Eight-spoked waterwheel playing cards

Yatsu-suisha (eight-spoked waterwheel crest) is also known as Hishaku-guruma (ladle wheel) crest. It is a crest that depicts a waterwheel. A waterwheel is a device that is turned by the power of water, and there are two types: one with boards attached to the spokes and one with ladles attached to the circumference. The crest is said to be based on the latter type, with ladles attached. However, in later generations, the ladles were mistakenly thought to resemble hammers, and the crest came to be called 'hammer wheel.' Some crest books even describe it as being intentionally designed to resemble a hammer. However, it is clear that it is not a depiction of a hammer, as it is described as 'waterwheel with eight ladles' in the 'Kansei-chōshū-shoka-fu' (a historical record). (From 'Nihon Monshōgaku' by Numata Ryōsuke). The name is based on 'Maruwakari Nihon no Kamon' by Niwa Mototsugu.