Mushi-ken: frog, snake and slug
Mushi-ken (虫拳) is one of the oldest Japanese hand games and an ancestor of janken. Instead of rock, paper and scissors it has three animals: the frog eats the slug, the snake eats the frog, and the slug's slime melts the snake.
How to play Mushi-ken
- Both players show an animal at the same time.
- The frog (thumb) eats the slug.
- The snake (index finger) eats the frog.
- The slug (little finger) melts the snake.
- Same animals are a tie: show again.
Where Mushi-ken comes from
Hand games like it came to Japan from China and were popular by the Edo period. Mushi-ken's circle of three, in which every hand beats one and loses to one, is the idea janken was later built on.
Playing Mushi-ken on Janken
Mushi-ken plays exactly like janken with the animals in place of the hands, so everything you know about rock paper scissors still works. Play it against a bot or online, to the best of 1, 3 or 5. Mushi-ken games are casual.
Questions
Who beats whom in Mushi-ken?
The frog beats the slug, the snake beats the frog, and the slug beats the snake.
Is Mushi-ken older than janken?
Yes. It's one of the older games that janken grew out of.
What does "mushi" mean?
Mushi means bug or small creature in Japanese; the old word covered frogs, snakes and slugs too.