Menko have always been viewed as toys rather than collectibles by most Japanese. They were meant to be played with, destroyed, and thrown away with very little concern for value, longevity, and collectability. As such, a good amount of the 1930s menko that I run across have been well used and loved. That is okay with me as the stories the menko could tell/do tell are what helps drive me in the menko hobby. One very popular game that kids would play with menko is called kami-zumo, or paper sumo. In a nutshell, paper sumo wrestlers are placed on a board and then that board is tapped which vibrates the wrestlers moving them around the ring. The paper wrestlers eventually tangle themselves and knock each other over. Last one standing wins. Check out this 15-second video to give you a quick idea:
In the 1930s, this game seemed to be all the rage as I have dozens and dozens of R-series menko that were cut along the bottom and along their arms to allow them to stand and engage in paper sumo. Here are three such examples from the R392-2: 1939 Rikishi 4-5-6 set.
You can see all the cut marks (two rikishi lost their left arm in battle, yikes). Here is what they look like stood up:
Good luck to all the wrestlers that are competing this tournament. It'll be an exciting 15 days for sure. Sayonara!!
Beautiful cards! I love that game, its such a unique way of blending menko with the actual sport depicted on them.
I've been collecting vintage baseball menko a lot recently and they are all either completely destroyed like that or in perfect mint condition. Once a kid actually used them, they got worn out pretty quick, which is cool like you say, they all have a story.
Neat! Kind of reminds me of a really early version of electric football.
ReplyDeleteElectric football is exactly what I was thinking too.
DeleteBeautiful cards! I love that game, its such a unique way of blending menko with the actual sport depicted on them.
ReplyDeleteI've been collecting vintage baseball menko a lot recently and they are all either completely destroyed like that or in perfect mint condition. Once a kid actually used them, they got worn out pretty quick, which is cool like you say, they all have a story.
Each one has a story. Don’t get me wrong, though, I love a nice and crisp menko too.
DeleteThat is so cool to see the game in progress. I would have totally gotten in to that as a kid.
ReplyDeleteMe too. As Jon mentioned, it was a lot like electric football.
DeleteThat game is awesome! Someone should create a game and put it on Kickstarter. I'd invest in it for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising how many 1930s menko are still out there. The must have made tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of them.
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