Eight-year-old Matthew Nakano and his younger sister, Sophia, 7, are busy kids. Between school, jiujitsu, hula practice, and soroban (abacus) classes, there’s often not a lot of time left in the day. But they always find the time for a game of hanafuda with their grandmother, Helen Nakano, whom they affectionately call Baba.
Sophia, Helen, and Matthew Nakano.
“Baba has been teaching me so that I can become the best player!” says Matthew. “But my sister is really good, too.”
“I’m really excited when I win!” Sophia says with a wide grin. “I’ve beaten Matthew and my Baba and my grandpa.”
The traditional Japanese card game may get competitive, but the 88-year-old Nakano looks proudly at her grandkids as she recounts their wins against her. Because to her, it’s not about the game; it’s about the connection.
Blooming bond
When her first granddaughter, Arielle, was in elementary school, Nakano searched for a way to stay in touch with her.
“She lived on the Mainland, so I didn’t see her very often,” she explains. “We didn’t have a lot in common.”
That’s when Nakano decided to teach her how to play the game she learned as a child. It became their own tradition to play hanafuda every time she visited. Soon after, Nakano launched Hanafuda Hawaii to help other grandparents connect with their own grandkids. She visits schools, senior centers, and clubs, teaching people of all ages how to play. It’s all to carry out her mission: build and foster connections while preserving the traditional game within our Islands.
“Playing hanafuda could bring our generations a little closer,” she adds.
That’s already proven true within her family, and her free classes in the community are expanding that reach. Nakano taught weekly hanafuda classes at Na Kupuna Makamae Center before the resource center for seniors closed its doors this summer.
The Hanafuda Sensei (volunteers who help Nakano teach). Nakano is front center, and her son, Jason, is to her right.
“I wanted it to be as open as possible: No registration, no fee, no skills needed,” she says. “When friends came together, I made them sit separately, so they could meet new people and socialize, especially since isolation is a big concern among seniors.”
The group did have at least one young person playing with them. That teenager is now a sophomore in high school, but he attended class regularly since third grade.
“I asked him, ‘Why do you like playing with old people?’” says Nakano. “He said he likes learning from us, and he brings his friends, too. That’s why I love to teach: Hanafuda brings young and old together, and it’s beneficial to both.”
Rooted in culture
Hanafuda teaches memory and pattern recognition, strategic thinking, and sportsmanship. And when Nakano teaches, there’s an extra educational component. She wants all her students to respect and care for the land we live on.
That’s why she enlisted her son, Jason, to create their own versions of the cards adorned with beautiful floral illustrations. But instead of traditional Japanese flora, Hanafuda Hawaii’s latest deck, Hanafuda Pilina, depicts endemic plants and animals, as well as invasive species. Eight human guides, ranging from “The Navigator” to “The Artist,” help teach indigenous ways of living.
Some cards from the Hanafuda Pilina deck. Courtesy Hanafuda Hawaii
“It tells a story,” Jason explains. “What Hawaiian culture values is connection to the land and connection to each other and our ancestors. So, I wanted to include a wide variety of people, the kinds of people who exist in our lives, to help us become more in tune with nature and the aina.”
Timeless deck of relationships
One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is seeing the connections form between students. But the best feeling is when Nakano hears from them a few weeks later, often through a thank you card.
“Every one of the cards says, ‘As soon as I got home, I went and taught my grandma.’ Or, ‘I taught my kid sister,’” says Nakano. “And it’s so meaningful because that important human connection continues through generations.”
Nakano is concerned about the impact technology and devices will have in the future. But for now, she’s treasuring the moments with her young grandkids, who enjoy spending time with her, whether it’s at a sushi restaurant, at home, or, Matthew’s personal favorite, public transportation.
“Matthew wants me to live to 2031 because that’s when Skyline will be completed, and he wants us to ride it together,” says Nakano. “Without hanafuda, I don’t think we’d have this relationship. He can talk to me about all kinds of things. And when he grows up, he’ll remember his old grandma and all the lessons hanafuda teaches – good sportsmanship, love of nature, and our responsibility to malama the aina.”
Two cards from another Hanafuda Hawaii deck.
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