Pokémon Karuta Kanto, New Year cover

A Showa Note Kanto-era printing this archive did not publish, reconstructed complete from one opened set. The box front carries a New Year scene, Charizard and Snorlax around a kotatsu with a kagami-mochi and kadomatsu, over the games みんなであそぼう / かるた / カードあわせ / もぐらゲーム.

Each yellow-bordered reading card prints its species name in katakana furigana, so the card names itself. Four positions are people, not gaps: あ is Ash, い is Brock, え is Misty and む is Team Rocket.

All 45 identities come from one opened set, 44 of them from their own reading card. Without a box photo, which of up to five printings this is stays unresolved, and it is not the original Kanto page's printing.

The ま reading card was missing from the set, so that position rests on its picture card alone. A clearer card photo joins the existing row with your contributor credit.