Pick-up sticks
Pick-up sticks (or pick-a-stick) is a game of physical skill in which sticks have to be removed from a pile without disturbing the remaining ones.The pile is taken into the hands and dropped, then one single stick after another has to be choosen and extracted by hand or/and with a "helper". A turn ends if another than the actual "to be extracted" stick is moved or touched. As helpers qualify special sticks or an additional tool. On a turn end the next player may continue to extract sticks or drop them again.
There exist serveral varitations and names of this game: Mikado (from Europe), Jackstraws (orig. jerk-straws) (USA), Spellicans (Britain), Spilikins/Spillikins (orig. spelleken) (Canada), Jonchets (France), Kaiserspiel/Federspiel/Zitterwackel (Germany). They are made out of ivory, bone, wood (bamboo, walnut, cherry, oak, beech, ash), straw, rush or plastics.
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2 Play 3 Mikado 4 Jackstraws 5 Spellicans 6 Jonchets 7 Chien Tung 8 Haida pickup sticks 9 External links 10 References |
The game idea is quite as old as humanity.
Herodotus wrote that he had seen in 450 BC a game played by the Scythians that was also known by the Teutons as a play of oracle named "Zitterwackel" (jitter whobble).
In China (Japan) a similar oracle was known based on the book of changes (I Ching, Yijing),(eki divination). A handful of sticks are scattered to base the reading of destiny (also in respect to the calendar) called "Chien Tung" where a stick is called "emperor stick". This oracle practise was most common around the 12th century during the civil wars, where zen buddism monks were advisors of the warlords.
In the 16th century the Tsuchimikado house adapts the astrology and calendar sciences from China and possibly also the "Chien Tung" oracle. A dated name for the Japanese Emperor (today Tenno) is Mikado.
In the 17th century the Jonchets (French) game is mentioned in references.
Letzterer teilte zumindest mit, daß ein ähnliches Spiel bereits im 16. und 17. Jhdt. mit Lanzen und Hellebarden gespielt wurde.
The Haida (Native Americans) had also a pickup sticks game. Jackstraws??
The pickup sticks (the mikado variant) are brought from Hungary in 1936 to the United States and became a quite popular.
A player drops the sticks on a flat underground and tries to remove one specified stick after another without moving the others. The sticks may have different shapes / points and the player tries to reach the highest score possible. Shapes may be different forms / diameter or paintings.
Mikado is a game originating in Europe. In 1936 it was brought from Hungary to the USA and was mostly called pick-up sticks. This term isn't very specific in respect to existing stick game variations. Probably the "Mikado" name wasn't used because it was a brand name of a game producer. The game got its name from the highest scoring (blue) stick "Mikado" (jap. emperor, tenno). The buddhistic "Chien Tung" contains also a stick called "emperor".
The house of "Tsuchimikado" adaped in the 16th century some culture, possibly also the "Chien Tung" oracle. Maybe in the course of Japonism in the 19th / 20th century the "Zitterwackel" game had changed to "Mikado" (probably first named "Tsuchimikado").
The classic Mikado game consists of 41 sticks. They are coded with different values that have a total of 170 points and are around 15 cm long.
name / traditional wood type / coding1 / coding 2 / value / number of the sticks:
It is allowed to stand up on but not to leave the own place. A bad throw could be rerun and the rules should be kept strict in repect to moving sticks to enjoy the game.
On a fault the turn ends (the last stick taken is not counted). The next player bundles and drops the sticks again. After several rounds normally 5 the one with the highest score is the winner.
as described above. Its normally made out of 1 wood type like beech.
sizes:
made of 31 toothpicks painted in the middle. The game has a total of 135 points.
name / coding / value / number of the sticks:
This type is thought for outdoor use. There are 26 sticks with a length of 93 cm and 10 mm diameter. The game has a total of 200 points.
name / value / number of the sticks:
spellicans or spillikins (orig. spelleken, ISO_language_code gmh. little pin) is an antiquity game played with slim sticks. They were carved to represent weapons or other utensils. Made of wood, bone or ivory they are 8 to 16 cm long. The rules may be similar to Jackstraws.
Jonchets (French, was orig. made of "jonc", engl. rush) is a quite old "pick-up sticks" game with carved sticks. It was quite popular at the start of the 20th century. It was made out of rush, wood, bone or ivory.
It's for 2 to 4 players. There are 30 to 40 sticks with a length of 10 cm that may be thrown on the table. The rules may be similar to Jackstraws.
name / value / number of the sticks:
"Jonchets" were also the name of a stick abacus calcus form in France with Asian background [1] [1].
Chien Tung or Oracle of Kwan Yin (in Buddist tradition) comes from China and is based on the book of changes (I Ching, Yijing). Its a fortune telling (prediction) tool. When Japan adaped some culture/religion it got there in the 16th century.
A prediction is made picking a stick with a number on it and then finding fortune matching it. The sticks are in a box with a small hole where a stick came out through shaking. One of these sticks is called the "emperor stick".
They have two sorts, not decorated thin playing sticks (not collected) and the other sort with three sets of sticks. Named after animals or birds according to Charles F. Newcombe these are only known by the owner or his family.
The sticks are decorated with rings and spiral markings for distinction. Most elaborated sets may contain an Haida art gallery of more than fifty drawings. Made of maple wood they are decorated with pyro-engravings or carvings. Many pyro-engravings are inlaid with copper or abalone shell. The drawings are complex and an artistic challenge as they are wrapped around a cylinder. Their form is unlocked through slow rotation and are sometimes animated cartoon like with themes of moving shamans, birds, whales, war scenes, hunting, fishing etc. The compositions are small and not more than 2 cm in length. The sticks were a field where the Haida became truly documentary. Franz Boas, Swanton and others published drawings of many art sets. George T. Emmons recorded many details about a full set owned by a Tingit American Indian.
game museum entry on pick-up sticks
Erwin Glonneger: Das Spiele-Buch. ISBN:3980679209 Drei Magier VerlagHistory
Play
Mikado
Rules
The sticks are bundled and taken in one hand that touches the table/ground. The release creates a circulary jumble. Now one stick after another should be taken up without moving/touching others. The take away could be by hand, possibly through pressing on a stick's tip or if already picked up a special stick (Mikado/Mandarin) could be used as a helper, possibly to throw up another stick.Variations
on a player's turn:
allowed helpers:
the last stick taken when the stack moves:
Normal Mikado
the large and super variants may use the 26 sticks Giant Mikado variant.Mini Mikado
Rules and values are the same as with normal Mikado sticks. Giant Mikado
Rules and markings are the same as with normal Mikado sticks. The play is more enjoyable on a plane and fixed ground.Monster Mikado
This was a project [1] by "Werner Holz" to create the largest pickup sticks game. 41 eight meter long tree trunks were used instead of sticks and weighed around 3.5 tons. The Guinness Book of Records includes a record about 5 metre long sticks.self made Mikado
you'll need:
Jackstraws
Spellicans
Jonchets
"Mikado" may also be simplified variation.Chien Tung
Haida pickup sticks
External links
References
