game pieces

Child's counter game with 99 counters made of card, each with a printed and coloured image of the head of a famous regional general from before the Edo period on one side, printed on paper and adhered to the card. The reverse is plain. Each also has a character giving the name and weapon for each general. The cards are edged with five scallop shapes. The paper has become detached from some of the cards, with 11 plain cards and 13 loose papers present.

This set was probably used for menko, a game for boys where contestants attempt to flip the cards by means of throwing a card at the table to create a draught. If the card flips over, they win that card. But cards for this type of game are usually larger, according to Yukiko Hashimoto of the Edo Tokyo Museum.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
3.399
Date
19th century
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 36 mm x 36 mm x 1 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
cardboard; pigment
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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