Discover the meaning of your Hanafuda sticker!

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Thank you for helping preserve and protect cultural heritage in Japan!The donation will be used to repair and restore damaged cultural assets.
As a token of our gratitude, We sent you a Japanese lucky charm(御守り) sticker with Hanafuda(花札:a deck of traditional playing cards originating in Japan.) design.　Please put it on your belongings because お守り is believed to confer protection upon its possessor!

Discover the meaning of your Hanafuda sticker!

Hanafuda are a deck of traditional playing cards originating in Japan. The deck is used to play a number of games, mostly similar in style, that are also referred to as hanafuda. "Hanafuda" means "flower cards" in Japanese ( 花札 ) and the cards illustrate flowers and animals seen as iconic in Japanese culture.

A hanafuda pack consists of twelve suits, each of four cards, so 48 (=12x4) cards in total. In hanafuda, each suit corresponds to a month of the year (hence the twelve suits). Each set of four cards indicate their suit/month by showing a drawing of a plant or flower significant in Japan in that month. Specific commentary on each suit is given further down in this article.

January

The month of January is indicated by a Japanese umbrella pine (koyamaki), sometimes genericised as just "pine" (matsu), an evergreen which is one of Japan's five sacred trees. Centuries ago, these trees were at the centre of worship in Kyoto temples and became a part of Buddhist prayers. Legends associated with the trees include the belief that the women who touch the wood will conceive healthy offspring. In some parts of Japan, people set branches of the tree on the graves of their loved ones in order to lead the spirits back to the land of the living.
The bright card shows a Japanese red-crowned crane (tanchōzuru) in front of a red sun (despite the appearance of the crane, this counts as a bright, rather than an animal, card). In mythology, the crane is said to live for 1000 years, and the bird is celebrated on a Japanese banknote and well as in the logo for Japan Airlines. Both the pine and crane are also symbols of longevity.
The text on the red ribbon (also on that for February) reads "akayoroshi". "Aka" means red, and "yoroshi" is an old-fashioned way of saying a qualified/nearly/almost "good". So the entire phrase can be translated as something like: "Red – not bad!"
The suit additionally includes two plains.

February

The flower for February is Japanese plum blossom (ume). These blossoms are amongst the first to appear on trees (often while there is still snow on the ground) and signify the coming of warmer weather. The fruit (which is actually more of an apricot than a plum) is used in juices, as a flavouring for alcohol, as a pickle and in sauces. It has also seen use in traditional medicine.
There is some disagreement whether the bird on the animal card is a Japanese bush warbler (uguisu) or a Japanese warbling white-eye (mejiro). Both are iconic birds in Japan and both are associated with plum blossom, so it is difficult to be sure (though the white-eye is rather greener and more obvious, as per the card, so I plump for that). Whatever, it is said that the bird's call is the first sign of the approaching spring. This card is the only one in a modern hanafuda deck to have significant amounts of green on it.
The red ribbon features the same text as for January.
The suit includes two plains.

March

The cards for March show red and pink Japanese cherry blossom (sakura). This symbolises the transient nature of life, as the blossom on the trees doesn't last for long and can be easily stripped by winds and then be seen lying in quantities in the gutter. It is also a sign of the imminent arrival of spring.
The bright card is called the "camp curtain". This was used as part of a Japanese tradition called hanami where people would gather in groups to view the new blossom that had arrived on trees. Each group would surround itself with a curtain to afford privacy so they could drink sake as they viewed without their neighbours knowing! In modern times these gatherings (now without the curtains) have become rather noisy parties.
The red ribbon in this case references Yoshino, a town in Nara prefecture known for its abundant cherry blossom.
March has two plain cards.
In some decks (often cheaper ones) the pink flowers shown tend to be the same colour as the red flowers – this can lead to confusion with the cards that make up February.

April

The flower for April is Japanese wisteria (fuji) which blooms at this time of year and is cultivated in Japanese ornamental gardens and arranged into spectacular cascading displays. Once, wisteria was a popular symbol in family crests and heraldry.
The bird on the animal card is a lesser cuckoo (hototogisu) flying in front of the crescent moon. The symbology is taken from a classical story of a samurai called Yorimasa.
The month has a (plain) red ribbon and, once again, contains two plain cards.
Beginners often confuse these April cards for those of July, due to the similarity of the designs. In practice, all the "beads" on these April cards tend to look black (despite wisteria not occurring in a colour as dark as this) whereas the ones on the July cards are in two distinct (lighter) colours. Some confusion also occasionally occurs with the cards for December.

May

The plant for this month is the Japanese iris (kakitsubata), which is grown in waterlogged gardens which often feature the below-mentioned eight-plank bridges for access purposes. It is the official flower of Aichi prefecture. The blue of the flowers denotes heroism, referring to "blue" blood and youthful virility.
The "animal" card here features an eight-plank bridge. This traditional style of bridge is popular in Japanese ornamental gardens and is used to cross beds of flowers grown in marshy ground. It is traditionally made of, you've guessed it, eight planks of wood, arranged in a staggered fashion. The style celebrates (and is named after) a legendary bridge called Yatsuhashi Bridge in Mikawa province.
The fact that this card is in the animal card group is a source of mystery and confusion. Korean decks, very wisely, add a special motif to the bright group of cards so they can easily be told apart from the animal group. Beginners should also note the difference between this month's cards and those for December.
The month also has a (plain) red ribbon and contains two plain cards.

June

June's cards show a red Japanese tree peony (botan). When depicted in visual art and poetry, tree peonies represent good fortune and prosperity, bravery and honour. They have also been used in traditional medicine.
The animal card shows a peony with two butterflies. This month's suit also has a blue ribbon and two plains.
Hanafuda beginners should avoid muddling up this month's cards with those for February.

July

The flora for July is Japanese bush clover, also known as lespedeza or, in Japanese, hagi. It is associated with melancholy and unrequited love and has been a favourite motif with Japanese poets since time immemorial. It is one of "the seven flowers of autumn".
The strange animal depicted is a young Japanese boar or inoshisi. In Japan, it is widely seen as a fearsome and reckless animal, to the point that several expressions in Japanese referring to recklessness include references to boars. The boar is the last animal of the oriental zodiac, with people born at this time said to embody the boar's traits of determination and impetuosity. Backwoods folk in Japan sometimes name their sons after the animal in tribute to its qualities. Boars are also seen as symbols of fertility and prosperity.
The month also has a (plain) red ribbon and contains two plain cards.
Hanafuda players should take card to avoid mistaking the "beads" on these cards for those on the month of April; the beads here are in two obviously distinct colours.

August

August is represented by maiden (or Chinese) silvergrass, also called eulalia, miscanthus (more specifically, miscanthus senensis), or susuki grass. Sometimes, it is referred to as "pampas grass", but strictly that is a South American term. Traditionally, the grass was used to thatch buildings and for feed for livestock. It is one of "the seven flowers of autumn" (along with bush clover, above) and is said to be best appreciated under moonlight.
The moon-over-the-grass card – a bright – is, by far, the most iconic design in the hanafuda pack and is frequently extracted for use on posters, book covers and the like. It is sometimes called "the bald man" or the bōzu.
The birds on the animal card are geese, probably intended to be swan geese which once wintered in Japan.
The suit has two plains.

September

This month, it's the turn of chrysanthemum (kiku). The variety shown on the cards would appear to be tomoenishiki or something very close. The chrysanthemum is a symbol of the Japanese emperor and the imperial family and historically some families cultivated it to signal their support with their rulers. It remains a common symbol on traditional Japanese craftwork.
The "animal" card shows a cup for drinking sake (Japanese rice wine) called a sakazuki which is used in a celebration called chōyō, the Chrysanthemum Festival, at this time of the year (it actually falls in October, rather than September, these days). The letters on the cup are the Japanese equivalent of "long life". Some games use this card as a wildcard or joker.
This month's suit has a blue ribbon and two plains.

October

October features the autumnal colours (known as kōyō) of falling Japanese maple leaves (momiji). These symbolise calm, rest and peace.
The animal card shows a young s(h)ika deer (nihonjika). Because the deer appears to be turning away from somebody, a slang Japanese expression has arisen – shikato – which means to snub a person. The deer are found today throughout the city of Nara and its many parks and temples, as they are considered to be the messengers of the Shinto gods. Nevertheless, populations in some parts of Japan have grown to the point where the animal is now considered something of a pest.
This month's suit also has a blue ribbon and two plains.

November

November's suit is a bit strange as it is as much about rain as it is about the plant depicted, which is willow (yanagi – a Japanese word also used for a long, thin-bladed knife thought to resemble one of weeping willow's cascades). The tree is associated with ghosts and spirits. However, the reason for the link with rain is not particularly clear as November in Japan isn't the worst time for rain (that honour belongs to June and July).
On the bright card, the "rain man" with the umbrella is a calligrapher called Ono no Michikaze (aka Ono no Tōfū). Feeling dejected one day after failing to get a promotion in his job, he was inspired by watching the relentless actions of a frog (also on the card) into renewing his efforts and thus becoming one of the most famous calligraphers in Japan.
The bird on the animal card is a barn swallow (tsubame), a symbol of good luck, fidelity in marriage, and fertility. It's very common in Japan... with an annoying habit of "doing its business" on anybody who happens to be passing by!
The suit also includes a red ribbon. For some reason, the red ribbon for this month is sometimes not allowed in hanafuda hands which permit the red ribbons from other months.
The lone junk card for this month is called the lightning card (or gaji in Hawaii where it is most likely to be singled out). In some games, it can be used as a sort of super-card or joker. It is the only card in a hanafuda deck which does not show its month's flower (so players have to explicitly remember which month it comes from). Instead, it depicts a (rather abstract) storm scene with rain, and sometimes a giant claw, coming down from the sky to beat on a drum. The dark rectangles are possibly the torn camp curtain (see March).
Note that Korean games swap the months of November and December around.

December

This month's symbol is the princess tree (aka paulownia, aka empress tree, aka foxglove-tree) known in Japanese as kiri. It is included in several governmental crests and seals in Japan. Upmarket collectors' hanafuda decks are also often sold in boxes made of paulownia wood.
The beast on the bright card is a phoenix (hō-ō or fushichō) and was imported from Chinese mythology. It was adopted as a symbol of the imperial household, particularly the empress. This mythical bird represents fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity. The hō-ō appears very rarely, and only to mark the beginning of a new era. In other traditions, it appears only in peaceful and prosperous times and hides itself when there is trouble.
This month uniquely features three junk cards. One is always shaded a different colour (usually yellow or red) and features the manufacturer's logo (Nintendo in this case) – it performs a similar role to the ace of spades in Western decks. Some games also distinguish it in play.
Note that Korean games swap the months of November and December around. For some reason, they also sometimes (not always) recolour the paulownia flowers to red and yellow. Having said that, real paulownia never occur in purples as dark as that shown on the Japanese version of the cards. Hanafuda novices should avoid mixing up this month's cards with those of April, May or July.