This Japanese poetry card game, called "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu" ("100 poems by 100 famous poets") features 100 famous tanka poems written in Japanese. The box top has a colorful design of a man and a woman dressed in Heian period (794-1185) clothing. The woman is wearing a red, pink, green, and gold kimono with floral designs and holds a fan with a bonsai on it; the man is in a lavender kimono with more geometric designs. There is a red, yellow, and green cartouche with an inscription in Japanese on the top right side of the box top. Inside, the cards are arranged in four stacks: two of the stacks include cards containing the first half of a poem with an illustration of the poet, while the other two stacks contain cards with the finishing lines to each poem.
"Ogura Hyakunin Isshu" can be played with three or more people. The 100 incomplete verse cards are laid out in front of everyone. One person holds a poetry card and reads it out loud, while the other players compete to find the card to complete the verse. The verse is sung when it is completed. The game can get competitive and is usually played during the New Year.
