mono-awase; Heian period comparison game
Historical term for a courtly game in which participants compared objects such as poems, paintings, shells, or flowers, often in a contest format. Related to 歌合 (uta-awase) and 絵合わせ (e-awase).
See also: 歌合 (うたあわせ) · 絵合わせ (えあわせ)
Mono-awase was one of the popular pastimes at the Heian court.
Several scenes of mono-awase are depicted in The Tale of Genji.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Variant spelling using せ instead of わせ; less common but acceptable.
Abbreviated spelling; rarely used.
Compound of 物 (mono, 'thing') and 合わせ (awase, 'matching, comparing'). The term refers to a genre of Heian-period courtly contests.