Correction, here is how the game is played:
http://www.lizadalby.com/LD/TofM_shells.htmlThe way the game works is like this: The shells are separated into two piles, the ji-gai ("set shells") and dashi-gai ("played shells.") The ji-gai are arranged, face down, in a pattern of concentric circles; the dashi-gai, also face down, are put in rows, piled three or four shells deep. A player chooses one dashi-gai and moves it, face down, to the center of the circle of ji-gai. She then peruses all the ji-gai, looking for a match. Deciding on one shell, she picks up her original dashi-gai in her left hand and places it face up in her right hand with the shell hinge closest to her body.
She then picks up the ji-gai she has chosen and, without looking, slips it (face down) over the top of the shell she is holding. If it is in fact a match, it will click into place in the natural grooves of the shell, and the player will know by feel if it fits. If it does not fit, she returns the ji-gai to its place on the floor. If it does fit, she triumphantly shows the match to all the other players and claims the shells for her pile. In this case, everyone can immediately see by the matching paintings that she has in fact found a pair.
At first glance, the natural variations of stripes and colors on clamshells look pretty much alike, but when you look closely, there are minute and subtle variations. This is what the eye must attune itself to. Of all the shells, there is one, and only one, which will fit the grooves of its mate. It is easy to see how symbolism from the matching of shells became incorporated into felicitous wedding gifts.
