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Gambling has a long history in Japan. From their earliest mentions in legal codes during the Asuka period (538-710), through to the Meiji period (1868-1912), igo 囲碁, sugoroku 双六 and chōhan 丁半 have all enjoyed the patronage of Japanese emperors, aristocrats, warriors and monks. This thesis explores these gambling games through primary sources. Setsuwa説話, collections of didactic and secular stories, were popular in medieval Japan and can be mined for factual history when analyzed critically along with secondary sources. Through an analysis of tales in Kokon chomonjū (古今著聞集 “A Collection of Notable Tales Old and New”), Konjaku Monogatarishū (今昔物語 “Anthology of Tales from the Past”) and Uji shūi monogatari (宇治拾遺物語 “Gleanings from Uji Dainagon Monogatari”) this thesis proposes that gambling was an important form of leisure (asobi 遊び) in classical Japan. It was also a way to win sumptuous wagers, to the extent that gambling games were repeatedly proscribed by the military government during the Kamakura period (1185-1333)., Chapter I: Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 Methodology, Definitions and Sources ................................................................. 7 Chapter 2: The Emperor’s Game of Go: Gambling and the Aristocracy ............... 10 Raising The Stakes .............................................................................................. 14 House Wins ― The Formalization of Go ............................................................. 21 Chapter 3: Roll the Dice: Sugoroku, Chōhan and Gambling Gangs ..................... 28 Feelin’ Lucky? ― The Gambler in Heian Japan................................................... 39 Quit While You’re Ahead ― Proscriptions, Warnings and Gambling Gangs...... 44 Chapter 4: Fortune Favors the Brave: Wagering and Gamblers in Everyday Life 50Conclusion: When the Chips Are Down ................................................................ 59Bibliography ........................................................................................................ 64, 指導教員 : Professor Karl Friday