'I love them, I love them not' or 'I pretended not to love them' are depicted in a way that resonates with modern youth. People from a thousand years ago were singing about things almost like J-POP. I found it charming that these are truly 'songs' and that they have such a strong sense of modernity.

They fit very well with modern coming-of-age stories, and there are descriptions in the Hyakunin Isshu poems that feel very much like youth. When I think that the poets themselves were likely composing these with the same vibe as modern young people writing lyrics or love letters, they feel very close to us.

It was good to be able to feel that there are many parts of human nature that don't change.

Many people might feel that way. Indeed, love is a very important subject in waka, and 43 of the poems in the Hyakunin Isshu are love poems. However, while in the beginning people exchanged love poems as a substitute for love letters, they gradually began to compose love poems based on assigned themes.

In short, even if you aren't in love, or even if you are a man, if the theme requires you to compose a poem about a woman's feelings, you have to imagine a certain love story in your head and compose based on those emotions and situations. Love poems have a very strong literary, fictional character.

It becomes very interesting once you start to appreciate them with that knowledge. Moreover, there are very few poems about successful love; they are all painful poems about unrequited love or meeting once and then parting, which makes them easy to empathize with.

The readers (the people who read the cards) might study waka quite extensively.

That's true. I was in the choir club in middle and high school, and in choir, you interpret the meaning of the song within yourself as you work on it. I suspect readers also feel that when reading a certain card, it's best to read it with a certain emotion. Of course, the way of reading shouldn't change from poem to poem, but there might be differences in feeling.

That's interesting.

There are ranks like B-class reader, A-class reader, and 'authorized reader' (sen-nin dokushu). These authorized readers are the chosen ones, the top of the top, and there are only about seven or eight of them now. Hearing them talk, it seems they study waka quite a bit.

While the pronunciation shouldn't change, it seems there are slight nuances in reading between people from the west and people from the east.

Where to place the accent when reciting waka is actually a field of waka scholarship. However, while there are instructions on how to read in the 'Kokinshu,' I don't recall seeing an accent book for the Hyakunin Isshu. There might be indications of 'seidaku' (voiced or unvoiced sounds) regarding whether to read with a voiced consonant.

There is a kind of textbook for the way of reading in competition, and it's decided that you take a breath at each meaning. You must not breathe in the middle of a word.

So it's not necessarily cut at the '5-7-5-7-7' rhythm?

That's right.

I've heard that the way readers read is different from the original way of reciting waka.

The way of reciting waka is called 'hiko,' and even now the Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading (Utakai Hajime) is held every year; reading with elongated sounds is correct. But if you did that in competitive karuta, it would be too drawn out (laughs).

Furthermore, depending on high social rank, you might read it five times, or the number of repetitions might differ. There are still people today who preserve those ways of vocalization.

In an era without recording devices, it had to be passed down orally.

There are things like musical scores where they write to elongate a line like this or to make the voice tremble.

Does the distance from the reader affect things in a match?

It hardly changes. However, even authorized readers have habits in their reading, so top-level players pick up on those habits. For example, this reader tends to let the vowels 'a' or 'o' leak out. No matter how careful they are, we can tell because we are used to it.

You grasp it to that extent? That's an amazing world.

So, there is a battle, so to speak, between the player and the reader. The reader must create an environment where everyone can take cards fairly, but the player tries desperately to grasp the reader's characteristics.

Currently, I belong to the Public Relations Department of the All Japan Karuta Association and provide commentary for title matches broadcast live on YouTube, and many of the comments that come in are from overseas. That's how much it has spread abroad, and a world tournament is held in Japan once every year or two.

Before COVID, team matches were held at Omi Jingu Shrine, and shouts of 'Good luck!' or 'One more card!' were flying around in various languages. Given the current situation, we sometimes connect via Zoom and use competitive karuta games online.

Since it's in hiragana, some people are studying Japanese through karuta. Also, we have karuta players who have gone to study abroad from Japan engage in activities to spread it locally.

The movie 'Chihayafuru' was only shown in a limited range of overseas theaters, but it was often screened as a Japanese film at things like government film festivals, and we received many reactions.

I thought people might not understand the meaning, but surprisingly that wasn't the case; everyone understood the story perfectly and accepted it amazingly well. It's debatable whether the meaning of the poems was fully conveyed, but I think the fact that the poems have some kind of meaning was probably communicated.

Overseas players definitely know the meanings of the poems better than Japanese people.

That might be true. Many people start because they are interested in Japanese culture. On FutureLearn, the online education platform I'm currently involved with, the course on conveying Japanese culture has registrations from 169 countries and a cumulative total of about 25,000 people who are studying enthusiastically. Maybe I should make a Hyakunin Isshu course next.

Are there strong overseas players now?

There are strong players who were in Japan for a long time playing competitively and then returned to their home countries, and when such people spread it, that country becomes strong.

In competitive karuta, ranks go up to 10th dan, with 9th and 10th dan being honorary ranks for distinguished service. The top level, called A-class, starts from A-class 4th dan. It's a system where you move up by winning tournaments, and I am an A-class 6th dan.

Oh, that's impressive.

Hamano-san always advances in the Meijin-sen (Master's Tournament), and he also consistently participates in tournaments like the Invitational Championship where only top-class players go, so he is undoubtedly a top-class player.

There are qualifiers for the Meijin-sen in the West and East, but first, you have to be selected based on your performance over the year just to participate. Two years ago, I became the representative for the East and competed against the representative from the West. It was a match where the winner would go to the Meijin-sen; we entered the third match with one win and one loss each, and the remaining cards were one-to-one.

There it is!

When it's one-to-one, the person whose card is read almost always wins. In that case, the opponent's card was read, and there was a time when I couldn't make it to the Meijin-sen.

That must have been frustrating.

I realized that a single card can change your life.

That alone sounds like it could be a drama. When you became the student champion, I wrote the recommendation for The President's Honorable Mention, so it left a very deep impression on me. You have been working hard since then, haven't you?

Becoming the representative for the East is no ordinary feat.

The venue for the East is a place called the Karuta Memorial Otsuka Hall in Otsuka, Bunkyo Ward. Even though it's called a memorial hall, it's actually very cramped. To be honest, I wish they would renovate the weave of the tatami mats (laughs). The West, of course, is at Omi Jingu Shrine.

We'd want something like that in the East too. Maybe somewhere around Tsurugaoka Hachimangu would be better. Eventually, overseas players might become stronger.

There are already several A-rank players.

I think it will gradually become that way. Even in Japanese classical studies, more and more excellent researchers are emerging.

Competitive Karuta can be started at any age, and since children do it, there are quite a few people from the parents' generation who decide to do it with them. I often hear about parents and children practicing and pushing each other to improve.

Keio has been strong for a while now, hasn't it?

Yes, it is. In team competitions, we won our first university championship two years ago. Just like in the world of sports, strong people gather where it's already strong, so we've been strong lately.

Hamano-san, did you not choose Keio specifically to do Hyakunin Isshu?

That wasn't exactly the case. To be honest, I didn't do much of my own practice at university; I played karuta with the desire to guide my juniors and for my classmates to become stronger.

There is much to be learned precisely because I am on the teaching side, and I am following the spirit of "learning while teaching, teaching while learning," which is a teaching of Yukichi Fukuzawa. I feel that I was able to become this strong because I have been doing it for others.

That's a nice story. We must also work hard so that those who compete can also understand the content.

Yes, please. Since Suetsugu-sensei and Director Koizumi's "Chihayafuru" acted as a catalyst to spread it this far, all competitors feel they must give something back. Of course, that includes spreading karuta further, but we also need to approach the competition by knowing the meanings and interpreting the poems.

Having been given this opportunity, I truly felt that I want to study from now on. I believe that will lead to my own growth in the competition, so I hope to one day become a Meijin and make my mark once more.

I look forward to it.

I also wrote this in the movie dialogue, but while I can understand intellectually that it's amazing that poems from a thousand years ago still remain today, I think it's hard to have a real sense of it.

However, while writing the script, when I thought that the fact that things from a thousand years ago remain today means that something we create now might also remain a thousand years into the future, something clicked for me.

Therefore, when thinking about Hyakunin Isshu or karuta, if we consider not just the past but also a thousand years into the future, I think we can better imagine things from a thousand years ago. I thought it might be interesting to think about what we can leave behind for people similar to ourselves a thousand years from now.

That's an interesting point. It would be fine to create something like that in J-POP as well.

Thank you for today.