Hanafuda cards originated in 17th-century Japan.A deck consists of forty-eight cards divided into twelve suits of four cards each. Each suit represents one of the twelve months of the year. The cards are small (about 1 x 2 inches), made from stiff cardboard, and are beautifully illustrated. Many different games can be played with a Hanafuda deck, but the standard game is called Eighty-eight. Although it bears some resemblance to the Western game Casino, Eighty-eight is a much more complicated and subtle game.See also Koi-Koi. - BoardGameGeek