Competitive karuta has been around since the start of the 19th century before the Meiji Restoration, but the rules used vary in different regions. At the beginning of the 20th century the different rules were unified by a newly … See more

Competitive karuta is a one-on-one game, facilitated by a reciter (card reader) and a judge. All official matches use cards made by Oishi Tengudo.
50 torifuda cards … See more

Good karuta players memorize all 100 tanka poems and the layout of the cards at the start of the match. They must also be able to adapt to the changing layout of the cards during the match.
There are 7 poems which have unique first syllables (fu, ho, … See more

Official tournaments are often covered by the media. See more

There are two decks in a karuta game. Each deck contains 100 cards, with a tanka poem printed on each. The two decks are:
• Yomifuda … See more

Individual match
Individual tournaments are separated by the ranking group (dan = grade). The rankings are as follows:
• A class; 4-dan and above
• B class; 3-dan
• C … See more

Several drama, anime and manga plots revolve around competitive karuta.
• Manga:
• See more