Decoding the Japanese Myth Tarot Deck
On Starting This Project
I started this project because I got this Tarot deck back in summer 2024.
While they were beautiful and based on Japanese mythologies instead of the usual Judeo-Christian symbolism of the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot deck, I found it difficult to connect with the deck.
Why? I was not familiar with the stories, the deities and the more culturally-layered symbolism.
This means I could not use the deck as smoothly as I could have with other RWS based decks I’ve had so far.
Sure, I’ve heard of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, Yamatai-no-Orochi, Izanagi & Izanami, due to the names being shown in popular culture, especially in ‘Naruto’.
But no, I have no idea who Konohanasakuya is, or Ame-no-minaka-nushi, or even the more obscure deities like Umashi-ashikabi-hikoji.
The fact that the Little White Book (aka the guidebook) is written in Japanese helps little. I had to read carefully what the author’s intention was with a particular card. Sometimes I had to guess as the information given was too concise.
I say this as someone who reads and speaks Japanese, and have lived in Japan for 4 years. That’s how much of a mystery this deck was to me.
Speaking about the author, if it’s not clear enough by now, I did not create this deck.
The author of this particular Tarot deck is a Japanese artist named Yamamoto Naoki ヤマモトナオキ.
He seemed to have self-published this deck, after at least 4 iterations of the deck. He also created different decks like ‘Tarot of the Asgard’ and the oracle version of the Japanese Myth.
Apparently there are counterfeit versions of this deck. I got mine from the Tokyo Tarot Museum, so I’d say that it’s authentic.
My intention in the beginning was simple: to translate the deck's meaning into English because they were not available online.
There have been content creators posting video reviews on Youtube, but no cheat sheet written in English about the deck.
As I work through this, it’s becoming clear that it’s not enough to just translate the meaning as it is.
There are cultural symbols that are not known to non-Japanese speakers and to those who are not familiar with the Japanese mythologies. Or Shintoism in general.
Yamamoto-sensei’s descriptions of the card are based on the fact that: people read Japanese and they are familiar with the symbols and deities being featured.
Bearing this in mind, I expanded the project scope into adding my own notes about the card’s symbolisms while combining it with the translated version of Yamamoto-sensei’s descriptions.
English is chosen as the targeted language, just because that’s the most accessible language globally and the language I’m more comfortable with.
While I strive to include most of the symbols that I recognised and I got intrigued with, this work is far from perfect. I researched and read about each deity, with some did not have many written records available.
Mostly I rely on resources like Encyclopedia of Shinto by Kokugakuin and The Japanese Myths: A Guide to Gods, Heroes and Spirits by Joshua Frydman.
The story of how I find this book is simple but kind of a synchronicity moment. I was on my way to the train station in Leeds, and passed by a local bookstore. There it was, displayed in the entry way as one of the new releases.
The book mentioned pretty much most of the deities from this deck, so it was great for understanding additional context in English.
Also, Claude AI helped with the translations and most of the writings 🙂.
This guide is structured so that beginners and advanced practitioner of Tarot and/or Japanese mythology can use this as well.
(Although I would not recommend complete beginner to start with this deck in learning Tarot due to the cultural nuance of the symbols.)
Even if you’re not a Tarot user, anyone can still enjoy this particular Japanese mythologies through the lens of Tarot framework.
On Author’s Permission
In terms of using the images of the cards, it is important to have something the reader can refer to when reading this guide. At the same time, the author’s permission is equally important.
I have emailed Yamamoto-sensei to ask permission, but did not get any replies.
I paused this project for a few months because I was at a stalemate (2 of Swords portray my situation very well) on whether to show the image or not.
Originally, this was written to be published as a digital pdf. It has since evolved into a Substack. The reason was for SEO. If I published it as a pdf instead, it might be difficult to find.
Also as a Substack article, it won’t be much different from how other Tarot blog/Youtube reviews Tarot decks.
That said, I finally decided to use the photo of each card that I took, so that readers can appreciate the artwork and understand the meaning better.
Think of it like a gallery exhibition.
Plus Yamamoto-sensei wrote this on his FAQ.
English translation:
Q: Is it okay to upload images or videos to SNS or YouTube?
A: There’s no problem with uploading images or videos that you have taken yourself.
If possible, we would appreciate it if you could credit the creator as “Yamamoto Naoki” and include a link to our website: https://yamamoto-naoki.stores.jp.
※ Please refrain from uploading content that may be considered offensive or unpleasant to many people, such as extreme statements or images/videos of products, as this can be very troubling and may result in us requesting deletion.
※ Be sure to research thoroughly about copyright before posting if you're unsure.
※ We cannot respond to any further questions regarding this matter, so thank you for your understanding.
Also, this guide is not for private sale and is meant to educate the public about Japanese mythologies and Tarot.
You can purchase the Japanese Myth Tarot V Kiwami deck from Yamamoto-sensei’s website or Tokyo Tarot Museum if you’re based in Japan.
I am not aware if this deck is sold outside Japan at the time of writing.
Disclaimer
The purpose of this document is to help me understand this particular deck as it was written in Japanese.
Also for others who have the deck so they can appreciate what the author is trying to convey through the illustration.
This is an unofficial project, and I do not make any profits from this guide.
“Decoding the Japanese Myth Tarot Deck” Project
Minor Arcana - The Suit of Pentacles (The Tale of Okuninushi)
Minor Arcana - The Suit of Cups (The Tale of Konohanasakuya)
Minor Arcana - The Suit of Swords (The Tale of Yamato Takeru)
© 2025 Rani Hariga. Decoding Japanese Myth Tarot is an independent translation and interpretation project based on The Japanese Myth Tarot by Yamamoto Naoki.
This work is unofficial and unaffiliated with the original creator.
Text may be shared with proper credit. All rights reserved.