Editing Rock paper scissors (section)

===Origins===

The first known mention of the game was in the book ''{{Interlanguage link|Wuzazu|zh|3=五雜組}}''<!-- ({{zh |t=五雜組 |s=五杂组 |first=t}}) --> by the [[Ming dynasty|Ming-dynasty]] writer {{Interlanguage link|Xie Zhaozhe|zh|3=謝肇淛}} (<!-- {{zh |t=謝肇淛 |s=谢肇淛 |first=t |links=no}}; -->{{fl.}} {{circa}} 1600), who wrote that the game dated back to the time of the [[Han dynasty]] (206 BCE – 220 CE).<ref>{{cite book|last=Moore|first=Michael E.|title=Introduction to the game industry|year=2006|publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall|location=Upper Saddle River, NJ|isbn=978-0-13-168743-1|page=535|author2=Sward, Jennifer }}</ref> In the book, the game was called ''shoushiling''. [[Li Rihua]]'s <!-- ({{zh |t=李日華 |s=李日华 |first=t |links=no}}) -->book ''Note of Liuyanzhai'' <!-- ({{zh |t=六硯齋筆記 |s=六砚斋笔记 |first=t |links=no}}) --> also mentions this game, calling it ''shoushiling'' ([[Traditional Chinese characters|t]]. 手勢令; [[Simplified Chinese characters|s]]. 手势令), ''huozhitou'' ([[Traditional Chinese characters|t]]. 豁指頭; [[Simplified Chinese characters|s]]. 豁指头), or ''huaquan'' (划拳).

[[File:Mushi-ken (虫拳), Japanese rock-paper-scissors variant, from the Kensarae sumai zue (1809).jpg|thumb|300px|Mushi-ken, the earliest Japanese [[sansukumi-ken]] game (1809). From left to right: slug (namekuji), frog (kawazu) and snake (hebi).]]
From China the game was brought to Japan.<ref name=linh95/> Throughout Japanese history there are frequent references to ''[[sansukumi-ken]]'', meaning ''ken'' (fist) games "of the three who are afraid of one another" (i.e. A beats B, B beats C, and C beats A).<ref name=linh95>{{cite journal|last=Linhart|first=Sepp |title=Some Thoughts on the Ken Game in Japan: From the Viewpoint of Comparative Civilization Studies| journal=Senri Ethnological Studies| year=1995| volume=40| pages=101–124 | hdl=10502/750}}</ref>

The earliest ''sansukumi-ken'' in Japan was apparently ''mushi-ken'' (虫拳), a version imported directly from China.<ref name=linh95/><ref name=linha95-3940>{{cite book|last=Linhart|first=Sepp|title=Ceremony and Ritual in Japan|year=1995|publisher=Routledge| location=London| isbn=9780415116633| chapter=Rituality in the ken game|pages=38–41}}</ref> In ''mushi-ken'' the "frog" (represented by the thumb) triumphs over the "slug" (represented by the little finger), which, in turn prevails over the "snake" (represented by the index finger), which triumphs over the "frog".<ref name=linh95/><ref name=linha95-3940/> (The Chinese and Japanese versions differ in the animals represented; in adopting the game, the [[Chinese characters]] for the [[venomous]] [[centipede]] (蜈蜙) were apparently confused with the characters for the slug (蛞蝓)).<ref name=linha95-3940/>

The most popular ''sansukumi-ken'' game in Japan{{When|date=March 2024}} was ''kitsune-ken'' ([[:ja:狐拳|狐拳]]). In this game, a fox (狐), often attributed supernatural powers in Japanese folklore, defeats the village head, the village head (庄屋) defeats the hunter, and the hunter (猟師) defeats the fox. ''Kitsune-ken'', unlike ''mushi-ken'' or rock–paper–scissors, requires gestures with both hands.<ref name=linha98-325326>{{cite book|last=Linhart|first=Sepp|title=The Culture of Japan as Seen through Its Leisure|year=1998|publisher=SUNY Press| location=New York| isbn=9780791437919| chapter=From Kendo to Jan-ken: The Deterioration of a Game from Exoticism to Ordinariness|pages=325–326}}</ref>

[[File:Kitsune-ken (狐拳), Japanese rock-paper-scissors variant, from the Genyoku sui bento (1774).jpg|left|thumb|Kitsune-ken was a popular Japanese rock paper scissors variant. From left to right: The hunter (ryōshi), village head (shōya) and fox (kitsune).]]

Today, the best-known ''sansukumi-ken'' is called {{nihongo|''jan-ken''|じゃんけん}},<ref name=linha95-3940/> which is a variation of the Chinese games introduced in the 17th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sosnoski|first=Daniel|title=Introduction to Japanese culture|year=2001|publisher=Tuttle|location=Rutland|isbn=9780804820561|pages=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontoja00dani/page/44 44]|url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontoja00dani/page/44}}</ref> ''Jan-ken'' uses the rock, paper, and scissors signs<ref name=linh95 /> and is the direct source of the modern version of rock paper scissors.<ref name=linha95-3940/> Hand-games using gestures to represent the three conflicting elements of rock, paper, and scissors have been most common since the modern version of the game was created in the late 19th century, between the [[Edo]] and [[Meiji period|Meiji]] periods.<ref>{{cite book|last=Linhart|first=Sepp|title=Ken no bunkashi|year=1998|publisher=shoten Kadokawa|location=Tokyo|isbn=4-04-702103-2}}</ref>