Editing Nintendo (section)

==== 1889–1932: Origin as a playing card business ====
{{Multiple image
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| image1            = Nintendo 1889.jpg
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| caption1          = Original Nintendo headquarters (1889–1930) and workshop in [[Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto]], {{Circa|1889}}. The right section was eventually rebuilt (pictured below), and the left section was reportedly demolished in 2004.
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| caption2          = Nintendo [[karuta]] poster from the [[Meiji era]]}}Nintendo was founded as {{Nihongo foot|Nintendo Koppai|任天堂骨牌|Nintendō Koppai|group=lower-alpha}} on 23 September 1889<ref name="Nintendo is founded, September 23, 1889" /> by craftsman [[Fusajiro Yamauchi]] in [[Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto]], Japan, as an unincorporated establishment, to produce and distribute [[Culture of Japan|Japanese]] [[playing card]]s, or {{Nihongo|[[karuta]]|かるた||from [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] {{lang|pt|carta}}, 'card'}}, most notably {{Nihongo3|'flower cards'|[[wikt:花札|花札]]|[[hanafuda]]}}.<ref name="Corporate Information : Company Profile" /><ref name="Corporate Information : Company History" /><ref name="Nintendo History" /><ref name="Nintendo Probably Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does" /><ref name="The Traditional Beauty Of Nintendo's Playing Cards" />{{sfn|Sheff|1999|p=14}} The name "Nintendo" is commonly assumed to mean "leave luck to heaven",{{sfn|Sheff|1999|p=14}}<ref name="Nintendo's 1955 Cameo In The New York Times" /> but the assumption lacks historical validation; it has also been suggested to mean "the temple of free {{transliteration|ja|hanafuda}}", but even descendants of Yamauchi do not know the true intended meaning of the name.<ref name="Nintendo Probably Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does" /> Hanafuda cards had become popular after Japan banned most forms of gambling in 1882, though tolerated hanafuda. Sales of hanafuda cards were popular with the [[yakuza]]-run gaming parlors in Kyoto. Other card manufacturers had opted to leave the market, not wanting to be associated with its criminality, but Yamauchi persisted despite such fears to become the primary producer of hanafuda within a few years.<ref name="The birthplace of Nintendo" /> With the increase of the cards' popularity, Yamauchi hired assistants to [[Mass production|mass-produce]] them to satisfy the demand.<ref name="Before Mario: Nintendo's Playing Cards, Toys And Love Hotels" /> Even with a favorable start, the business faced financial struggles due to operating in a [[niche market]], the slow and expensive manufacturing process, high product price, alongside long durability of the cards, which impacted sales due to the low replacement rate.{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=16}} As a solution, Nintendo produced a cheaper and lower-quality line of playing cards, {{transliteration|ja|Tengu}}, while also conducting product offerings in other cities such as [[Osaka]], where card game profits were high. In addition, local merchants were interested in the prospect of continuous renewal of decks, thus avoiding the suspicions that reusing cards would generate.{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=17}}

According to Nintendo, the business' first western-style card deck was put on the market in 1902,<ref name="Corporate Information : Company History" /><ref name="Nintendo History" /> although other documents indicate the date was 1907, shortly after the [[Russo-Japanese War]].{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=19}} Although the cards were initially intended to be exported, they quickly gained popularity within and without Japan.<ref name="Corporate Information : Company History" /><ref name="Nintendo History" /> During this time, the business styled itself as Marufuku Nintendo Card Co.<ref name="Nintendo's oldest playing cards? Marufuku No. 1" /> The [[Russo-Japanese War|war]] created considerable difficulties for companies in the leisure sector, which were subject to new levies such as the {{transliteration|ja|[[Karuta]] Zei}} ("playing cards tax").{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=20}} Nintendo subsisted and, in 1907, entered into an agreement with Nihon Senbai—later known as the [[Japan Tobacco]]—to market its cards to various cigarette stores throughout the country.{{Sfn|Gorges|2015a|p=21}} A Nintendo promotional calendar from the [[Taishō era]] dated to 1915 indicates that the business was named {{Nihongo foot|Yamauchi Nintendo |山内任天堂|Yamauchi Nintendō |group=lower-alpha}} but still used the Marufuku Nintendo Co. brand for its playing cards.<ref name="100 year old Nintendo promotional calendar" />

[[Culture of Japan|Japanese culture]] stipulated that for Nintendo to continue as a family business after Yamauchi's retirement, Yamauchi had to adopt his son-in-law so that he could take over the business. As a result, [[Sekiryo Kaneda]] adopted the Yamauchi surname in 1907 and headed the business in 1929. By that time, Nintendo was the largest playing card business in Japan.{{Sfn|Sheff|1999|page=15}}