Pokemon and Shinto?

While researching interfaith holidays today, I discovered a surprising connection between the popular Nintendo game, Pokemon, and Shinto! In addition to visiting Shinto shrines, one of the traditional celebrations of Shogatsu, the New Year, is playing karuta, a card game. In karuta, a group leader will read from a set of cards called yomifuda. Players in the game must match the description read from the yomifuda with one of the cards in another set, the torifuda. Whoever collects the most matches wins! A popular version of this game, obake karuta, originated during the Edo Period of 1603 - 1867. Obake karuta literally translates as "ghost cards" or "monster cards." The yomifuda in this game bear descriptions of demons and monsters from Japanese mythology while the torifuda show pictures of the monsters. Many of the creatures which inhabit the Pokemon universe were inspired by these monsters, and in fact, obake karuta bears a striking resemblance to the Pokemon Trading Card Game played by youngsters today!