Taiken: History Mystery is an interactive educational card game about surviving the Japanese Canadian internment.
Ready-to-play printed sets are available through our museum shop. Or, you can download the files below to print your own set.
Standard gameplay methods are suitable for 2-5 players, ages 11 and up. Younger children can play Memory Matchup with the deck’s Start and End cards (see rules booklet).
When you play Taiken: History Mystery, you will meet a number of remarkable Japanese Canadians who were alive during the 1940s, a time when the Canadian government carried out racist policies that changed the lives of Japanese Canadians forever.
Your goal is to find out how one person made their way through this tumultuous time by choosing the correct three red “event” cards that link their pre-1940s life to their post-1940s life. Claim, discard, and trade cards until you have solved your History Mystery.
Download your own game set:
Japanese Canadian History in a Nutshell
Print at Home Cards: Daruma Deck | Matsu Deck | Tabi Deck | Tsuru Deck
Print at Home Answer Keys: Daruma Deck | Matsu Deck | Tabi Deck | Tsuru Deck
To make your own Taiken: History Mystery game set, print the game rules, Japanese Canadian History in a Nutshell, and choose one of the four decks to print the cards and answer keys for. If possible, print the answer keys double-sided, and use heavier paper such as cardstock for the cards. Cut out each of the cards on the dotted lines, and shuffle them into a deck. Fold each of the name card/answer key sheets in quarters so that the answers are not visible. Now you’re ready to play!
For additional challenge and to play in larger groups, mix and match multiple decks together!
The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is proud to produce this educational resource and would like to acknowledge the generous support for this project from Metro Vancouver, the National Association of Japanese Canadians, BC Arts Council, and the Government of British Columbia.
