JANKEN is a popular game among Japanese children. They use the game as a way to decide
who will be counted "out" or who will be eliminated, in much the same way American children
play "Eeny, meeny, miney mo." Janken is a variation on the ken (fist) games that were
introduced from C hina during the seventeenth century, historians say. T h e games first became
popular in Nagasaki drinking places. Eventually variations on the ken games developed and
spread throughout the country. Janken was one of those variations.
In the game, a fist means "rock"; the index and middle fingers, parted and extended, mean "scissors"; and an open hand means "paper." The idea is that rock breaks scissors, scissors
cut paper, and paper wraps rock. If, for example, one player shows "paper" and the other shows
"scissors," the one showing scissors wins. Japanese players call out janken pon to set the
rhythm of the game.
In America some children know and play the game, but they do not call out any special
words as they play. The exception is in Hawaii, where children say an kenuh po, I kenuh show derived from the Japanese aiko de sho, to mean "I can show you" in Hawaiian English. While
the basic game is known in the West; its Japanese variations are not. One of the ways to play,
for example, is to have one person be the leader, with any number of additional players. Those
who do not show what the leader shows, no matter what it is, lose. Janken can also be played
with one's legs. Legs together is "rock," legs spread is "paper," and one leg forward and one
leg back is "scissors." This is often combined with a word game in which players must say
words like guu for "rock," choki for "scissors," and paa for "paper." One player might say
gunkan (warship) with legs together, chimbotsu (sink) with one leg forward and one back, and
haretsu (explosion) with legs spread.
One reason for the continued popularity of Janken is that it can be played anywhere, at
anytime-on the subway, in the street, on the playground, wherever two or more people congregate. It requires no preparation or equipment, and there are no time restrictions.
Janken is, of course, more than just a game; it is a handy arbiter that can be used by adults or children. People all over the world use similar ways of deciding who wins and who loses, who goes and who stays. Americans would flip a coin or draw straws. The children would use The chant: "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo; Catch a tiger by the toe; If he hollers, let him go; Eeny, meeny, miney, mo." For this little game, the leader points to a different person as each word is said, and the last person pointed to is the one chosen. In Italy there is a game called morra that resembles janken-at least from a distance. The players extend their fingers and call out numbers when they play. Morra usually is played by men when they are drinking. Its derivation is uncertain; but, like janken, it may have originated in China. However, because morra is normally used for gambling, it has been declared illegal.
Foreigners who play janken in Japan sometimes feel that for some reason they are at a
disadvantage. They are often heard to claim that they lose more than their fair share of the
time. To them it seems there must be some kind of skill or even mind reading involved in the
game. But they probably are the same people who would claim that a penny, when tossed, is
more apt to come up showing "heads" than "tails."
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