The Hyakunin Isshu is an anthology of Japanese waka poems by 100 poets. “Hyakunin Isshu” literally means “100 people, one poem each”. Another name for the collection is Ogura Hyakunin Isshu because it was compiled by the poet Fujiwara no Teika while he lived in the Ogura district of Kyoto, Japan, about 800 years ago.
The game of Uta-Garuta appeared several centuries after Teika’s anthology. It is a popular game over the New Year holiday. Due to the popularity of this game, generations of Japanese people have learned the poems of the Hyakunin Isshu.
A Note on Tanka
Tanka consists of five units (often treated as separate lines when Romanized or translated) usually with the following mora pattern:
5-7-5 / 7-7.
The 5-7-5 is called the kami-no-ku (“upper phrase”), and the 7-7 is called the shimo-no-ku (“lower phrase”).
| Nintendo Hyakunin Isshu "Heian" (100 Poets) Set | Details |
|---|---|
  Click Here for an enlarged view of two of the Nintendo 100 Poets cards | This set of Uta Garuta Hyakunin Isshu cards is produced by Nintendo. The waka poems are clearly printed, in hiragana on the reading cards, and in hiragana and kanji on the picture cards. Also, the kanji have "furigana" alongside them to help you read them. Delicately illustrated with Heian-era style pictures of the poets, this is a fine introduction to reading and enjoying Japanese poetry. |
Isn’t 100 poets game the same as karuta?
The 100 Poets Game is called “Uta Garuta” in Japanese and yes, “garuta” = “karuta”. There is also the easier “Iroha karuta“. The name “Karuta” comes from the Portuguese for “card” but in Japan it is used to refer to these and maybe other card-grabbing games.
I really want to learn how to play. do you have the directions in english. i can always study the kanji to learn the poems. please contact me at your earlies conveinence. ARIGATO GOSAIMASHTA!!!!!!
Time to annoy the family until I can get these cards!
I wonder how many more people want this thanks to Chihayafuru.
I’ll just need someone to call out the cards, haha!
Just in case anybody is wondering, here’s some info on Wikipedia about the Chihayafuru manga series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihayafuru