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Nintendo’s Secret Connection to the Criminal Underworld
How they stayed alive via criminal ties.
Eight tables spread throughout a wide, low ceiling room. A haze of smoke hangs in the air.
At each table, are several men. One is shirtless, his body covered in tattoos. Another has a scar down his eyebrow and to his cheek. His iris has turned white from an apparent blade strike.
Besides some of them are partially nude women. Waitresses carry food and drinks to tables. And on each table, is a wide set of cards. Some players are leaned forward analyzing them. Others are leaned back, sipping on a drink.
Beside some men are swords. On the table, there is a gun. On another, is a pile of cash.
They are playing Hanafuda, a popular Japanese card game.
And it might surprise you that, for decades, this was Nintendo’s first customer. In fact, these crime lords were Nintendo's primary customers.
In the 15th century, a Spanish gambling card game, ombre, had arrived from Europe. It quickly became famous in Japan as it was the first popularized form of gambling. Tangent to this…
