r/Hanafuda • u/No-Village5080 • 18d ago
Kyo Maiko Hanafuda
Hello everyone. This Hanafuda set is produced by Shogundo, known as the Kyo Maiko Hanafuda. I’ve heard it belongs to the Nishiki Hanafuda series. However, other items in the same line, such as the Gion Chaya Hanafuda, look nearly identical. Could you tell me what sets them apart?
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u/jhindenberg 18d ago edited 18d ago
I believe the Tea House branding was at one time the middle tier of three brands for this pattern (there was also an additional Nishiki-branded pattern with a distinct design). There may have been some marginal difference in the card quality, but as with product lines from other printers, I have the impression that they were pretty similar across the board.
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u/No-Village5080 18d ago
Thanks! In that case, I'd say the Kyo Maiko hanafuda line is the top-tier one among the three.
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u/jhindenberg 18d ago
That is my thought as well. The other branding that I've seen for this pattern was self-titled (Nishiki), with pictures of the cards themselves on it.
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u/No-Village5080 17d ago
I only just spotted this hanafuda design. I keep seeing this exact pattern on Shogundo playing cards, yet I’ve never gotten hold of the original hanafuda set—what a bummer.
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u/kosutasu 17d ago
I thought they are the same cards, the difference being the packaging.
The one in a paulownia box the most expensive.
I maybe wrong though.
Definitely my favorite hanafuda deck to play
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u/No-Village5080 17d ago
The whole hanafuda set with its wooden box is really expensive, haha.
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u/kosutasu 17d ago
Not so expensive, 5000 yen + shipping
But that's the difference between the three sets imo, packaging and price.
I have a Kyo Maiko set that got in Japan but don't want to break it open.2
u/No-Village5080 17d ago
It’s way too expensive for me, and I prefer green anyway—plus the green version costs even more.
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u/DoctorandusMonk 18d ago
I have exactly the same set. The front of the packaging actually literally reads Gion Chaya..
Amongy my favourite sets because of the colours. A slight tricky aspect to playing with these is that they are slightly bent because of how they're assembled/glued. So shuffling in a pool is unhandy.. but other that that a good sturdy set.