Abstract
It has been said that cultural artifacts survive more intact in immigrant communities than they do in their countries of origin. This is perhaps because these artifacts are passed down as things of importance, whereas they tend to change, and are even discarded, in their home countries. This seems to be the case with Hanafuda, a Japanese card game. Hanafuda is currently played at the Moiliili Community Center in Hawaii. The elderly players are very familiar with the game, having played in their childhood. Kanyaku Imin, the system of Japanese contract immigration started in 1885. The game came to Hawaii with the first-generation Japanese and due to the scarcity of entertainment on the sugar plantations, it became popular in the immigrant camps. Families throughout the Islands have played Hanafuda for generations. During the plantation era, it is said that Hanafuda was not only played by Japanese immigrants but also in other ethnic communities. The variant of Hanafuda played at the Moiliili Community Center, though, is played using different rules and with bigger cards. The research presented in this paper is guided by the following questions: When and why were the Hanafuda rules changed and are there other variations in Hawaii? Why has Hanafuda declined in popularity in Japan? Are there any reasons behind the fact that ordinary Japanese play Hanafuda less often than they used to? What social/cultural roles have Hanafuda played? This research, done in both Japan and Hawaii, attempts to present the answers to these questions.
Presenters
Mariko Takagi-KitayamaProfessor, Department of English Language and Cultures, Faculty of Letters, Aichi Gakuin University, Aichi, Japan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Civic, Political, and Community Studies
KEYWORDS
SOCIAL ROLES OF HANAFUDA, CULTURAL ARTIFACTS, HAWAII'S IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES
