hana-awase (hanafuda game)
A specific hanafuda game. The term can also refer broadly to hanafuda matching games in general, but this sense is the named game.
See also: 花札
Hana-awase is one of the games played with hanafuda cards.
hanafuda matching game (general)
Dated term for any hanafuda game where players match cards from their hand with cards of the same suit on the field. Games like hachi-hachi and koi-koi are also used.
In the past, the word hana-awase referred to various ways of playing hanafuda.
flower-comparing contest (Heian period)
Historical Heian-period contest where participants compared flowers. Also written as 花競べ.
See also: 花競べ
Hana-awase was a Heian-period court event where people competed over the quality of flowers.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant spelling using 合せ instead of 合わせ.
Compound of 花 (flower) and 合わせ (matching, comparing). The hanafuda game sense derives from matching flower cards; the historical sense from comparing flowers.