In our globalised world, it’s no surprise to come across fusion products, some of which are great, others not so much. Well, let’s just say that these wonderfully quaint Japanese Ukiyo-e tarot cards undoubtedly belong to the former category.
Manufactured, ironically, by American company U.S. Games Systems, these cards of fortune just so happen to be the ultimate mash-up between the East and West. The Asian influence is of course immediately obvious; each card carries motifs of Ukiyo-e – Japanese woodblock prints.
Everything else follows the ancient Western model of tarot card reading, just that the artwork completely replaces the renaissance-style design. For instance, instead of swords, wands, pentacles, and cups, the Ukiyo-e version has images of the katana, shakujo (Buddhist monk staves), sakazuki (sake cups), and dosen (coins).
Needless to say, the cards have been a hit in Japan:
これは、おもろい浮世絵タロット pic.twitter.com/bsVpaBvka6
— ルシア (@AngelicoLuce) June 5, 2016
一目惚れしてポチってしまった浮世絵タロット。
実際に占いするのかどうかは謎。
浮世絵はいいぞ。 pic.twitter.com/lH4qX3136P
— 十二月一日 絵梨 (@Spicer_E) March 17, 2016
浮世絵タロット届いた~🎌
なんて素敵なタロットカード✨ pic.twitter.com/Mr0zsLqSoq— AKANE♡아카네 (@akapqo) September 22, 2016
If you want to score the Ukiyo-e tarot cards, they’re available directly at Rakuten for US$25. They can also be ordered via U.S. Games Systems for US$21.95. Each of the 78 cards are numbered and titled in both English and Japanese.
For more information, visit www.usgamesinc.com.
All images taken from U.S. Games Systems.
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