Nintendo: The Company and its Founders - Sharyland ISD

PLAYING CARDS
formed and factories are built for
making a new product. It is a long
process, but eventually the product
is ready to be sold. How successful
the product is depends on its
quality, how it is advertised, and
whether there is consumer demand
for it.
In Nintendo’s case, this
process actually happened twice.
In a way, Nintendo has been two
different companies: first, a small
but growing playing card business,
and second, a high-tech home
entertainment giant.
MAKING PLAYING CARDS
It all began in 1889 when Fusajiro
Yamauchi, a craftsman in the
Japanese city of Kyoto, created his
own brand of handmade playing
cards known as hanafuda. Smaller
than regular playing cards, they
had pictures of cherry blossoms,
deer, birds, and other nature
KYOTO
Kyoto is located in the center
of Japan, and for most of its
history, it was the country’s
capitol. The history of the city
can be traced as far back as the
sixth century. Kyoto is known
as a spiritual center and for its
large number of ancient Buddhist
temples. The best-known
temple in Kyoto is a Zen temple
called Kinkaku-ji, or “the
Golden Pavilion.” It is covered
with gold leaf.
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