The Secrets of Hyakunin Isshu

Nowadays, thanks in part to "Chihayafuru," everyone understands that "Karuta = Hyakunin Isshu" when they hear "Competitive Karuta." However, in the past, people often thought of it as "Iroha Karuta," and it was quite difficult to get them to understand (laughs).

In general Hyakunin Isshu card-grabbing, a hundred cards are scattered about, and the first and second halves of the poem are read consecutively for players to take the cards. Competitive Karuta is different. It is like a one-on-one sport, to the extent that it has the nickname "Martial Arts on Tatami Mats." To begin with, you don't use a hundred cards; only 50 cards are laid out on the field.

Furthermore, they aren't just scattered; 25 cards are lined up facing you, which is called your "own territory" (jijin), and the remaining 25 face the opponent, called the "opponent's territory" (itejin). And while only 50 cards are laid out, all 100 poems are read. In other words, there are cards that are read but are not on the field.

Competitive Karuta is a competition to see how you can reduce the 25 cards in your own territory to zero. If you take a card from your own territory, it decreases by one. If you take a card from the opponent's territory, you can send one card from your territory to the opponent. If the opponent makes a mistake (otetsuki), you can send another card from your territory, so it's not necessarily a competition won solely by the number of cards you take. It functions as a single sport where various elements, such as maneuvering against the opponent, are mixed together.

Who started Competitive Karuta?

It is said that the writer Ruiko Kuroiwa established the rules for the competition, which had been disorganized until then. He reportedly unified them by establishing the Tokyo Karuta Association in 1904.

Ruiko Kuroiwa was someone who also studied at the Juku.

The rules of Competitive Karuta are quite complex, so I almost gave up on explaining them in the movie. I tried, but if I had, the movie would never have ended (laughs). I figured if people understood that it's "a competition to take Karuta cards as fast as possible," they would enjoy it.

In my mind, it feels like Shogi multiplied by instantaneous reaction speed. It's not just about taking cards quickly; there's a lot of maneuvering, like sending cards back and forth or deciding where to place them. Tactics differ completely depending on the player. My impression was that it's a hybrid competition mixing intellectual battle, psychological warfare, and athletic elements.

Sasaki: In Shogi terms, are there specific schools of play or patterns of fighting?

Hamano: People who mainly take cards from their own territory are called "defensive Karuta" (mamorigaruta) players, and those who attack the opponent's territory are called "offensive Karuta" (semegaruta) players. Broadly speaking, those are the two types, but within defense, there are various styles, such as which areas they are fastest at or what kind of cards they send.

Regarding the card distribution, does each person take 25 cards and line them up?

First, a hundred cards are turned face down and mixed. From those, each player takes 25 cards and lines them up wherever they like.

You can turn them face up when you line them up, right?

That's right. As long as it's within the range called the "fixed position" (teichi), you can place them wherever you like.

When players reach the top class, they understand each other's habits in both placement and card-taking. That's where the maneuvering comes in.

That's amazing. Even though I'm the president of the Keio Karuta Club, I don't know anything (laughs).

Mr. Hamano, what sparked your interest in starting Competitive Karuta?

When I was in elementary school, people from a university Karuta circle gave a demonstration in a class about learning Japanese culture. At that time, matches like the Meijin and Queen titles were still broadcast on BS during New Year's. I saw that, thought it looked cool, and started Competitive Karuta in junior high school.

Was there a club in your junior high school?

No, there wasn't, so I looked for a nearby Karuta association. It happened to be the one held at Omi Jingu Shrine, which is the "holy land" of Karuta.

That's incredible. Omi Jingu is like Koshien for Karuta, isn't it?

Luxuriously enough, I practiced at Omi Jingu every week during junior high. I lived in Kyoto, but Otsu was close by.

What was it about Karuta that hooked you?

I suppose it's the fact that the competition has so many different elements. First of all, you have to memorize a hundred cards. In a match, after both players line up their cards, there is a 15-minute period to memorize which card is where. So, first is memorization skills. Also, one match lasts over an hour, and to win a tournament, you have to get through seven matches, so concentration is essential.

Then, of course, there's physical strength, instantaneous reaction speed, and dynamic visual acuity. There are so many elements that it's hard to count them all, and I felt attracted to that and became immersed in it.

It sounds tough, though (laughs).

Also, in a normal tournament, men and women of all ages, from kindergarteners to seniors over 80, can compete together. Since junior high, I went to a nearby university to practice, interacted with various people, and I believe I had valuable experiences. I don't think ordinary junior high students have many opportunities to interact with university students or adults, so I was able to see many different worlds from a young age.

Among all the necessary skills, where does your strength lie, Mr. Hamano?

I'd like to say everything, but perhaps it's my mentality. When an opponent takes a card or you make a mistake, it's easy to think, "Oh, it's no use," but how you switch your mindset is important.

There's a lot to think about regarding how to fight each match, but I believe I've been able to become this strong because of the strength of my heart.

Director Koizumi, did you originally know about Competitive Karuta?

I didn't know anything at all. I had read Yuki Suetsugu's manga "Chihayafuru," but I only started seriously researching and studying it after I received the offer to make it into a movie.

The manga serialization originally started around the end of 2007, and as it became popular, it seems that talk of movie or drama adaptations cropped up in various places. Many people agonized over how to visualize it and gave up, but after many twists and turns and a bit of fate, the offer came to me.

Until then, there hadn't been any live-action Hyakunin Isshu movies, had there?

I think there were movies that used Hyakunin Isshu as an element, but probably none that used Competitive Karuta as the subject matter.

Maybe just something like a two-hour TV drama called "The Hyakunin Isshu Murder Case" (laughs).

In making the movie, the sense of speed at the moment a card is taken was the most striking and interesting part, of course. But the fact that each card has a poem written on it, and that those poems have meanings, was what made it interesting as a story. This is a point that other competitions or sports don't have.

A soccer ball itself doesn't really have a story, right? The fact that each of the 50 cards on the field is imbued with a story and emotion was an element that I felt set it apart from typical hot-blooded sports stories when creating the narrative.

In the movie, there were shots taken from beneath the tatami mats. I thought it was very interesting how you could see the faces through the cards.

There are similar expressions in the manga. However, doing this in live-action was quite a high hurdle, and I regretted starting it (laughs).

In Competitive Karuta, faces are inevitably looking down, so if you want to capture those expressions, they look more beautiful when filmed from below. I think that's why Yuki Suetsugu chose that angle, so I made sure to use it at key points in the movie as well.

Mr. Hamano, how did you receive the "Chihayafuru" manga and movie?

Inevitably, when sports or competitions like Karuta are turned into manga or live-action movies, they are often far removed from the real thing. While that can have its good points, I hoped that for the sake of spreading Competitive Karuta, it would be done in a way that was close to the real thing.

When I first saw the "Chihayafuru" manga, I thought it was a dead ringer. I was impressed by how faithfully the depictions of buildings, the scenes of swiping cards, and the actual matches and locations were drawn. Similarly, with the movie, I am grateful that it was faithfully reproduced, including the addition of human drama.

Yuki Suetsugu is someone who does an immense amount of research. She has been drawing "Chihayafuru" for a long time, but she still does research to the point where you'd think there's nothing left to research.

She even observes what the players are eating during the limited time between matches.

Recently, partly due to the influence of "Chihayafuru," many people are joining Karuta associations. There are about 30 people in a single school year.

The numbers have increased so much that it seems difficult even to secure practice spaces.

I've been a fan since the manga serialization began, but I never expected it to be read by so many people. It has become so famous that there is now talk of professionalization, and there was even talk of a cultural project during the Tokyo Olympics.

That's what happens when the competitive population increases. When more people are involved, big things like professionalization start to move. In terms of spreading the competition, I think it was meaningful.

Also, when I say "I play Karuta," people immediately go, "Oh, the 'Chihayafuru' thing," so I don't have to explain it to people anymore (laughs). I think that's what has changed the most.

Among Japanese studies scholars in the US, there are even those who research "Chihayafuru" itself. The population of researchers in classical Japanese literature is steadily decreasing, so as a researcher, I am very grateful that "Chihayafuru" has sparked interest in the Hyakunin Isshu.

Currently, research on the Hyakunin Isshu is actually flourishing among scholars of Japanese literature. However, the Hyakunin Isshu is a bit of a minefield, and someone like me has to be careful about what I say. Because it is so famous, if you publish a casual idea, you risk being caught in a crossfire.

This is because the name "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu" is considered official, and it is said that Fujiwara no Teika selected them. However, this is actually not a settled matter. In the academic world, the theory that "it was not Teika" seems to be more dominant.

Is that so?

The general public certainly thinks so. But if you pursue the facts, I also tend to belong to the "it might be different" camp.

The reason it's believed Fujiwara no Teika was involved is based on what is written in Teika's diary, "Meigetsuki." In the entry for May 27, 1235 (Katei 1), it shows a request from Utsunomiya Yoritsuna—the father of Teika's son Tameie's wife—to Teika to select waka poems for shikishi (calligraphy paper) to be pasted on the shoji (things like sliding doors or screens today) of his villa in Saga. That is said to be the origin of the Hyakunin Isshu. However, the diary doesn't say he wrote a hundred poems; it only says he selected one poem each from ancient people, from Emperor Tenji to Ietaka and Masatsune.

Since the western neighbor of Saga is Mount Ogura, it was natural to look at this diary and link it to the "Hyakunin Isshu."

However, in modern times, something called "Hyakunin Shuka" was found. It is very similar to the Hyakunin Isshu, but the poets and waka are slightly different. A theory has emerged that this might be the one mentioned in that diary.

I see.

This is because of how ranks are written in the Hyakunin Isshu. The easiest examples are the names of the last two emperors, Gotoba-in and Juntoku-in, but they were not called by those names while Teika was alive. However, it's highly possible that the author names were not included on the shikishi themselves, and were added when later people put them into book form. In any case, those names were granted after Teika's death.

On the other hand, Gotoba and Juntoku are not included in the "Hyakunin Shuka," and the rank notations match the era when Teika was alive. Since things like the postscript also mention that Teika selected them, the theory was born that "Hyakunin Shuka" was Teika's selection, and the "Hyakunin Isshu" is different.

Furthermore, a copy made in the Edo period of a Hyakunin Isshu book said to have been written by Teika's son, Tameie, was found. As far as can be seen from the photographic version, the handwriting is from the Kamakura period. Whether Tameie actually wrote it is debatable, but the fact that such a thing existed means it can be said to have been established by Tameie's time. Because of such evidence, the theory that Tameie organized the Hyakunin Isshu is also influential.

I had no idea that was the case.

There are Chokusen Wakashu (Imperial Anthologies of Waka) which the Emperor or a retired Emperor (In) ordered the top poets of the time to compile. Teika selected poems included in those, but the poems of Gotoba-in and Juntoku-in were not in the Imperial Anthologies while Teika was alive.

There is a view that he forced them in because they were people he served and they had been exiled in the Jokyu War, but it is certainly strange that while other poems are in the Imperial Anthologies up to the "Shin Kokinshu" and "Shin Chokusenshu" (which Teika was involved in), only the poems of those two are missing.

Those poems are included in the "Shoku Gosenshu," which was compiled after Teika died and was selected by Tameie. Therefore, if we assume Tameie selected them, the contradiction is resolved for the time being. However, if I state this definitively, there's a risk of being ganged up on, so I don't want to be too conclusive (laughs).

So it is a fact that the poems were selected for the Utsunomiya family villa.

There is no mistake about that. Though some people wonder if it was even possible to paste a hundred shikishi (square art cards) in a private villa (laughs).

Also, while portraits of the poets (kasen-e) and the poems are currently paired together, it is said that illustrations were likely not added to the Hyakunin Isshu until the Edo period. While depicting the figure of a poet alongside their poem has existed since around the late Heian period, the Hyakunin Isshu dates back much further.

It became a karuta game starting from the Edo period, right?

That's right. Karuta came in from Portugal, and it is said that "Unsun Karuta" (a Japanese adaptation of playing cards) evolved into things like the Hyakunin Isshu. Hyakunin Isshu in the form of karuta is not seen until the Edo period, but by the 17th century, a considerable number of high-quality karuta sets were in circulation.

We don't know who first drew the illustrations, do we?

We don't. Looking at things like editions published relatively early in the Edo period or hand-written karuta, you can see that even if the fine details differ, a basic standard for the portraits had been established. For example, Sarumaru raising his right hand mimics his appearance in earlier works, but it is an easy-to-understand characteristic.

So the style was fixed.

However, once ukiyo-e artists appeared, they created different variations where the poets might be standing up or facing backward.

Also, the reason "Ogura" is attached to the name is because there are various other versions, such as the "Shin Hyakunin Isshu" (New One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each), which is said to have been selected by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa during the Muromachi period. It selects poems from a hundred different people, starting from Emperor Tenmu to Hanazono-in. Parody versions were also made during the Edo period.

Since Teika's diary doesn't explicitly say he chose a hundred poems, it means someone must have given it the name "Hyakunin Isshu" at some point. Does that mean it spread nationwide during the Edo period?

During the Edo period, Hyakunin Isshu books and karuta were being produced one after another. Many remain in regional areas, and there are many mass-market versions of karuta as well. There are even illustrated miniature books like this one (photo) published around the time Keio University was founded.

The fact that it became karuta must have been a big factor. The promotion or strategy must have been very clever. Were there no other popular karuta games before the Hyakunin Isshu?

There were an enormous variety of types, including "The Tales of Ise karuta," "The Tale of Genji karuta," and those based on the Analects or other Chinese classics. While there are many types of Hyakunin Isshu, in the end, the one that survived most successfully was the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta."

The Hyakunin Isshu covers the period from the Manyoshu era to the era of Teika, when waka is said to have reached its peak as a literary art. Because one could learn the history of waka and how to read poems compactly just by studying it, it was treated as a textbook of sorts for people starting to learn waka since around the Muromachi period.

Furthermore, many commentaries were produced starting from the Muromachi period, and by the Edo period, several types were being published. There is also a world where the Hyakunin Isshu was turned into a formal academic study.

Mr. Hamano, did you also learn the content and meanings as you played the sport?

99% of people who start competitive karuta enter through the sport itself; only about 1% start because they like waka. I also knew almost nothing of the meanings, and though I always think I should study them, I end up giving up.

In competitive karuta, there are "kimari-ji" (decisive characters) where you can take a card after hearing just the first few syllables. To be honest, that is our lifeblood, so there are even top players who don't remember the words in the middle of the poems.

So you only memorize the beginning.

Now that competitive karuta is becoming popular like this, we top players have a sense of responsibility that we must learn those aspects and pass them on.

Please do (laughs).

But on the other hand, you are listening to them very closely as sounds. Are there certain cards where you like the resonance of the sound?

There are, but strictly as sounds.

When I was filming the movie, I found that because waka has various stories, I could sometimes empathize with the content. Since there are many love poems in the Hyakunin Isshu, it is very compatible with the shojo manga "Chihayafuru," and if you read them closely, the content is almost what we would call J-POP today.

I see (laughs).

Sentiments like "I love them, I love them not" or "I pretended not to love them" are depicted in a way that resonates with modern youth. People from a thousand years ago were singing about things that are almost like J-POP. I found it charming that these are indeed "songs" and that they have a very strong modern relevance.

They are very compatible with modern coming-of-age stories, and there are descriptions in the Hyakunin Isshu poems that feel very much like youth. When I think that the people singing them were likely composing poems with the same vibe as modern youth writing poetry or love letters, they feel very close to us.

It was good to be able to think that there are many parts of human nature that don't change.

Many people might feel that way. Indeed, love is a very important subject in waka, and 43 of the poems in the Hyakunin Isshu are love poems. However, while in the beginning people exchanged love poems as a substitute for love letters, they gradually began to compose love poems based on given themes.

In short, even if you aren't in love, or even if you are a man, if the theme requires you to compose a poem about a woman's feelings, you have to imagine a certain love story in your head and compose based on those emotions and situations. Love poems have a very strong literary, fictional character.

It becomes very interesting once you know that and start to appreciate them. Moreover, there are very few poems about successful love; they are all painful poems about unrequited love or meeting once and then parting, so it's easy to project your emotions onto them.

The readers (the people who read the reading cards) might study waka quite a bit.

That's true. I was in the chorus club in middle and high school, and in chorus, you approach it by interpreting the meaning of the song within yourself. I think readers probably also feel that when they read a certain card, it's best to read it with a certain emotion. Of course, the way of reading shouldn't change from poem to poem, but the feelings might be different.

That's interesting.

There are ranks like B-class reader, A-class reader, and certified reader. The chosen certified readers, the top of the top, only number about seven or eight right now. Hearing them talk, it seems they study waka quite extensively.

While the pronunciation shouldn't change, it seems there are slight differences in the nuances of reading between people from the west and people from the east.

Where to place the accent when reciting waka is a field of waka scholarship. However, while the "Kokinshu" has instructions on how to read, I don't recall seeing an accent book for the Hyakunin Isshu. There might be indications of whether to read with voiced or unvoiced sounds.

There is a textbook-like guide for reading in competitions, and it is decided that you take a breath at each meaning. You shouldn't breathe in the middle of a word.

So you don't necessarily break at the "5-7-5-7-7" structure?

That's right.

I've heard that the way readers read is different from the original way of reciting waka.

The way of reciting waka is called hikou, and even now the New Year's Poetry Reading (Utakai Hajime) is held every year, where reading with elongated sounds is correct. But if you did that in competitive karuta, it would be too slow (laughs).

Moreover, if you are of high rank, you might read it five times, or the number of repetitions might differ. There are still people today who preserve those ways of vocalization.

In an era without recording devices, it had to be passed down orally.

There is something like a musical score where they write things like "elongate it like this with a line" or "vibrate your voice."

Does the distance from the reader affect the match?

It hardly changes anything. However, even certified readers have habits in their reading, so top-level players pick up on those habits. For example, this reader tends to let the vowels "a" or "o" leak out. No matter how careful they are, we are used to it, so we can tell.

You grasp it to that extent? That's an amazing world.

So, there is a battle, so to speak, between the player and the reader. The reader must create an environment where everyone can take cards fairly, but the player tries desperately to grasp the reader's characteristics.

Currently, I belong to the Public Relations Department of the All Japan Karuta Association and provide commentary for title matches broadcast live on YouTube, and many of the comments that come in are from overseas. The spread overseas has expanded to that extent, and a world tournament is held in Japan once every year or two.

Before COVID, team matches were held at Omi Jingu Shrine, and shouts of encouragement like "Ganbare" or "Tsugi ichimai" (one more card) were flying around in various languages. Because of the current situation, we sometimes connect via Zoom and use competitive karuta games online.

Since it's in hiragana, some people are studying Japanese through karuta. Also, we have karuta players who have gone to study abroad from Japan engage in activities to spread it locally.

The movie "Chihayafuru" was only shown in a limited range of overseas theaters, but it was often screened as a Japanese film at government-sponsored film festivals, and we received many reactions.

I thought the meaning might not be understood, but surprisingly that wasn't the case; everyone understood the story perfectly and accepted it surprisingly well. Whether the meaning of the poems was conveyed is debatable, but I think the fact that the poems have some kind of meaning was likely conveyed.

Overseas players definitely know the meanings of the poems better than Japanese people.

That might be true. Many people start because they are interested in Japanese culture. On the online education platform I'm currently involved with, FutureLearn, the course for conveying Japanese culture has about 25,000 total registrations from 169 countries worldwide, and they are studying enthusiastically. Maybe I should make a Hyakunin Isshu course next time.

Are there strong overseas players now?

There are strong players who were in Japan for a long time playing competitively and then returned to their home countries, and when such people spread it, that country becomes strong.

In competitive karuta, ranks go up to 10th dan, with 9th and 10th dan being honorary ranks for service. The top level called A-class starts from A-class 4th dan. It's a system where you move up by winning tournaments, and I am A-class 6th dan.

Oh, that's amazing.

Mr. Hamano always advances in the Meijin-sen (Master's Tournament) and always appears in the Invitational Championship, a tournament where only top-class players go, so he is undoubtedly a top-class player.

There are qualifiers for the Meijin-sen in the West and East, but first you have to be selected based on your performance for the year just to appear there. Two years ago, I became the representative for the East and fought the representative for the West. It was a match where the winner goes to the Meijin-sen, and in the third match after a 1-1 tie, the remaining cards were 1 to 1.

It came out!

In a one-on-one situation, the person who is read is almost always the winner. Because of that, my opponent's card was read, and there was a time when I couldn't make it to the Meijin-sen (Master's Tournament).

That must have been frustrating.

I realized that a single card can change your life.

That alone sounds like it could be a drama. When Mr. Hamano became the student champion, I was asked to write the recommendation letter for The President's Honorable Mention, so it left a very deep impression on me. I see you have been working hard since then.

Becoming the representative for the East is no ordinary feat.

The venue for the East is a place called the Karuta Memorial Otsuka Hall in Otsuka, Bunkyo Ward. Even though it's called a memorial hall, it's actually very cramped. To be honest, I wish they would renovate the weave of the tatami mats (laughs). The West, of course, is Omi Jingu Shrine.

We'd like something like that in the East too. Maybe it would be better to have it around Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Eventually, overseas players might become stronger.

There are already several Class A players.

I think it will gradually become that way. Even in the study of Japanese classics, more and more excellent researchers are emerging.

Competitive karuta can be started at any age, and since children do it, there are quite a few people from the parents' generation who decide to do it together. I often hear about parents and children practicing and working hard to improve together.

Keio has been strong for a while now, hasn't it?

It is strong. In team competitions, we won our first university championship two years ago. Just like in the world of sports, strong people gather where it's strong, so we've been strong lately.

Mr. Hamano, did you not choose Keio specifically because you wanted to do Hyakunin Isshu?

That wasn't exactly the case. To be honest, I didn't do much of my own practice at university; I played karuta with the desire to coach my juniors and for my classmates to become stronger.

There is a lot to be learned precisely because I am on the teaching side, and I am following the spirit of "learning while teaching, teaching while learning," which is the teaching of Yukichi Fukuzawa. I feel that I have been able to become this strong precisely because I have done it for others.

That's a nice story. We must also work hard so that those who compete can understand the content as well.

Yes, please. Since Yuki Suetsugu-sensei and Director Koizumi's "Chihayafuru" acted as the spark to spread it this far, all competitors feel that we must give something back. Of course, that includes spreading karuta further, but we also need to approach the competition by knowing the meanings and interpreting the poems.

Having been given this opportunity, I truly feel like I want to study from now on. I believe that will lead to my own growth in the competition, so I hope to become a Meijin someday and make my mark once more.

I look forward to it.

I also wrote this in the dialogue for the movie, but while I can understand intellectually that it's amazing that poems from a thousand years ago still remain today, I think it's hard to have a real sense of it.

However, while writing the script, I thought that the fact that things from a thousand years ago remain today means that something we create now has the potential to remain a thousand years into the future, and that's when something clicked for me.

Therefore, when thinking about Hyakunin Isshu or karuta, if we think not only about the past but also about a thousand years into the future, I think we can better imagine things from a thousand years ago. I thought it might be interesting to think about what we can leave behind for people similar to ourselves a thousand years from now.

That's an interesting point. It would be fine to create something like that in J-POP as well.

Thank you for today.