Japanese old "Hundred Waka Poems"

*Ogura Hyakunin Isshu 小倉百人一首*

     During the winter season, we have competitions of this card game in Japan.

This anthology of poems was supposedly compiled by Fujiwara-no-Teika during the 13th century.  "小倉百人一首" literally means "one  poem each by a hundred different poets" and it consists of a hundred "waka" poems. 

The cards of the latter pack are spread out on the "tatami"-mat floor at random. As someone recites a poem from the cards of the first deck, the contestants seated around the scattered cards try to pick the matching card as quickly as possible. The player who picks up the most cards wins the game.

I've never attended nor seen the competition, however I remember recited some of them in the Japanese classics class when high school girl.

                                  You can see the swiftness of their hands!

         Here is the The English translation page of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu. p;)