Japanese rock-paper-scissors

[Ricardo Dague]

Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play
rock-paper-scissors, and the winner grabs the hammer and tries to hit
the other one on the head, while the loser tries to put the bowl over
his head before he gets hit?

This vector where I got this from is the fourth disc of the english
version of 'Angelic Layer' anime, which has two puppets minipulated by
humans playing something like this.

-- Ricardo

[O J]

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play
rock-paper-scissors, and the winner grabs the hammer and tries to hit
the other one on the head, while the loser tries to put the bowl over
his head before he gets hit?
This vector where I got this from is the fourth disc of the english
version of 'Angelic Layer' anime, which has two puppets minipulated by
humans playing something like this.
-- Ricardo

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can safely
state that it's very possible. Kids will play games of this sort
without the aid of alcohol and adults will play them with a sufficient
amount of it in their system.

I offer in support of this statement the existence of a card game
played by the children in some areas of Long Island and perhaps
elsewhere. The game is a variant of Crazy Eights known as Knuckles.
The rules are the same as in regular Crazy Eights with the difference
being in the way one tallies up the score.

For every card left in the loser's hand, the winner is entitled
to hold the deck of cards in the fingers of one hand and administer as
many strikes as cards to the knuckles of the loser's hand with the
flat of the deck.

Variants of the scoring are that for each five (or ten) cards left
in the hand, one is allowed to administer a strike with the end of the
deck. An occasional variant is that for twenty five cards, one is
entitled to administer the dreaded "bridge of the nosie" with the end
of the deck.

When administering the strokes the winner of the hand may not
scrape the knuckles of the opponent's hand (scrape-sies) lest he or
she receive five punishment strokes in return.

Ricardo didn't specify if the puppets were supposed to represent
children or adults, however I believe my case as to the possibility of
such a game has been proved.

Regards,
O J "Gives a whole new meaning to the term, 'hand of cards'" Gritmon

[Steve Nicholas]

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play

<...>

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
-- Ricardo

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can safely
state that it's very possible. Kids will play games of this sort
without the aid of alcohol and adults will play them with a sufficient

As kids we used to play a version of "chicken" with an opened pen-knife
whereby you take it in turns to throw the knife between your opponents
parted feet, while standing. If the knife sticks in the ground, you
reposition one foot so that your feet are closer together. Then the
opponent has a go. Gradually your feet get closer and closer together until
your bound to get stuck with the knife in your leg. I never knew of any
injuries though.

Steve.

[TeaLady (Mari C.)]

Post by Steve Nicholas

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like
this: Two people sit together with a hammer and a bowl,
and they play <...> -- Ricardo

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can
safely
state that it's very possible. Kids will play games of
this sort without the aid of alcohol and adults will play
them with a sufficient

As kids we used to play a version of "chicken" with an
opened pen-knife whereby you take it in turns to throw the
knife between your opponents parted feet, while standing.
If the knife sticks in the ground, you reposition one foot
so that your feet are closer together. Then the opponent
has a go. Gradually your feet get closer and closer
together until your bound to get stuck with the knife in
your leg. I never knew of any injuries though.

Wimps. Kids I knew played it sitting down, legs spread, feet of
opposing "players" touching, and went from there. Left the
possibility of groin injury much more, er, open. Knife would be
thrown by one, then the other, player. Legs would be slowly
brought together, depending on what rules (incremental, or to
edge of knife) and so one until someone chickened out. I had
heard of, but never witnessed, injuries. I didn't get told
about many after awhile, as I usually asked to see the scar.

Also knew a few who played "Slap". Slap-ee holds hands out,
plams together, slap-er gets to slap at hands. If a slap is
pulled too far into the swing (a botched "fake"), or the slap-ee
can pull hands away before the slap hits,slap-er becomes slap-
ee. If the slap-ee pulls hands away on a "fake", a free slap is
given to the slap-er. Probably more rules than that, but those
are what I remember.

[Jamie Hart]

Post by TeaLady (Mari C.)
Also knew a few who played "Slap". Slap-ee holds hands out,
plams together, slap-er gets to slap at hands. If a slap is
pulled too far into the swing (a botched "fake"), or the slap-ee
can pull hands away before the slap hits,slap-er becomes slap-
ee. If the slap-ee pulls hands away on a "fake", a free slap is
given to the slap-er. Probably more rules than that, but those
are what I remember.

Also Knuckles, two people stand/sit facing each other and hold clenched
fists together knuckle to knuckle. Knuckler has to move his fist and rap
the knucklee on the back of their hand. Similar rules for fakes, misses
etc.

[L0nD0t.$t0we11]

Post by Steve Nicholas

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play

<...>

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
-- Ricardo

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can safely
state that it's very possible. Kids will play games of this sort
without the aid of alcohol and adults will play them with a sufficient

As kids we used to play a version of "chicken" with an opened pen-knife
whereby you take it in turns to throw the knife between your opponents
parted feet, while standing. If the knife sticks in the ground, you
reposition one foot so that your feet are closer together. Then the
opponent has a go. Gradually your feet get closer and closer together until
your bound to get stuck with the knife in your leg. I never knew of any
injuries though.

I've seen a couple. The game used to be called mumbletypeg around
my juvenile delinquent environs...

[d***@cs.csbuak.edu]

Post by L0nD0t.$t0we11

Post by Steve Nicholas
As kids we used to play a version of "chicken" with an opened pen-knife
whereby you take it in turns to throw the knife between your opponents
parted feet, while standing. If the knife sticks in the ground, you
reposition one foot so that your feet are closer together. Then the
opponent has a go. Gradually your feet get closer and closer together until
your bound to get stuck with the knife in your leg. I never knew of any
injuries though.

I've seen a couple. The game used to be called mumbletypeg around
my juvenile delinquent environs...

My grandfather showed me a game called mumbleypeg (no 't') which involved
getting the knife into the ground the straightest and no body parts were
used as hazards. According to him, it was a very common boys game and
involved no delinquency.

[Charles Wm. Dimmick]

Post by d***@cs.csbuak.edu
My grandfather showed me a game called mumbleypeg (no 't') which involved
getting the knife into the ground the straightest and no body parts were
used as hazards. According to him, it was a very common boys game and
involved no delinquency.

Your Grandfather? Hell, it was a standard game when I was a
kid back in the 40s.

Charles

[Olivers]

Charles Wm. Dimmick muttered....

Post by Charles Wm. Dimmick

Post by d***@cs.csbuak.edu
My grandfather showed me a game called mumbleypeg (no 't') which
involved getting the knife into the ground the straightest and no
body parts were used as hazards. According to him, it was a very
common boys game and involved no delinquency.

Your Grandfather? Hell, it was a standard game when I was a
kid back in the 40s.

"Mumbl(e)y Peg" certainly was active in the 40s, and I suspect is a
cultural artifact dating from a far earlier age. It was dangerous, at
least to feet and lower legs, the way we played it. I suspect that it
likely has some "Nomadic TransAppalachian Scots" overtones to it, probably
played by "Scots wha' hae wi' Wallace bled" with their sghean dhus (sp?)
after a dinner of bannocks griddled on their targs.

TM "More violent than Red Rover" Oliver

[Crashj]

Post by Charles Wm. Dimmick

Post by d***@cs.csbuak.edu
My grandfather showed me a game called mumbleypeg (no 't') which involved
getting the knife into the ground the straightest and no body parts were
used as hazards. According to him, it was a very common boys game and
involved no delinquency.

Your Grandfather? Hell, it was a standard game when I was a
kid back in the 40s.

Played for endless lunch hours and playground breaks 1957 [L]
Game has gone away since they started stabbing each other and the
schools took the knives away. We had a kindergarten kid get busted for
a nail clipper a couple of years ago.

[Rick Tyler]

Post by Crashj

Post by Charles Wm. Dimmick

Post by d***@cs.csbuak.edu
My grandfather showed me a game called mumbleypeg (no 't') which involved
getting the knife into the ground the straightest and no body parts were
used as hazards.

Your Grandfather? Hell, it was a standard game when I was a
kid back in the 40s.

Played for endless lunch hours and playground breaks 1957 [L]

And I played it in the '60s. I also carried a pocketknife to school
in those halcyon days.

- Rick "A Boy Scout pocketknife in fact" Tyler

--
"Ignorant voracity -- a wingless vulture -- can soar only into the
depths of ignominy." Patrick O'Brian

[Lee Ayrton]

Post by L0nD0t.$t0we11

Post by Steve Nicholas
As kids we used to play a version of "chicken" with an opened pen-knife
whereby you take it in turns to throw the knife between your opponents
parted feet, while standing. If the knife sticks in the ground, you
reposition one foot so that your feet are closer together. Then the
opponent has a go. Gradually your feet get closer and closer together until
your bound to get stuck with the knife in your leg. I never knew of any
injuries though.

I've seen a couple. The game used to be called mumbletypeg around
my juvenile delinquent environs...

In southeastern Connecticut c.1969 we played the game described above,
using a pencil or some other suitable non-lethal dart and knew it by the
name of "Chicken". My dad used to tell us tales of playing the same game
c.1940 but with a pocket knife (a pocket knife was then an article of
boy's clothing, not a dangerous weapon) and knew it as Mumble-tepeg or
Mumble-depeg. If memory serves, he still has a scar in one great toe as a
memento.

[Charles Bishop]

Post by Steve Nicholas

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play

<...>

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
-- Ricardo

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can safely
state that it's very possible. Kids will play games of this sort
without the aid of alcohol and adults will play them with a sufficient

As kids we used to play a version of "chicken" with an opened pen-knife
whereby you take it in turns to throw the knife between your opponents
parted feet, while standing. If the knife sticks in the ground, you
reposition one foot so that your feet are closer together. Then the
opponent has a go. Gradually your feet get closer and closer together until
your bound to get stuck with the knife in your leg. I never knew of any
injuries though.

We're drifting from the subject, but are you sure you moved your feet
closer together if the knife stuck? It sounds as if you'd be better off
not getting the knife to stick. But, since this is the result of skill,
you'd want to prove yourself. You did mention that it was a form of
"chicken" so perhaps so.

Ours was different and maybe safer. You stood facing each other and took
turns throwing the knife. If it stuck, your opponent had to move his feet
apart. Further apart each time the knife stuck until one or the other fell
down (since none of the boys could do splits). We aimed away from each
other.

charles, mumbley peg? is that the name?

[Olivers]

Charles Bishop muttered....

Post by Charles Bishop
Ours was different and maybe safer. You stood facing each other and
took turns throwing the knife. If it stuck, your opponent had to move
his feet apart. Further apart each time the knife stuck until one or
the other fell down (since none of the boys could do splits). We aimed
away from each other.
charles, mumbley peg? is that the name?

Ours, if I'm recalling through the haze, required moving the feet to touch
the blade of a knife that stuck..

Aside.....

Near here a communal denominational group, producers of all sorts of
handicrafts up to general contracting of custom homes for non members,
wooden furniture, herbs, sorghum syrup and folks who commute to Austin for
software jobs, along with dressing with some modesty and uniformity, awards
all the male kids at the settlement substantial clasp knives w/belt sheaths
at about 12 or so, sort of a badge of young manhood. Given as they are to
an almost Quakerish sort of approach, the knife carries neither violent or
phallic connotations, but those of yesteryear...hand tool and creative
device.

TMO

[John Francis]

Post by Olivers
Charles Bishop muttered....

Post by Charles Bishop
Ours was different and maybe safer. You stood facing each other and
took turns throwing the knife. If it stuck, your opponent had to move
his feet apart. Further apart each time the knife stuck until one or
the other fell down (since none of the boys could do splits). We aimed
away from each other.
charles, mumbley peg? is that the name?

Ours, if I'm recalling through the haze, required moving the feet to touch
the blade of a knife that stuck..

My memory suggests that you could either (attempt to) throw the knife
so it stuck beyond the spread feet of your opponent, in which case he
had to move one foot to touch the knife, or you could throw it between
his feet, in which case (if it stuck) you could bring your own feet
together.

[Paul Blay]

"O J" wrote ...

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play
rock-paper-scissors, and the winner grabs the hammer and tries to hit
the other one on the head, while the loser tries to put the bowl over
his head before he gets hit?

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can safely
state that it's very possible.

I had more of a thorough look round than I should have in working
hours and didn't find anything to confirm the 'hammer 'n' bowl' bit.
It isn't a very easy Google though.

[Louise Bremner]

Post by Paul Blay
"O J" wrote ...

Post by O J

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play
rock-paper-scissors, and the winner grabs the hammer and tries to hit
the other one on the head, while the loser tries to put the bowl over
his head before he gets hit?

Without getting in too far over my head, I think I can safely
state that it's very possible.

I had more of a thorough look round than I should have in working
hours and didn't find anything to confirm the 'hammer 'n' bowl' bit.
It isn't a very easy Google though.

I know I've seen it on Japanese TV, but I remember it as being done by
Shimura Ken in his Baka Tono[1] role (with plastic mallet, large lacquer
dish, much horseplay, and excessive laughing at his own "wit") so I'm
not accepting it as valid proof of anything.

[1] <http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/comedy.shtml>

________________________________________________________________________
Louise "" Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!

[Gerald Clough]

Post by Ricardo Dague
Is it true that in Japan there's a game which goes like this: Two
people sit together with a hammer and a bowl, and they play
rock-paper-scissors, and the winner grabs the hammer and tries to hit
the other one on the head, while the loser tries to put the bowl over
his head before he gets hit?

No. That's strictly a U.S. thing. The season's just now getting into
full swing, but the best matches will be in the playoffs at the
presidential candidate debates.

Gerald 'give 'em bigger hammers' Clough