Bored at home? Tired of looking at your smartphone screen?
We’ve got you covered with these high resolution omocha-e images, available for download only until May 31st!
Please right click on the images to save. Print them out and cut them up to play at home (see below for instructions for each game).

Omocha-e (toy prints) was a popular genre of ukiyo-e during the Edo and Meiji periods.
Some of them are actually quite difficult, so both children and adults can enjoy them together!

Please feel free to share your favorite katsura-zuke or your finished fukuwarai on Instagram (don’t forget to tag us @ukiyoeproject )!

Last but not least, we would like to thank our advisor, Mr. Shindo, for his continued support and advice!

* These ukiyo-e are generously provided by Mr. Shigeru Shindo’s ukiyo-e collection. Use of these images for any other purposes is strictly forbidden.

Katsura-zuke (actor version)

This omocha-e is called katsura-zuke. Cut out the wigs placed around the kabuki actors and place them onto their heads to transform them into different kabuki characters.

Katsura-zuke (beauty version)

This is a beauty version of katsura-zuke! This was produced during the Meiji period so we can see different hairstyles that were trendy at the time, as well as Western-style hats that were imported back then.

Fukuwarai

* Cut out the eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth before you start the game.
Choose a main player, and cover his/her eyes with a blindfold.

1. Place the face in front of the blindfolded main player.
2. The main player will pick up the eyes, eye brows, nose, and a mouth, and place them onto the face one by one. The others watching guide the player by shouting “higher!” or “more to the right”, etc. to help the main player construct a face.
3. After all of the parts are placed, the main player can take off the blindfold, and check out the finished face!

Please take pictures to compare your finished faces and share them with us on Instagram! Each game will yield a different result, which is what makes this game fun and amusing!
Looking forward to seeing everyone’s creation!

Jyuroku Musashi

* Cut out the 17 circles from the edges and place the larger circle (player 1: “Musashi”) in the center of the board, and 16 of the small circles (player 2: the “catchers”)  on the frame of the square board before you start the game (see image).

The two players take turns to move their respective pieces (player 2 can only move one catcher at a time).
Both Musashi and the catchers can move in any direction as long as they move along the lines, and move one step at a time. Jumping two steps is not allowed. 

Musashi wins by eliminating the 16 catchers down to 4 catchers.
The catchers win by surrounding Musashi so he has no escape route.

Musashi can eliminate the catchers only by standing in between two of them (whether vertically, horizontally, or diagonally).
For example:

The catchers can surround Musashi using a maximum of 8 catchers, and a minimum of just 2 catchers by cornering Musashi into the triangular space.
For example:

It’s a game that requires thinking ahead and reading the opponents next moves.
We hope adults as well as children will enjoy this game from the Edo period!