DDrift

Chapter 01 of 5

Hanafuda & Hazard

How a handmade card company in 1889 Kyoto laid the groundwork for a giant.

  1. Origin Story

    The Shell of the Heavens

    Founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, Nin-ten-do roughly translates to 'leave luck to heaven.' It began in a small wooden shop in Kyoto.

  2. Artisanal Roots

    Crafting the Hanafuda

    The first products were Hanafuda, or 'flower cards.' Each card was painstakingly handmade from the bark of mulberry trees.

  3. Historical Context

    A Gambling Ban

    Japan had banned Western-style playing cards due to gambling. Nintendo’s flower-themed designs bypassed these laws by removing numbered ranks.

17 more cards in this chapter

Could you answer this?

What was Nintendo’s primary product when it was founded in 1889?

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🍄 The Nintendo Company

  1. 01Hanafuda & HazardHow a handmade card company in 1889 Kyoto laid the groundwork for a giant.
  2. 02The Toymaker's LabFrom 'Love Testers' to 'Ultra Hands': Nintendo's quirky 1960s invention era.
  3. 03The Great ResetSaving the video game industry from the 1983 crash with the NES and Mario.
  4. 04The Blue Ocean StrategyHow the Wii and DS disrupted the 'Specs War' and changed who plays games.
  5. 05The Infinite PlaygroundThe Switch era, theme parks, and Nintendo’s future as a lifestyle brand.