"A Special Item: What I Learned from Making It" | Hitoshi Takano (SFC Administrative Director)

2012.05.17

Since the theme is "a cherished masterpiece," I'd like to introduce an item related to my hobby, though it may not be a masterpiece.

My hobby is "competitive karuta."

You may not be familiar with "competitive karuta," but it is the sport featured in the popular work *Chihayafuru* (author: Yuki Suetsugu), which is currently a hot topic in a weekly manga magazine (*BE LOVE*, Kodansha) and an anime series (Nippon TV). Thanks to this work, its recognition has skyrocketed.

I have been involved in this sport for over 30 years and hold a 5th dan rank, but I have always struggled with promotional activities. However, thanks to the significant influence of the manga and anime, it's fair to say that the expansion of the player base (promotion) has accelerated in the last year or two.

In fact, the editor of the weekly magazine that sparked this boom is a graduate of SFC's Faculty of Policy Management.

Photo 1 (Click to enlarge)

In "competitive karuta," we use cards from the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu," a collection said to have been compiled by the poet Fujiwara no Teika in the late Heian (early Kamakura) period. In my case, rather than intentionally building a collection, the reality is that they just naturally accumulated as I gathered various cards as a competitive player.

Please look at Photo 1. This is part of my collection, but it also includes several types of so-called "Iroha Karuta" other than the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu. Since there is the rather high hurdle of memorizing one hundred *waka* poems to play competitively, I collected these thinking it might be better to introduce beginners to the fun of "karuta" this way.

Among them, the "Security Iroha Karuta" was supervised by Professor Keiji Takeda of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, and I received it from him personally. It is also an educational tool that allows one to learn about security concepts while playing.

Next, I would like to introduce some of the lesser-known types of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu karuta cards.

My collection also includes other items, such as karuta cards that are half the normal size and cards that have been sturdily processed like *hanafuda* or other flipping-style cards.

(Note)

*1 "Kimariji"... In Hyakunin Isshu, this refers to the unique starting syllable(s) that identify a specific card.

(Example) If you hear the first syllable "mu," you can take the card "kiri tachi noboru aki no yugure." In this case, "mu" is the *kimariji*.

Next, please look at Photo 2. These are the *torifuda* (grabbing cards) for the second half of the poem "asaborake uji no kawagiri taedae ni."

Photo 2 (Click to enlarge)

Have you noticed the difference between the three *torifuda*?

The one on the far right is a competitive karuta card. It uses historical kana orthography, and no *dakuten* (voicing marks) are written. The one in the middle is a *Goshiki Karuta* card, and the *dakuten* are included to reflect the pronunciation. Now, for some reason, the card on the far left has a *dakuten* only on the last character. On competitive cards, *dakuten* are never written on any *torifuda*, while on *Goshiki Karuta*, *dakuten* are written on all characters that are voiced. For this leftmost set of *torifuda*, this is the only character out of one hundred cards that has a *dakuten*.

Do you see? In short, it's a manufacturer's error. They say that items like stamps with printing errors are traded at high prices in the collector's market, but I wonder what the case is for this card. There's no doubt that it's a rare item.

And now, please look at Photo 3. These are my "special cards," though it may be presumptuous to call them the "cherished masterpiece" of this article's theme.

Photo 3 (Click to enlarge)

This is a handmade set of "Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu" (Patriotic Hyakunin Isshu), with one hundred *yomifuda* (reading cards) and one hundred *torifuda* (grabbing cards). I made it by pasting paper printed with the poems onto thick cardboard one by one, and then pasting green *washi* paper to the back.

While the collection compiled by Fujiwara no Teika is called the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu," many other types, known as "variant Hyakunin Isshu," were compiled in later eras. For example, the "Genji Hyakunin Isshu" is a selection of *waka* poems from *The Tale of Genji*, and there is also the "Buke Hyakunin Isshu," a collection of poems by warriors.

Among these variant Hyakunin Isshu is the "Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu." The Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu was announced in newspapers published in Tokyo on November 20, 1942 (Showa 17). A revised version was published in March 1943 (Showa 18) as the "Teihon Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu" (Standard Edition Patriotic Hyakunin Isshu). It was initiated by the Nihon Bungaku Hokokukai (Patriotic Association for Japanese Literature) with the support of the Information Bureau and the Taisei Yokusankai (Imperial Rule Assistance Association), and with the cooperation of the Mainichi Shimbun. The selection was made by 11 committee members and 15 advisors. At the time, during the war, it became difficult for enthusiasts of competitive karuta using the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu to hold tournaments, as playing with poems of love during a national emergency was frowned upon. Therefore, it is said that a national competitive tournament was held just once with these Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu cards at Kashihara Jingu shrine.

I happened to acquire a book of this "Teihon Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu" at a secondhand bookstore. Upon researching it, I found it quite interesting. Although the number of unique first syllables is about four fewer than the 27 in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, it differs in that it has cards with "seven-syllable *kimariji*" and "thirteen-syllable *kimariji*," compared to the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, which ranges from "one-syllable *kimariji*'*2 to "six-syllable *kimariji*." As a competitive karuta player, I was intrigued by this characteristic of having many cards with long *kimariji*. My interest grew, and I thought it would be fun to try playing a match with these cards. However, to play a match, I needed the cards, which I didn't have.

(Note)

*2 "X-syllable *kimariji*"... This indicates after how many syllables of the first half of the poem (*kami-no-ku*) a specific card can be identified. For "mu" in Note 1, it is a "one-syllable *kimariji*." For "asaborake u" in Photo 2, it is a "six-syllable *kimariji*" because it cannot be identified until the sixth syllable is heard.

I thought I might be able to find an original set at a secondhand bookstore, but given the material shortages at the time they were made, I suspected the products would have durability issues. I figured that the cards from that era, now deteriorated with age, would be unusable for competition. Furthermore, the cards themselves would be rare and valuable, and if they were sold at a high price, they would likely be beyond my reach. So, I concluded it would be quicker to make them myself.*3

(Note)

*3... I later learned that a replica version is apparently sold. It seems I could have obtained it by going to a karuta specialty shop in Kanda.

And so, the completed set is the Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu shown in Photo 3.

What I realized from making them myself was the difficulty of gluing the *washi* paper on the back to wrap around the paper printed with the poem (which looks like a 1mm border from the front).

In the case of karuta cards, some products have the front border printed and are simply pressed into thick cardboard, but high-quality items, including those for competition, are finished by pasting on a backing paper. This pasting is done by hand by craftsmen. When the paper, damp with glue, dries, it creates a beautiful warp, and a skilled craftsman can make this warp uniform. On the other hand, an amateur's gluing results in an uneven warp. As you might expect, my amateur work resulted in a completely uneven warp.

What I discovered by making them myself was the high level of skill of the craftsmen who make the cards I use so casually every day. And I felt that we, the players who use the cards, must show gratitude and respect for this craftsmanship.

The skill of a player in taking a card is supported by the skill of the craftsman who makes the card.

Now, there is no originality in my card making. I simply imitated the methods of those who came before me. If you ask what my personal commitment was, it was the single point of making them myself instead of buying a product. And from making them, I learned things—things that can be understood by tracing the methods of our predecessors. This isn't just about "making things"; the technique of taking cards in karuta also begins with imitating masters, eventually becoming one's own skill and leading to the creation of new techniques.

I started making these cards on a whim, but I'm glad I did.

Finally, to any students or faculty members who are confident in their skills, or anyone interested in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu who would like to try competitive karuta, please feel free to contact me.

I would be delighted to have a match with you.

(Date of publication: 2012/05/17)