한국에 있어서 화투의 전래와 변용

Abstract

This study investigated how Hanahuda of Japan has been handed down and got accepted in Korean society. There was Tujeon(Korean traditional card) as a traditional game of gambling in Korea. Tujeon disappeared when Hwatu was brought in from Japan in the late 19th century and Hwatu has become a national game until today. Hwatu consists of fancy colors and pictures that any Asian can understand, and it is convenient to play anywhere at any time because it is portable and easy to carry. Some researchers with nationalistic nature are claiming to deport Hwatu because they insist that a flourish of Hwatu is the shortcut that assimilates to Japanese culture and signifies national decay. Also, some companies made several attempts to leave Hwatu as it is but to change pictures in Hwatu into more Korean pictures. However, people who actually enjoy Hwatu disregarded the new Korean Hwatu and stuck to the original, and by so doing, the Korean Hwatu repeated failure and frustrations. Contrary to the concerns of nationalists, Korean commoners are not putting much weight on pictures in Hwatu and is not in the race with Japanese culture. Instead, they were enjoying Hwatu by reinterpreting the contents, order, and rules of Japanese Hwatu into Korean way or changing order, or by developing new methods. Furthermore, they recently developed Hwatu with sophisticated designs and is being sold in rising popularity as a product, not an entertainment tool. As said, Hwatu in Korea does not belong to Japan but became Korea’s asset.