Japanese classical / arushiiaru

Descends into

• Houchi rules — 1952, Amano Daizou

Cross-comparison

corroborated — two or more independent sources agree on the facts that define this variant

• [2] dead wall 14, length 4 rounds
• [4] in 1929 the first organisation dedicated to mahjong players in Japan was established; the Federation still recognises Arushiiaru as its primary variant and accepted riichi as a second approved variant only in 2016
• [5] in Sloperama's early-forms table, Japanese Classical scores 8 (identical) against the 1920s 'New Method' column and only 4 against 1920s standard Chinese Classical, which places its descent through the new-style line rather than straight from Chinese Classical
• [6] dates mahjong's arrival in Japan to 1909, two decades before the 1929 organisation the chart uses to date this node
• [3] describes Japanese classical as closer to the Chinese classical scoring system but with only the winner scoring, and says it is still used in tournaments

Reading it

Sloperama and the wiki agree on 136 tiles, a 13-tile hand and point-and-double scoring, and the Krakow Chombo Club history independently dates the first Japanese mahjong organisation to 1929. Sloperama's early-forms table adds real structural evidence: Japanese Classical scores identically with the 1920s New Method and only 4 against standard Chinese Classical.

Sources

1. Sloper, Tom. "FAQ 2b: Identifying a Mah-Jongg Variant." Sloperama. cross-check checked 2026-09-18

   Tile counts, hand sizes, flower handling and scoring for roughly 50 named variants. Primary source for most leaf nodes in this chart.

   https://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq02b.html

   Also cited on: Chinese archaic, Chinese pre-classical, Chinese classical, Shanghai / Hong Kong new style, Hong Kong old style, Modern HKOS and 43 more · bibliography #1

2. Mahjong Wiki. "Japanese Classical Overview." mahjong.wikidot.com. canonical checked 2026-09-18

   Cited as the source for individual nodes in the chart's node table. Carries no bibliography or per-claim citations of its own; see the appendix on tracing the wiki.

   http://mahjong.wikidot.com/rules:japanese-classical-overview

   Only cited here · bibliography #47

3. Wikipedia. "Mahjong." cross-check checked 2026-09-18

   The main article's regional-variations section, which describes most branches of this tree independently of the chart's own sources.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

   Also cited on: Chinese classical, Hong Kong old style, Taiwanese style, Singapore style, Filipino style, Vietnamese classical and 6 more · bibliography #54

4. Yuria (Hassouhatsu Club). "A Brief History of Japanese Mahjong." Krakow Chombo Club, 2 Aug 2026. supporting checked 2026-09-18

   Arushiiaru rules and scoring; Amano Daizou; the Houchi Shinbun serial of 11 Nov - 5 Dec 1952; the 1957 Tokyo rules and 1967 modern rules; bazoro; the Federation's 2016 acceptance of riichi.

   https://chombo.club/en/blog/2026/08/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-mahjong/

   Also cited on: Houchi rules, Tokyo rules, Modern rules, Modern riichi / yonma, WMPA / WMF · bibliography #10

5. Sloper, Tom. "Comparative Analysis of Early Mah-Jongg Forms." Sloperama. cross-check checked 2026-09-18

   Chinese Archaic, Late Qing and Pre-Classical rule comparisons.

   https://www.sloperama.com/mahjongg/analysis.html

   Also cited on: Chinese archaic, Late Qing style, Chinese pre-classical, Hong Kong old style · bibliography #4

6. Japanese Mahjong Wiki. "Japanese Mahjong." riichi.wiki. supporting checked 2026-09-18

   Arrival in Japan in 1909; the post-1969 popularity surge; Tenhou.net in 2007.

   https://riichi.wiki/index.php?title=Japanese_mahjong

   Also cited on: Houchi rules, Modern riichi / yonma, Sanma · bibliography #11

7. Wikipedia. "Japanese Mahjong." supporting

   The riichi declaration, dora, furiten and ordered discards.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_mahjong

   Also cited on: Modern riichi / yonma, Sanma · bibliography #12