The Story of January Songhak – Pine and Crane, the First Bright of the New Year
On the first month of the new year, when you see the January card that comes out first from the box of Hwatu cards, you may think, “Why is it so black?” The pine tree in the picture is full of jet-black needles. Today let’s talk about this black pine and the white crane.
January Bright (crane and red sun)
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January Red Ribbon (red ribbon)
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Why Is the Pine Tree the Face of January?
The pine tree is an evergreen that does not lose its leaves even in winter. So since long ago it has been loved as a tree that stands for an unchanging heart and a long life. The pine appearing at the start of the new year can be seen as a kind wish, like “May you stay green and healthy for many years this year, too.”
The crane is the same. The crane was regarded as a bird that lives long and brings good things. A pine and a crane together in one picture is easy to understand as “a picture wishing for long life.”
Hidden Picture Hunt: What Is in the January Bright?
Take a good look at the Bright card on the left above. How many things can you see?
- A white crane stands with its neck stretched out long.
- On one side at the top, a round, red sun is rising.
- Below, between the black pine needles , yellow tips like new shoots poke up here and there.
- In the corner, inside a red circle, the character 光 — the mark that tells you it is a Bright card.
With the red sun and the crane side by side in the picture, it really looks like a scene on New Year’s morning, doesn’t it? The red sun brings a sunrise to mind. Still, how the picture is read can differ a little from person to person.
Three Pine Cards and One Ribbon
Lay out the four January cards and this is what you get: one Bright, one Red Ribbon, and two Junk cards showing only the pine. Because the picture is simple, the Junk cards with only the pine can be confusing: “What card was this again?” At those times, remember black pine needles + golden new shoots and you will know it is January.
January Junk
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January Junk
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What Do the January Cards Do in the Game?
In HealingMatgo, the January cards play these roles.
- Bright: The January Bright is one of the five Brights. The 5 Brights are in January, March, August, November and December. With 3 Brights you get 3 pts (2 pts if the Rain Bright is among them), 4 Brights give 4 pts, and 5 Brights give 20 pts.
- Red Ribbons: Collecting all three red ribbons of January, February and March adds 3 pts.
- Junk: When collected, it is counted as Junk points. Points start from a Junk total of 10.
So if you captured the January Bright, it is worth aiming for both collecting Brights and collecting Red Ribbons. If you wonder about score counting, read it together with The Story of March Cherry Blossoms, and for the detailed calculation, see the scoring article (Scoring Summary).
A Little Anecdote: The New Year’s First-Round Jinx
They say some people in the old sarangbang (the men’s sitting room) used to say, “If you hold the January Bright first at the start of the year, you’ll have good luck all year.” Of course, that is just said for fun. But what if your first cards happen to be two Junk? Laughing it off with “The pine is being humble!” is the secret to enjoying the game for a long time. Because, more than winning or losing, sitting together and laughing comes first.
