Most Hanafuda games are played between two
opponents. In 2000, manufacturer Matsui Tengudô issued a four-player
version, named Ryuu-Ko ('Dragon-Tiger') after
the Tane subjects of two extra suits found in the deck. The edition
is also referred to as Nana-nana-bana
('Seven-seven flower cards'), which mimics Hachi-Hachi ('Eight-Eight'),
the traditional game played with standard Hanafuda decks.
Despite being a novelty, all subjects closely follow the classic Hanafuda design, including the two suits created for this purpose. The extra suits are 'Hasu' (Lotus) also described as 'Heaven month', whose Tane card features the Dragon, and 'Sasa' or 'Take' (Bamboo) also described as "Earth month", whose tane card features the tiger. Both suits also have a red Tanzaku (Ribbon) card.
'Hasu' (Lotus) suit
'Sasa' (Bamboo) suit
The other suits and subjects of the deck are the standard ones (see picture
below), although as a reminiscence of the early Meiji period editions
(19th century), verses of tanka poems are featured on the kasu
cards of Pine, Plum, Wisteria, Iris, Eulalia and Maple families, a detail also
found in the Echigobana regional pattern.
'Susuki' (Pampas) suit - note the Tanka poems on the Junk cards
