Ohajiki

• See also: Japanese Games

Ohajiki

Ohajiki (おはじき) is a japanese childrens game which can be played using coins, shells or even coin-shaped glass pieces.

The origin of the games name comes from from the verb hajiku ‘to flick.’

The game is said to have derived from a Chinese game called ‘dangi’, which came to Japan in the 8th Century and was played at court by the nobility. The game once went by the name of ‘ishihajiki‘ (pebble flicking) as originally small pebbles were used.

To play the game you first scatter pieces onto a flat surface before players take turns claiming the pieces. To claim a piece, a player must hit one piece against another with a finger flick. At the end of the game, the player with the most pieces is the winner.¹

Footnotes

1. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.

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