Hana Ichi Monme facts for kids

Kids playing Hana Ichi Monme

Hana Ichi Monme (花一匁) is a fun, traditional Japanese children's game. It's a bit like the game Red Rover that you might know. Kids often play it in kindergartens and elementary schools across Japan.

The name "Hana Ichi Monme" means "a flower is one monme." A monme was an old Japanese coin from the Edo period. It was worth about 3.75 grams of silver. So, the name basically means "a flower for one coin."

Many traditional Japanese children's games, like Kagome Kagome and Dahrumasan ga Koronda, also have special songs that go with them.

How to Play Hana Ichi Monme

Playing Hana Ichi Monme is easy and fun! Here's how you do it:

Getting Started

• First, all the players split into two teams.
• Each team stands in a line, holding hands. The two teams face each other.

Singing and Moving

• One team starts by stepping forward while singing a special game song.
• The other team steps backward at the same time. This keeps the lines parallel.
• As the song continues, the team that steps back changes. Both teams also make a swinging motion with their arms.

Choosing Players

• When the song ends, the leaders from each team step forward.
• They play janken, which is the Japanese version of rock paper scissors.
• The winner of janken goes back to their team.
• The winning team then talks quietly to decide which player they want to "take" from the other team.

Taking a Player

• After deciding, both teams sing another part of the song.
• They do the same movements as before.
• The winning team then announces the name of the person they want from the other team.
• The game continues until one team loses all of its players. That team loses the game!

A Different Way to Play

There's a slightly different way to play Hana Ichi Monme. In this version, the two teams sing different lines of the song as they move forward.

The Song in Action

• When the word monme is sung, the team singing it kicks into the air. It's like they are kicking dirt towards the other team!

Here are the words to the song, with their English meaning:

Choosing and Joining

• After singing, the children on each team huddle together. They choose a person from the other team they want to join them.
• Then, they return to their line and call out:

• The two children whose names were called step forward.
• They play janken (rock paper scissors).
• The child who loses janken then joins the winning team's line.
• The game ends when one team has no players left.