A vigorous card game passed down in Kuwana, where players battle over cards featuring Chinese poetry
Chinese Poetry Karuta
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Location
- Chinkoku Shukoku Shrine
- Area
- Mie Prefecture・Kuwana City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet train + connecting train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/11/13
Chinese Poetry Karuta is a unique Kuwana card game that uses Chinese poetry instead of waka, with players fiercely competing over the cards. Its history, passed down from Shirakawa, and its vigorous style of play—where competition continues until the cards are tucked beneath a cushion—have been preserved.
About Chinese Poetry Karuta
Chinese Poetry Karuta is a unique Kuwana card game that uses Chinese poetry rather than waka.
The game uses 148 cards based on 74 five-character quatrains from the Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty: one card for the opening and second lines, and another for the third and closing lines.
The game, started by Lord Matsudaira Sadanobu at the domain school in the Shirakawa Domain, was brought to Kuwana when the domain was transferred in Bunsei 6 (1823).
Festival highlights
Its defining feature is the fierce struggle over the cards.
Also known as “Fighting Karuta,” the game allows players to pin down opponents or snatch cards from them until the cards are fully tucked beneath the cushions under their knees.
There are team matches divided into the Genji and Heike sides, as well as individual matches played seated in a circle. The highlight is its vigorous style of play, unlike that of ordinary karuta.
A vigorous card game passed down in Kuwana, where players battle over cards featuring Chinese poetry
What to expect
The game uses 148 cards based on five-character quatrains included in the Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty.
The cards are made up of pairs: the opening and second lines, and the third and closing lines. Players compete either in team matches divided into the Genji and Heike sides or in individual matches seated in a circle.
The contest continues even after a card is taken, until it is fully tucked beneath a cushion. Players battle over the cards, including by snatching them from one another.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Chinkoku Shukoku Shrine, 9 Yoshinomaru, Kuwana City
- Train and bus
From Kuwana Station on the JR, Kintetsu, or Yoro Railway, take the city loop bus to Tamachi, then walk about 8 minutes.
- By car
About 15 minutes from Kuwana IC on the Higashi-Meihan Expressway
Address 9 Yoshinomaru, Kuwana City
Accommodation and hotels PR
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Nearby attractions
ナガシマスパーランド
三重県桑名市にある娯楽施設
写真：Hideyuki KAMON from Takarazuka / 宝塚市, Hyogo / 兵庫県, Japan / 日本 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source ·
Tado Taisha Shrine
三重県桑名市にある神社
写真：Ohaguro / おはぐろ蜻蛉 at Japanese Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo source ·
桑名宗社
三重県桑名市にある神社
Origins and History of Chinese Poetry Karuta
Chinese Poetry Karuta began as an indoor competition at Rikyokan, the domain school established by Lord Matsudaira Sadanobu in the Shirakawa Domain of Oshu, as part of an education that valued both literary and martial arts.
It was brought from Shirakawa to Kuwana when the domain was transferred in Bunsei 6 (1823), and Kuwana is described as the only place where Chinese Poetry Karuta is still played today.
The game's emphasis on staying alert until a card is entirely one's own also reflects its educational purpose.
Official information
Chinkoku Shukoku Shrine’s festival guide introduces Chinese Poetry Karuta as a type of uta-karuta that uses Chinese poetry.
The guide explains that 148 cards are made from 74 five-character quatrains in the Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty, how the game was brought from Shirakawa to Kuwana, and how team and individual matches are played.
Chinese Poetry Karuta at a Glance
Chinese Poetry Karuta is a distinctive karuta tradition passed down in Kuwana, in which players fiercely compete over 148 cards featuring Chinese poems.
It began at the domain school in the Shirakawa Domain and was brought to Kuwana in Bunsei 6 (1823).
There are team and individual matches, and its vigorous style—where competition continues until cards are fully tucked beneath cushions—is why it is also known as “Fighting Karuta.”
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/13
