Hachihachi Rules
Detailed rules for Hachihachi. 14 hand yaku, 6 completed yaku, and special rules (orichin, mizuten, hatto, sageru).
Overview
What is Hachihachi?
Hachihachi is a serious hanafuda game for basically 3 players, with 3 to 7 players possible through the "enter/retire" system. The name "Hachihachi" (88) comes from dividing the total card points (264) by 3 players = 88 points baseline. It uses a unique unit: 12 points = 1 kan (貫).
Advanced Game
Hachihachi is the most complex hanafuda game, with numerous hand yaku, completed yaku, and special rules. We recommend getting comfortable with Koi-Koi or Hanawase before attempting Hachihachi.
Setup
Card Point Values
Game Flow
Determine Field Type and Enter/Retire
Determine koba/oba/zetsuba from field cards. Players decide to "enter" or "retire", and orichin/oikomichin fees are processed.
Declare Hand Yaku
Entering players declare hand yaku and collect yaku payments at this point.
Match Field Cards
Play one card from hand to match a same-month field card, then draw and match from the pile. Be mindful of hatto restrictions.
Settlement
Determine completed yaku and special yaku, then settle mizuten, orichin, and captured card points (see below).
Hand Yaku (14 types)
- Yaku formed from your dealt hand cards. You collect points from other players.
- Hand yaku are divided into two groups. When overlapping, the highest-value yaku from each group is valid.
- The 4 Willow cards can be used as wild cards: in hand yaku that require plain cards (Aka, Tan-ichi, Toichi, Pikaichi, Karasu), Willow cards can be counted as plain cards. They can also be counted as their original type, but not both simultaneously.
Red Group (Group A)
Based on card category composition. Only the highest yaku in this group is valid.
Aka (Red)
2+ ribbon cards, all others are plain (any ribbon color)
Tan-ichi (One Ribbon)
1 ribbon + 6 plain cards
Toichi (One Animal)
1 animal (10pt) card + 6 plain cards
Pikaichi (One Bright)
1 bright (20pt) card + 6 plain cards
Karasu (All Plain)
All 7 cards are plain cards
Nuke-yaku Bonus (+1 kan)
For Aka, Tan-ichi, Toichi, and Karasu, if your captured cards total 89 points or more at the end of the round, your hand yaku payment is increased by 1 kan.
Three-of-a-Kind Group (Group B)
Based on same-month card combinations. Only the highest yaku is valid.
Sanbon (Three)
3 cards from the same month
Tate-sanbon (Standing Three)
3 same-month cards of Wisteria, Iris, Bush Clover, or 3 Paulownia plain cards
Kuttsuki (Pairs)
3 pairs of same-month cards (6 cards)
Teshi (Four of a Kind)
All 4 cards from the same month
Haneken
1 set of 3 same-month + 2 sets of 2 same-month
Ichi-ni-shi (1-2-4)
1 set of 4 same-month + 1 set of 2 same-month
Futa-sanbon (Two Threes)
Two sets of sanbon (one may be tate-sanbon)
Futa-tate-sanbon (Two Standing)
Two sets of tate-sanbon
Shisou (4-3)
1 set of 4 same-month + 1 set of 3 same-month
Tobikomi Bonus (+1 kan)
For Sanbon, Tate-sanbon (and combination yaku containing them), if you capture all the cards that formed the sanbon/tate-sanbon during play, your hand yaku payment is increased by 1 kan.
Completed Yaku (6 types)
Yaku formed from captured card combinations.
Five Brights (Goko)
All 5 bright (20pt) cards
Four Brights (Shiko)
4 bright cards excluding Willow (Ono no Michikaze)
Boar-Deer-Butterfly (Ino-Shika-Cho)
Bush Clover Animal (Boar) + Maple Animal (Deer) + Peony Animal (Butterfly)
Poetry Ribbons (Akatan)
3 ribbons of Pine, Plum, Cherry
Blue Ribbons (Aotan)
3 ribbons of Peony, Chrysanthemum, Maple
Seven Ribbons (Nanatan)
7 ribbon cards (excluding Willow ribbon)
Special Yaku (3 types)
High-scoring yaku with special conditions. When these special yaku are completed, any declared hand yaku are blown out (nullified) for that month.
Sujiroku
Capture 16+ plain cards
Futahachi
Captured card total is 168+ pts (baseline + 80)
Souhachi
All 3 players' captures equal 88 pts
Variable Special Yaku
Sujiroku gains +2 kan per plain card beyond 16. Futahachi gains +1 kan per point beyond 168. Souhachi is the dealer's yaku—the other two players each pay the dealer 10 kan.
Special Rules
Mizuten — Blind Entry
Only the dealer may declare "mizuten" before cards are dealt—a commitment to enter without seeing their hand.
Constraints
- Entry declaration only, not a choice between enter/retire
- Once declared, the dealer must enter regardless of their hand
Reward
- At the end of the month, if captured cards total 89 points or more, they receive 1 kan from every participant including retired players
Orichin — Retirement Fee
Players who retire (drop out) pay a fee that increases with each retirement:
- 1st to retire: 1 kan (12 pts)
- 2nd to retire: 1.5 kan (18 pts)
- 3rd to retire: 2 kan (24 pts)
- 4th to retire: 2.5 kan (30 pts)
The fee is held aside and collected by the month's winner (highest scorer excluding hand yaku; earlier seat order breaks ties).
Oikomi — Compensation for Pushed-out Players
When 3 entering players are decided and remaining players are automatically pushed out, each of the 3 entering players pays oikomi fees based on the pushed-out player's hand.
- Hand yaku present: Half of the hand yaku value
- Completed yaku-related cards (bright cards or non-Willow ribbons): 3 pts (1/4 kan) × number of cards
- Complete yaku in hand ("tsukami"): Half of the completed yaku value
- None of the above: No fee
When conditions overlap, all applicable fees are combined. Oikomi fees are settled immediately.
Ba Type — Determined by Field Cards
The score multiplier is determined by the dealt field cards at the start of each month.
Field Types
- Koba (Small Field): No bright cards in field. ×1 (baseline)
- Oba (Large Field): Pine Crane, Cherry Curtain, or Susuki Moon in field. ×2
- Zetsuba (Extreme Field): Willow Ono no Michikaze or Paulownia Phoenix in field. ×4
Special Cases
- If multiple qualifying 20pt cards appear, "nidai-shibari" extends the field type for that many additional months
- When oba and zetsuba overlap, zetsuba takes priority
Hatto — Play Restrictions
A rule that prohibits actions helping opponents complete yaku (Four Brights, Poetry/Blue Ribbons) or tobikomi bonuses.
Prohibited Actions
When an opponent is 1 card away from completing a yaku:
- Discarding that remaining card to the field
- Discarding a same-month card of the remaining card
- Failing to capture the remaining card from the field when you hold its same-month card
Penalties
- Completed yaku violation: Bear 2 players' worth of the yaku cost alone
- Tobikomi violation: Pay the 2 kan increase alone
Exceptions
- No hatto when you have only 1 card left
- With 2 remaining cards both under hatto, discard the lower-value yaku card first to avoid violation
Sageru — Hold and Continue
When a completed yaku is formed during card matching, the player who completed it can choose to end or continue the month's play. To continue, they declare "sageru" (lower) and aim for additional yaku. The player may also cancel the sageru at any time to end the round early.
Note: when a completed yaku is declared, no card-point settlement occurs.
Additional Yaku Completed
- Collect the combined total of all completed yaku
No Additional Yaku (Sage-chin penalty)
If no new yaku is completed after lowering, the player must pay sage-chin — effectively halving their yaku earnings.
- No one completes a yaku by end: Receive half of the yaku value from the other 2 players
- Cancel sageru to end early: Receive half of the yaku value from the other 2 players
- Another player completes a yaku: Receive half of the yaku value from the other 2, then bear 2 players' worth of the opponent's yaku cost alone (double the normal amount)
Settlement Process
Each month of Hachihachi follows these steps:
Determine Field Type
Check the dealt field cards to determine koba, oba, or zetsuba.
Enter/Retire and Oikomi
Players decide to enter or retire. Place orichin aside. If there's oikomi, settle oikomi fees immediately.
Mizuten and Hand Yaku Declaration
Mizuten (dealer only) is declared before dealing. Hand yaku are declared and settled at this point.
Gameplay (Card Matching)
Match hand and drawn cards with field cards. Be mindful of hatto restrictions.
Completed Yaku Settlement
If a completed yaku is formed during play, or if a player declared "sageru" and no new yaku was formed by the end, settle the yaku payments at this point. When completed yaku are settled, special yaku and captured card settlements are skipped.
Special Yaku Settlement
After all cards are matched, check for special yaku. If a special yaku is completed, hand yaku are blown out (nullified). After settlement, proceed to orichin settlement.
Captured Card Settlement
If no completed yaku or special yaku were formed, calculate each player's captured card total minus the 88-point baseline, multiplied by the field multiplier.
Orichin Settlement
The month's winner (highest scorer excluding hand yaku) collects the orichin.
End of Game
End of Game
- Play an agreed number of rounds (typically 12 rounds = one year)
- After all rounds, the player with the highest accumulated score is the overall winner
- The winner of each month becomes the dealer for the next month