Game Pieces

Item number 1042/22 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Two halves (parts a-b) of a cream coloured clam shell, used for kaiawase (貝合わせ), a shell matching game. The interior of part a is predominantly painted gold, with a painted image of orange flowers with leaves, and a band of green river across the middle. The interior of part b has only a light green horizontal band across the centre. Polished natural shell exteriors.

History Of Use

Kaiawase (貝合わせ), or the game of matching shells, was originally played by court women during the Heian period (794–1185). The game was later played by different classes, and became popular during the Edo period (1603–1868). A complete set of kaiawase contains 360 pairs of shells around the same size. Each pair was decorated with images from literature or nature. The shells are divided into 2 groups; one group, ji-gai (地貝) is scattered on the floor; the other group, dashi-gai (出し貝) are produced by the participants, who compete in finding the correct counterpart on the floor. The winner is decided by obtaining the greatest number of matching pairs.