Floating World Tarot creatively reimagines the practice of tarot with beautiful manga illustrations throughout its all-encompassing guidebook and 78-card deck.
Embrace the spirit of a beloved Japanese art form through a beautifully designed 78-card deck and guidebook inspired by traditional manga artwork.
Ukiyo (which can be translated to floating/fleeting/transient world) is the Japanese term used to describe the urban lifestyle and culture, especially the pleasure-seeking aspects, of the Edo period (1600–1867) in Japan. Floating World Tarot creatively reimagines the ukiyo lifestyle through the lens of manga art and pairs it with the ancient art of tarot to create an all-inclusive kit that gives you everything you need to master this powerful divination tool.
- 78 tarot cards encompassing both Major and Minor Arcana, each illustrated in a unique and gorgeous manga style
- An 80-page illustrated guidebook with detailed explanations, guiding keywords, and reversed meanings of each card
With this deck and book, gather the knowledge and master the ability to analyze the symbolism that comes with each archetype. Then apply that wisdom to your everyday life.
Create a life you love, while exploring the immersive world of manga art with Floating World Tarot.
Floating World Tarot is available now. You can see the unboxing and flickthrough videos on Tiktok.
I've read some of Quarto's books about tarot, and enjoyed them very much, but this is the first deck of theirs I've tried. I hope it won't be the last; this is a lovely, well thought out deck and I would love to see their takes on other subjects.
The idea behind this deck is best summed up in a quote from the guidebook; "Because they fall we love them - the cherry blossoms. In this floating world, does anything endure?" Enjoyment of something that isn't going to last adds a certain flavor, and this deck uses that to its advantage.
The box is about the size of a hardback book. It opens from the right; the LWB is about the same size and the cards sit in a well. The inside of the box is decorated with pictures and symbols from the deck and the admonition to Never Stop Asking Questions.
The LWB starts by explaining the philosophy of the deck, far better than I've managed here. It gives some tips for getting to know and connecting with your deck, some advice on reversed cards and conducting readings, and some ideas for a tarot journal. Then we're into the spreads, some classics and some designed for this deck:
- Yes/No, two cards
- Haiku, three cards
- Bushido, five cards
- Geisha, six cards
- Comic Book, nine cards
- Floating World, ten cards (a renamed Celtic Cross)
We are now into the card meanings. Each Major card gets a page, but spread over two pages; one page has two card images on, the facing pages has meanings for both. The meanings have keywords, a long upright meaning including a description of how the illustration fits, and a shorter reversed meaning. The Minor suits have a brief description of the Suit, then each card gets half a page with the keywords, upright and reversed meanings. Many of the descriptions feature aspects of Japanese mythology which I found fascinating, and I have a list of things to do more research on!
Now, the cards! They feature this reversible back:
Major cards have their number at the top of the card, in Roman, and their name at the base. There is a frame around the image but it doesn't constrain it, the background images continue past it. Justice is at #11.
The Minor suits don't have a color theme as some decks do, with all suits showing all color backgrounds, but their names are printed on specific color bands. They have their name printed across the bottom of the card. The images are RWS based, with a cartoony, manga art style.
This would be a good beginner's deck, as it's RWS based and the meanings in the book are clear and simple. The illustrations are friendly, too, with even some of the 'scarier' cards of the deck being more friendly and gentle in this version.
My querants found the art a little disjointed at first, but as we worked with it that eased, so if you don't connect with these at once give them a little while. They found the readings accurate with no deep hidden meanings; this is a great deck for a daily card or quick check in on a particular issue. Definitely one I'm going to enjoy having in my arsenal!
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