Ukiyoe Tarot by Koji Furuta   This elegant tarot deck, done in the Japanese ukiyoe art style, is an elegant reworking of the classical tarot tradition.  The structure of the deck remains consistent with standard symbology, yet the clean lines and soothing color fields are strikingly simple.  This is an extremely attractive deck.  Within its own context, symbols have been translated to fit the ukiyoe style.   The little white booklet which comes with the deck is far superior to most of the ones like it; it comes complete with a brief but informative history and description of ukiyoe art itself, as well as explanations of all the symbolism and the meanings of all of the cards.  I was a bit disappointed that the only spread described is the universal Celtic Cross spread, though it isn't named as such.  With such a beautiful tarot, which obviously has a "system" at work, I kind of expected a spread which was consistent with the system.   The Major Arcana bear all the traditional titles, with artwork which depicts the Edo period of Japanese history.  Each card has some characters drawn in the picture which are the titles for the cards in Classical Chinese characters, which are also used by the Japanese.  The regular titles are in English at the bottom of the card.  The cards are given the Marseille-type ordering; i.e. Justice is 8 and Strength 11.   The Minor Arcana are very interesting in this deck.  The suits are the traditional Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles, but they are done in a Japanese style consistent with the rest of the deck.  Flower symbolism is relied on heavily and actually well explained in the book.  The numbered cards are basically pips but they are drawn very attractively and the flowers are showcased on each one.  Incorporated into each pip card is an image of a playing card with the symbol that corresponds to that particular suit; i.e. clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds.  Court cards are the traditional King, Queen, Knight, Page.   Overall I can highly recommend this deck for a number of users.  That it will make an excellent choice for collectors is obvious.  Those who are fans of Japanese artwork or culture will also enjoy this deck, as will botanically-inclined people, since the flower symbology is an integral part of the deck.  Though there isn't a more involved book with this deck, the little white booklet is substantial enough, and explanatory enough, that this deck could be used by beginners as well.   Click here for pictures   or here to return   Please use your browser's back button to return from pictures   Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace