Sakura (card game)

Sakura (also known as Higobana) is a Hawaiian card game played using hanafuda.

How to win

Outscore the other players (or teams) by having the highest number of points by "capturing" individual point cards and yaku - sets of cards - at the end of the game.

Dealing the cards

Number of players Cards in hand Cards face up
2 8 8
3 7 6
4 5 8
5 4 8
6 3 12
7 3 6

Note: when dealing, deal half of the face up cards first, then half of the “Cards in hand” to each player, then finish dealing the rest of the face up cards and in-hand cards. This will help randomize the “hard-to-shuffle” deck.

Game play

Sakura is a turn-based game that includes 48 cards that can be in one of five different states:

  • Cards that are face up on the table, for all players to see;
  • Cards that players are holding in their hands that only they can see;
  • Cards that are worth points individually or arranged by yaku sets and have been claimed by a player, face up for all players to see;
  • Cards that have been played but are worth no points: the kasu pile;
  • Cards that have not yet been played yet, stacked face down in a single pile: “the mountain.”

During turn a player takes the following actions:

  • The player must discard a card from his/her hand
    • If this card is in the same suit or family as one of the face up cards, the player then claims that card as his own, placing it face up in front of him/her;
    • If this card does not match the suit or family of any face up cards, then that card remains face up for someone else to claim.
  • The player must then flip over the next face down card on “the mountain”
    • This card should then be played, following the same discarded card rules listed above;
    • The round ends when “the mountain” is empty or if players run out of cards to play.

Note: when playing the Lightning or Gaiji card, you can claim any face up card of any family. When the next point card of this “claimed” family is claimed by another player – or if it is turned up from the mountain – ownership of that point card transfers to the player that used the Lightning card

Scoring Overview

Based on the cards you've claimed:

  • Award yourself 5-20 points for each point card that you've captured, based on the values in the next section

Adjusted by the cards your opponents have claimed:

  • Deduct 50 points from your total score for each yaku that they captured

Scoring Cards

Pine Hanafuda January Hikari.svg
20 points

Crane

Hanafuda January Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda January Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda January Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Plum blossom Hanafuda February Tane.svg
5 points

Bush warbler

Hanafuda February Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda February Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda February Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Cherry blossom Hanafuda March Hikari.svg
20 points

Curtain

Hanafuda March Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda March Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda March Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Wisteria Hanafuda April Tane.svg
5 points

Cuckoo

Hanafuda April Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda April Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda April Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Iris Hanafuda May Tane.svg
5 points

Bridge

Hanafuda May Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda May Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda May Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Peony Hanafuda June Tane.svg
5 points

Butterflies

Hanafuda June Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda June Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda June Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Bush clover Hanafuda July Tane.svg
5 points

Boar

Hanafuda July Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda July Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda July Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Susuki grass Hanafuda August Hikari.svg
20 points

Moon

Hanafuda August Tane.svg
5 points

Geese

Hanafuda August Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda August Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Chrysanthemum Hanafuda September Tane.svg
5 points

Sake

Hanafuda September Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda September Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda September Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Maple Hanafuda October Tane.svg
5 points

Deer

Hanafuda October Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda October Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda October Kasu 2.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Willow Hanafuda November Hikari.svg
5 points

Rainman

Hanafuda November Tane.svg
5 points

Swallow

Hanafuda November Tanzaku.svg
10 points

Tanzaku

Hanafuda November Kasu.svg
0 points

Lightning

Paulownia Hanafuda December Hikari.svg
20 points

Phoenix

Hanafuda December Kasu 2.svg
10 points

Flower

Hanafuda December Kasu 1.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Hanafuda December Kasu 3.svg
0 points

(Kasu)

Scoring Yaku

Yaku 1 Hanafuda January Hikari.svg
Crane
Hanafuda March Hikari.svg
Curtain
Hanafuda February Tane.svg
Bush warbler
Yaku 2 Hanafuda August Hikari.svg
Moon
Hanafuda March Hikari.svg
Curtain
Hanafuda September Tane.svg
Sake
Yaku 3 Hanafuda June Tane.svg
Butterflies
Hanafuda October Tane.svg
Deer
Hanafuda September Tane.svg
Sake
Yaku 4 Hanafuda July Tane.svg
Boar
Hanafuda October Tane.svg
Deer
Hanafuda August Tane.svg
Geese
Yaku 5 Hanafuda July Tane.svg
Boar
Hanafuda April Tane.svg
Cuckoo
Hanafuda May Tane.svg
Bridge
Three Poetry Tanzaku Hanafuda January Tanzaku.svg Hanafuda February Tanzaku.svg Hanafuda March Tanzaku.svg
Three Red Tanzaku

(excluding Willow)

Hanafuda April Tanzaku.svg Hanafuda May Tanzaku.svg Hanafuda July Tanzaku.svg
Three Blue Tanzaku Hanafuda June Tanzaku.svg Hanafuda September Tanzaku.svg Hanafuda October Tanzaku.svg

This page was last updated at 2022-09-03 23:00 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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