Portuguese-suited playing cards

They are very similar to Spanish-suited playing cards in that they use the Latin-suit system of cups, swords, coins and clubs.

The arrangement of the cups and coins are also slightly different: This system was believed to have originated in Spain as an export pattern.

[6][7][8] When domestic production shut down around 1870, manufacture shifted abroad, mostly to Belgium and Germany where makers introduced further changes.

[9][10] They were used in Portugal until the late 19th and early 20th centuries when these cards were slowly abandoned in favour of the French deck starting around 1800.

The closest living relative of the Portuguese deck is the Sicilian Tarot which has these features minus the Aces.

The ace of coins lacks the dragon but it is a card that was removed and then reintroduced for the purpose of displaying the stamp duty.

Unsun karuta is still used in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, to play hachinin-meri, a trick-taking game descended from Guritipau, a relative of Ombre.

[23] Unlike mekuri karuta, this deck survived since the late 17th century without the need for abstract designs due to the remoteness of Hitoyoshi.