kitsune-ken; fox game
A traditional Japanese hand game similar to rock-paper-scissors, using three gestures: fox, hunter, and village headman. The fox defeats the headman, the headman defeats the hunter, and the hunter defeats the fox.
Kitsune-ken is a game decided by the three-way deadlock of fox, hunter, and village headman.
In the Edo period, kitsune-ken was often played as entertainment at drinking parties.
Standard kanji spelling for this traditional hand game.
Search-only mixed kanji-kana form.
The name 狐拳 literally means 'fox fist' or 'fox game', referring to the fox gesture used in the game. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a traditional Japanese hand game dating back to the Edo period.