Samurai Archer Nasu no Yoichi Vintage Japanese Menko Card Kagome Horse Archery
Description
This listing is for one vintage Japanese Kagome menko card featuring Nasu no Yoichi, the celebrated samurai archer associated with the fan-target episode in The Tale of the Heike.
Menko are traditional Japanese game cards, commonly played by attempting to flip an opponent's card. Their illustrated fronts and printed game markings preserve a distinctive part of Japanese children's toy and paper culture.
The front places a large portrait of Yoichi above a pale horse's head in the lower-left foreground. An arrow runs across the portrait near eye level. His headband, dark hair, red armor cords, and green shoulder panels with yellow floral motifs fill the narrow composition with patterned detail.
Red Japanese characters identifying Nasu no Yoichi appear across the blue-green upper background. The horse and armor overlap below, creating a close composition centered on the mounted warrior rather than a distant battlefield scene.
Yoichi is known through The Tale of the Heike for shooting a fan displayed on a boat during the Battle of Yashima. The reverse connects directly with this story through a Japanese fill-in-the-blank question headed "Lucky Quiz," asking the name of the young warrior who shot the boat's fan target.
Printed in dark green, the reverse also includes a scissors hand symbol, the Kagome toy mark, and the number 7890123.
This rectangular, strip-style menko brings together samurai archery, equestrian imagery, and a Japanese literary tradition. Its illustrated armor and historical quiz offer connections to Japanese history, vintage graphic design, and paper ephemera collecting.
The exact card shown in the photos is the item you will receive.
Condition
Pre-owned vintage card with age-related toning and light edge and corner wear. Small marks, scattered spots, and surface rubbing are visible, particularly on the reverse. The front retains clear portrait details and colorful armor, while the reverse quiz text remains readable. Please review all photos carefully for exact condition details.
Menko are traditional Japanese game cards, commonly played by attempting to flip an opponent's card. Their illustrated fronts and printed game markings preserve a distinctive part of Japanese children's toy and paper culture.
The front places a large portrait of Yoichi above a pale horse's head in the lower-left foreground. An arrow runs across the portrait near eye level. His headband, dark hair, red armor cords, and green shoulder panels with yellow floral motifs fill the narrow composition with patterned detail.
Red Japanese characters identifying Nasu no Yoichi appear across the blue-green upper background. The horse and armor overlap below, creating a close composition centered on the mounted warrior rather than a distant battlefield scene.
Yoichi is known through The Tale of the Heike for shooting a fan displayed on a boat during the Battle of Yashima. The reverse connects directly with this story through a Japanese fill-in-the-blank question headed "Lucky Quiz," asking the name of the young warrior who shot the boat's fan target.
Printed in dark green, the reverse also includes a scissors hand symbol, the Kagome toy mark, and the number 7890123.
This rectangular, strip-style menko brings together samurai archery, equestrian imagery, and a Japanese literary tradition. Its illustrated armor and historical quiz offer connections to Japanese history, vintage graphic design, and paper ephemera collecting.
The exact card shown in the photos is the item you will receive.
Condition
Pre-owned vintage card with age-related toning and light edge and corner wear. Small marks, scattered spots, and surface rubbing are visible, particularly on the reverse. The front retains clear portrait details and colorful armor, while the reverse quiz text remains readable. Please review all photos carefully for exact condition details.