Karuta: the phenomenon of a Japanese culture

This paper examines a specific phenomenon of a Japanese culture known as Karuta, a card game based on traditional poetry and spirit of competition. The game is unique for the Japanese region as there are no direct analogies in other countries. In order to qualify it as a phenomenon, the analysis of terms ‘game’ and ‘sport’ alongside with the Japanese understanding of the ‘entertainment’ is made and applied to the term ‘Karuta’ Because poetry is a main feature of the Karuta game, the evolution of the Japanese poetry and poetry-related entertainment from the Heian period to the present times is researched. The contents of Karuta and its poems are reviewed, which is followed by bringing more details about the history, development and the modern state of this game (sports matches and the basic set of rules). It is also highlighted that Karuta as a game intended for a family fun has developed into a sports game, which is still popular in Japan and other countries. Wrapping up, to demonstrate the relevance of this topic, statistics regarding foreign Karuta clubs including the first Russian club from Saint-Petersburg are given.