Rules of Play

According to the rules, the winner is decided by the following combinations:

• Rock & Scissors: Rock breaks scissors and rock wins.
• Paper & Rock: Paper covers rock and paper wins.
• Scissors & Paper: Scissors cuts paper and scissors wins.

History

Janken is a type of ken. Originally, in China, ken meant fist, grip, force, or strike. This explains the name of the Chinese martial art of Kenpo. However, a game in which victory was decided by the shape of the extended hand together with a number was also called ken. It appears that this usage of ken appeared in the Sung period and it is thought to have been conceived as a competitive game or a form of gambling.

Of all the variations of ken games that arose, the one called Honken (original ken) that was the one that spread to Japan, so it called the root of Janken.