Live on Kickstarter: Koinobori Hanafuda Cards and Koinobori Fusion Playing Cards

[EndersGame]

Koinobori Hanafuda Cards and Koinobori Fusion Playing Cards (Kickstarter)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iws/koinobori-playing-cards-hanafuda-poker-plastic



Available in two formats: a thick plastic mini hanafuda deck, or a regular poker-sized fusion deck

Cost: US$18 per Koinobori Fusion deck, US$28 per Koinobori Hanafuda deck, or US$44 for the pair
Current funding level: already funded
Kickstarter ends: Sept 17, 2022

The Koinobori decks represent the latest project from IndianWolf Studios.  They have successfully produced several Hanafuda Fusion decks already, which are so called because they double as a standard deck of poker-sized playing cards, and as a Hanafuda deck.  What makes this project particularly noteworthy is that besides the poker-sized Fusion deck they are also producing a separate Hanafuda deck in the traditional mini-size. 



The Koinobori decks were created in light of the challenges that have faced our world in recent times, and were intended to be a positive creative project to lift spirits and bring a smile to others.  They are themed around koinobori, which are carp streamers/windsocks that are traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Children?s Day.  Much like many children, carp are strong willed and spirited.  The artwork is cute, colourful, and cheerful, and is geared to celebrate children, and remind us that there is hope for our future, and an encouragement to fight the currents and keep on swimming!

Koinobori is available in two formats: Hanafuda and Fusion.



The Koinobori Hanafuda deck

 Wondering about Hanafuda?  It has its own entry in the BoardGameGeek database because it is a classic and special deck that originates in 18th century Japan.  It is used to play a whole lot of different games, including favorite classics like Koi-Koi (popular in Japan) and Go Stop (popular in Korea).   To learn more about Hanafuda, see my article reviewing Hanafuda here: Not just a deck of cards, but a system of games with a rich heritage!



After their previous projects, IndianWolf had a lot of folks asking for a traditionally sized plastic hanafuda deck. So at last here it is, something with the mini-sized plastic cards that those familiar with traditional Hanafuda will instantly recognize and appreciate. They're plastic to ensure durability, and also give the satisfying "snap" when throwing down the cards, which is all part of the appeal of the game.  These decks will be produced by well-known game manufacturer Panda Game Manufacturing. 

The artwork of these Hanafuda decks is polyptych in style, which means that the cards can be combined alongside each other to create a single larger image.



The Koinobori Fusion deck

IndianWolf Studios came up with the clever idea of combining the Hanafuda deck with the traditional deck of playing cards most of us are familiar with today, so that you can play games from a variety of cultures.  They have already created several previous Hanafuda "Fusion" decks using Japanese inspired art, as part of their successful Hanami, Sensu, and Night Parade Hanafuda projects. These are multi-purpose decks that you can use to learn and teach Hanafuda, while the standard indices also mean you can use it to play regular card games.

Here's a sample card from the Fusion deck, which incorporates standard poker card icons/indices, and can be used for Hanafuda games as well:



These decks will be printed by Expert Playing Card Company (EPCC), which is is one of the top playing card manufacturers today alongside the United States Playing Card Company, so the cards themselves are guaranteed to be high quality, durable, and to shuffle and handle smoothly.



Game Rules and Other Extras

Both projects come with their own full color booklet that has the rules for a new game created by the IndianWolf Studio:
- For Koinobori Hanafuda the game is "Capture the Flag", described as a fun twist on capture games! 2 players. 
- For Koinobori Fusion the game is "Chaffs & Grains", described as a precision trick-taking game for 2-4 players. 

Other items like uncut sheets and a Koi Pouch are also available with the project.



What about other Hanafuda games, and how do you play them?  Already available from the publisher is a 236-page full-color Hanafuda rulebook that gives the rules for 37 different games that can be played with a Hanafuda deck.  You can get this in a digital version or a printed version from Amazon (Hanami edition or Sensu edition) or Barnes & Noble (Hanami edition or Sensu edition).  This massive rulebook is a world first, and is an extremely valuable resource, because clear rules for Hanafuda games are otherwise not readily available in English.

Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iws/koinobori-playing-cards-hanafuda-poker-plastic

Disclaimer: I have no official relationship with the creator of this project, other than being a keen gamer and reviewer, as well as an enthusiast and collector of custom playing cards.  I own a copy of the previous Hanafuda Fusion decks from IndianWolf Studios and also have their Hanafuda rulebook, and consider them outstanding.