How to Play Sakura

Game Objective

In Sakura, spring has arrived and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The Emperor is ready for his annual stroll, and your goal as a painter is to capture the perfect image of the occasion. To do this, you need to be as close as possible to the Emperor when he stops at the sakuras, but without bumping into him, which would be a great faux pas!

By positioning yourself well, you earn ichas, which are signs of recognition from the Emperor. The player with the most ichas at the end of the game will be the winner.

Setup

1. Place the game board with the Emperor's Garden in the center of the table.
2. Place the Emperor on the torii space (A).
3. Each player chooses a painter and five corresponding ichas.
4. Place the painters on the entrance gate (D).
5. Place the remaining ichas near the board.
6. Shuffle the cards and form a face-down pile.
7. Deal five cards to each player, which will be their starting hand.

For two-player games, consult the manual for details on this section.

Gameplay Flow

The game progresses in rounds. In each round, players secretly choose a card from their hand and reveal it simultaneously. The cards are resolved following the order of their numbering, from smallest to largest, until all cards are resolved.

After each card is resolved, it is discarded into a discard pile, and each player draws a new card from the pile. If the card pile runs out, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new pile.

Painters cannot share the same space in the garden, nor can they overtake the Emperor. If a painter moves to the space with (or past) the Emperor, they "fall from grace," immediately stop their movement, lose one of their ichas (if possible), and move back three empty spaces.

If the Emperor moves backward and reaches a space occupied by a painter, that painter is also disgraced, having to move back three empty spaces and lose an icha, if possible.

When a piece moves forward, it moves away from the gate and towards the shrine. When a piece moves backward, it moves back towards the gate. If a painter moves backward beyond the gate, they are placed on the gate. If this happens to the Emperor, he remains on the last space in front of the gate.

Actions and How to Play

Each card played has two actions that are always performed in the following order: first the garden action, then the painter action. The Emperor and painters must always move exactly the number of spaces indicated by the card, unless a painter reaches the Emperor's space or the Emperor reaches a cherry tree for the first time.

Garden Actions

• Move the Emperor 1 or 2 spaces forward.
• Move the Emperor 1 space backward.
• Choose whether the Emperor moves 1 space forward or backward.
• Move the painter closest to the Emperor two spaces backward.
• Move the painter furthest from the Emperor two spaces forward.

Painter Actions

• Move your painter 1, 2, or 3 spaces forward.
• Choose whether your painter moves 1, 2, or 3 spaces forward or backward.
• Place your painter on the first empty space in front of the next painter ahead of you. This action may cause you to bump into the Emperor. If your painter is closest to the Emperor, they do not move.
• Count the number of painters between you and the Emperor and then move one space for each. If your painter is closest to the Emperor, they do not move.

The bridges (C) count as a single space in two, three, or four-player games. In five or six-player games, each bridge counts as three spaces.

The entrance gate (D) is the only space where multiple painters can share the same space. Painters together at the gate are neither ahead nor behind each other, which affects some actions (e.g., if everyone is at the gate, no one is closest or furthest from the Emperor).

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately after the scoring of the last sakura space.

When the Emperor moves to a specific sakura space for the first time in the game, he stops immediately. The painter action of the current card is performed, and then all other cards played in this round (resolved or not) are discarded.

Players receive ichas from the supply according to their proximity to the Emperor:

• The closest player gains 3 ichas (or 4 for the last sakura space).
• The second closest gains 2 ichas.
• The third closest gains 1 icha.
• If playing with five or six players, the fourth player also gains 1 icha.

After scoring, the second player moves their painter to the space directly behind the first painter, the third player moves their piece directly behind them, and so on.

Finally, each player completes their hand to 5 cards and the game continues normally.

Each sakura space will only score once per game, even if the Emperor lands on it multiple times. After it has been scored, the Emperor can pass through the space normally.

The player with the most ichas wins. In case of a tie, the tied player closest to the Emperor wins.

Tips for Winning

• Be careful not to move too fast, as the Emperor often slows down to study the landscape, or even goes back a bit!
• Pushing other painters is good, but bumping into the Emperor is a great faux pas and results in losing ichas and moving backward.