Game of Letters

The Game of Letters was the longest running competition of Winter Court. It was dated back to the early days of the Imperial Court. Hantei Genji was considered one of the most skilled players ever known.

Mechanics
The contenders selected the paper, composed a thirty-one syllable poem with an image drawn from nature, wrote with his brighest calligraphy, and finally packaged the letter, which was attached to a flower, branch, stick of incense, or other object with a particular odor.

Contest
The game began when a courtier sent a letter, or received one. The one who received the letter had to reply, and so the deliverer was now the receiver, who could also reply in turn. The match ended when the reply was of less quality than the letter received.