Japanese Mahjong Japanese Mahjong Japanese Mahjong (Japanese: 麻雀, 麻将 or マージャン; "mājan"), also known as Rīchi Mahjong, is a variation of mahjong. While the basic rules to the game are retained, the variation features a unique set of rules such as "rīchi" and the use of "dora". The main mahjong article contains general terms, but only English and Japanese terms are used here. Terms like "chow," "pung," and "kong" are not used in this variation, yet their functions are still used. Instead, they are referred to in Japanese as "chī", "pon", and "kan". In 1924, a soldier named Saburo Hirayama brought the
Gin Chow Gin Chow Gin Chow (1857 – June 1933) was a Chinese immigrant who gained fame in California as a prophet and fortune teller able to predict the weather and other natural events. Chow is credited with successfully predicting the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake. Chow was also the main plaintiff in the California Supreme Court case "Gin Chow v. City of Santa Barbara" which still ranks as one of the most important water rights cases in the state. Born in Guangzhou as the son of teachers, Chow immigrated to California at the age of 16 in 1873 arriving in San Francisco