Chihayafuru Manga Author Establishes a Fund to Promote The Spread of Competitive Karuta

With the Chihayafuru manga author Yuki Suetsugu as its proposer, Chihayafuru Fund was established on January 14. The purpose of the general incorporated association is to provide information on competitive karuta, to support the management of various competitions, and to promote the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu more.

The competitive karuta-themed manga Chihayafuru has been serialized in Kodansha’s BE LOVE magazine since 2008 and has released 43 tankobon volumes with more than 24 million copies. Inspired by Suetsugu’s strong intention „I want to return the favor to karuta,“ Chihayafuru Fund will be operated based on donations from individual supporters and corporate sponsors, in addition to the profit from the sales of the Chihayafuru merchandise. Its slogan is „For everyone who loves karuta.“

Message from Yuki Suetsugu:

„I want people to have a good time by playing the competitive karuta with their friends. I want to give back to many things that I got from the competitive karuta. The number of karuta players has continued growing. That’s why we want the children who are familiar with the competitive karuta to have a dream, ‚I want to keep playing karuta,‘ and to grow stronger with that dream. Through the competitive karuta, we want them to be exposed to Hyakunin Isshu and make friends all over the world. In collaboration with those who have supported the competitive karuta world, I felt the need for a system to support the children’s passion. That’s the reason we established this Chihayafuru Fund. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.“ 

Source: Chihayafuru Fund press release