Hanafuda Road

Koi-Koi (Hanafuda) Rules

Overview

Koi-Koi is a traditional Japanese card game played with Hanafuda cards.
The goal is to form specific card combinations called Yaku and score points.
Players can choose to stop and score or say “Koi-Koi” to continue the round and try to earn more points—at the risk of losing them.

Players

• 2 players

Setup

1. Shuffle the 48 Hanafuda cards.

2. Deal:

   • 8 cards to each player (hand)

   • 8 cards face-up on the table (field)

   • The remaining cards form the draw pile.

3. If the table starts with four cards of the same month, redeal.

Card Matching

• Cards are matched by month (same flower).

• When you match a card from your hand with a card on the table, you collect both cards.

• Collected cards are placed face-up in front of you.

Turn Flow

On your turn:

1. Play one card from your hand.

   • If it matches a card on the table, collect the pair.

   • If multiple matches exist, choose one.

   • If no match, leave the card on the table.

2. Draw one card from the draw pile.

   • Apply the same matching rule.

After both steps, check if you completed any Yaku.

Yaku (Scoring Combinations)

Some common Yaku include:

• Bright Cards (Hikari)
  Collect special high-value cards.

• Animal Cards (Tane)
  Collect 5 or more animal cards.

• Ribbon Cards (Tanzaku)
  Collect 5 or more ribbon cards.

• Chaff Cards (Kasu)
  Collect 10 or more chaff cards.

• Special themed combinations (e.g. poetry ribbons).

Each Yaku has a specific point value.

Koi-Koi or Stop

• When you complete a Yaku, you may:

  • Stop: End the round and score your points.

  • Say “Koi-Koi”: Continue playing to try to gain more Yaku or higher points.

• If you say Koi-Koi and your opponent completes a Yaku before you score again, you lose the round and gain no points.

End of Round

The round ends when:

• A player chooses to stop after forming a Yaku

• A player loses after calling Koi-Koi

• All cards are played (usually no score)

Points are added to the winner’s total score.

Winning the Game

• The game is played for a set number of rounds (often 12 months).

• The player with the highest total score wins.