Editing Playing card (section)

===Modern-era manufacturers and artists===
[[File:Nintendo former headquarter plate Kyoto.jpg|thumb|Company name plate at the original headquarters of Nintendo]]
The Japanese video game company [[Nintendo]] was founded in 1889 to produce and distribute {{Nihongo|[[karuta]]|かるた||from [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] {{lang|pt|carta}}, 'card'}}, most notably {{Nihongo3|'flower cards'|[[wikt:花札|花札]]|[[hanafuda]]}}.{{sfn|Sheff|1999|p=14}} ''Hanafuda'' cards had become popular after Japan banned most forms of gambling in 1882 but largely left ''hanafuda'' untouched. Sales of ''hanafuda'' cards were popular with the [[yakuza]]-run gaming parlors in Kyoto. Other card manufacturers had opted to leave the market not wanting to be associated with criminal ties, but Nintendo founder [[Fusajiro Yamauchi]] continued, becoming the largest producer of ''hanafuda'' within a few years. With the increase of the cards' popularity, Yamauchi hired assistants to [[Mass production|mass-produce]] to satisfy the demand. Even with a favorable start, the business faced financial struggle due to operating in a [[niche market]], the slow and expensive manufacturing process, high product price, alongside long durability of the cards, which impacted sales due to the low replacement rate.{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=16}} As a solution, Nintendo produced a cheaper and lower-quality line of playing cards, {{transliteration|ja|Tengu}}, while also conducting product offerings in other cities such as [[Osaka]], where card game profits were high. In addition, local merchants were interested in the prospect of a continuous renewal of decks, thus avoiding the suspicions that reusing cards would generate.{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=17}}