History of Mahjong

Legends

• There are many legends of the origin of mahjong. One tale tells of the game's creation by Confucius. A second claims the game was intended only for royalty and that commoners caught playing would be decapitated. However, proof of an ancient origin of the game has never been found.

Beginnings

• The earliest evidence of the game is a tile dating from approximately 1880. In the beginning the game was played exclusively in China.

Forerunners

• Possible forerunners of the game were Ya-Pei and Dominoes. Ya-Pei is a card game that has been played since the 10th century. Dominoes, a fellow tile game, has been recorded since the 12th century.

First Contact and Transport

• The first mention of the game by a Westerner appeared in a history of the area written by an American in Taiwan at the beginning of the 20th century. In a few short years, with the aid of Westerners traveling in Asia, the game had moved to Japan where the first clubs for the game opened in 1907.

America's Game

• In the 1920s the game grew popular in America. By 1935, Joseph P. Babcock rewrote and published a new, simpler version of the game that became the American standard version.

Tiles

• In the beginning, most stets of tiles were made from bone or ivory. Modern sets are made predominantly of wood, plastic, ceramic or even pressed paper.