How to Play Buta No Shippo

The Japanese card game, Buta no Shippo (or ‘Pig’s Tail’ in English), is a party favourite with simple yet highly-intense gameplay. It’s incredibly fun and all you need to win is a deck of cards, working eyes and limbs, and at least 3 players. Here’s how to play Buta no Shippo.

Buta no Shippo: A Step-by-Step Guide

The most important thing to have is a deck because no deck means no Buta no Shippo. Place the cards in the deck face-down in a ring (called the ‘Pig’s Tail’), facing towards the centre, with the players surrounding it. Players then play janken (‘rock-paper-scissors’ in English) to determine the turn order. 

Players then go in order and quickly swipe a card from the pig’s tail and place it right-side-up in a pile at the centre of the ring. This continues until the pig’s tail is emptied. 

The fun part comes with the ‘attack’ mechanic. If a player places an ‘attack’ card in the centre of the pile, all players must slam their hands on top of the attack card and create another pile. There are three classifications for attack cards. The first is the Joker, the second is a card with the same suit as the previous card, and the third is a card with the same value as the previous card. 

The slowest player (i.e. the one whose hand is on top of the pile) is the loser of the attack and must collect all the cards in the current pile. If a player attacks the wrong card (i.e. a card that isn’t an attack), they automatically collect all cards in the pile even if there wasn’t an attack.

As the game goes on, the pig’s tail must compress and become smaller as players continue to play and collect cards. The player with the most cards by the time the pig’s tail is empty is the loser. 

The Tail-End of the Japanese Buta no Shippo

The Japanese card game, Buta no Shippo, is incredibly fun and all you need to (not) come out on top are fast reflexes and a competitive spirit. Play with all your friends and loved ones because a game this intense is always fun with the people closest to you. Scream your heart out and start swiping and slapping your way to victory! 

If you want to know more about Japanese games, read about how to play the Japanese Baccarat variant Oichi-Kabu, here.

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