List of Japanese board games
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This is a list of board games invented or developed in Japan.
Game name | Year | Origin | Players | Gameplay style | Similar Games | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Love Letter | 2012 | Kanai Factory | 2–4 | Risk and deduction game | Coup | |
Gomoku (五目並べ, gomokunarabe) | circa 850 | Traditional | 2 | Strategic abstract game played with Go pieces on a Renju board (15×15), goal to reach five in a row | Renju, Four in a row | |
Jinsei Game (人生ゲーム, jin-sei gēmu) | 1967 | Takara | ? | Japanese adaption of The Game of Life | The Game of Life | |
Machi Koro (街コロ) | 2012 | Grounding Inc. | 2–5 | Tabletop city-building/resource-gathering game using cards and dice | Catan | |
Renju (連珠) | 1899 | Traditional | 2 | Strategic five-in-a-row game with equal chances for both players | Pente, Gomoku | |
Riichi Mahjong (リーチ麻雀, Riichi Maajan) | 1924 | Traditional | 4 | Chinese Mahjong with Japanese rules | Mahjong | |
Shadow Hunters (シャドウハンターズ, shadō hantāzu) | 2005 | Game Republic | 4–8 | Supernatural themed, strategic, secret team play | Bang!, Mafia | |
Shogi and variants (将棋, shōgi, generals' chess) Japanese chess | 16th Century | Traditional | 2 | Played on a 9×9 board; can use captured pieces against opponent | Chess | |
Sugoroku (双六) | 6th Century | Traditional | ? | Race game, two variants | Backgammon (variant), Snakes and Ladders (variant) |