The game board is in the shape of a coiled snake, whose body is divided up into rectangular segments, and teams of up to six players race from the tail to the head and back again, with additional lion-shaped gaming pieces.

Named after the Egyptian snake god, Mehen was played from around 3000 BC until 2300 BC. Egypt, Early Dynastic period (around 2925–2575 BC). PachisiĪ pale-yellow limestone circular game for mehen. Print the game out and play it for yourself to see if you can spot them all – you'll just need dice and some counters to get started. Each player starts at the 'merchant' square, in the bottom right-hand corner, and the goal is to reach the largest square in the centre - 'daimyo lord's first arrow shooting of the year', with a picture of a samurai drawing his bow in the presence of high-ranking courtiers.Įach square is illustrated with a different occupation, including fishmongers, pharmacists, plasterers, priests, doctors and scholars. It can be played by two or more people, who advance their pieces according to dice rolls around a clockwise spiral. It is similar in style to western snakes and ladders, and this 18th-century example uses the hierarchical status system, from merchant to artisan, farmer and warrior in ascending order. Woodblock print, Japan, 18th century.įirst brought to Japan from China in the 8th century, sugoroku was originally a complex game played by two people with a pair of dice and fifteen counters each, popular among the Japanese elite.Īffordable woodblock-printed sugoroku sheets were developed in the Edo period (1615–1868), meaning this form of the game – e-sugoroku – meaning 'picture sugoroku', could be played widely. New Board Game of the Four Ranks (Shi-nō-kō-shō shin sugoroku.

Table game with dice