Do deer represent autumn in Japan?[Chapter2]

Japanese people somehow recall cherry blossoms in spring and hydrangeas in early summer. This is because the flower blooms in that season. Maple leaves as MOMIJI, when green, represent summer, and when red, autumn.
It is easy to understand.
Then, what about deer? 

There are deer even if it is not autumn, right?
The owner of the tea ceremony “TEISHU” and her guests discussed the answer to this question. The purpose of a tea ceremony is not only to drink tea, but also to chat about such and such.
This is one of a pleasure of tea ceremony.

“TEISHU“ said it came from Hanafuda (Japanese playing cards). There were many games of "hanafuda" at the children's center where I often went when I was a child, but I had no experience playing hanafuda and did not understand the design of it. I heard that a deer and a red MOMIJI leaf were drawn together on the cards. I have certainly seen that pattern before.

HANAFUDA

Hanafuda (花札, "flower cards")[1][2] are a style of Japanese playing cards. They are typically smaller than Western playing cards, only 2+1⁄8 by 1+1⁄4 inches (5.4 by 3.2 cm), but thicker and stiffer.[3] On the face of each card is a depiction of plants, tanzaku (短冊), animals, birds, or man-made objects.[4][5] One single card depicts a human. The back side is usually plain, without a pattern or design of any kind. Hanafuda are used to play a variety of games like Koi-Koi and Hachi-Hachi.                                        Wikipedia

There is a “DEER & MOMIJI” card in the upper side.                           Wikipedia

One of the guests agreed. We talked about how MOMIJI leaves and deer in autumn must be inseparable because Hanafuda cards have been familiar to Japanese people for a long time. However, I wondered if the autumn leaves and deer depicted on Hanafuda were drawn as a set because the rule of "deer + red MOMIJI leaves = autumn" had already penetrated the world before that. Isn't there "before hanafuda"? 

Then another customer said that the deer representing autumn must have come from a famous waka poem in the “KOKIN WAKASHU”.

The Kokin Wakashu

The Kokin Wakashū (古今和歌集, "Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times"), commonly abbreviated as Kokinshū (古今集), is an early anthology of the waka form of Japanese poetry, dating from the Heian period. An imperial anthology, it was conceived by Emperor Uda (r. 887–897) and published by order of his son Emperor Daigo (r. 897–930) in about 905. Its finished form dates to c. 920, though according to several historical accounts the last poem was added to the collection in 914.                                                  Wikipedia

Section of the earliest extant complete manuscript of the Kokinshū (Gen'ei edition, National Treasure); early twelfth century; at the Tokyo National Museum　

奥山にもみじふみわけ鳴く鹿の声きくときぞ秋は悲しき

Autumn is sorrowful when you hear the voice of a deer

It is written that the reader of this tanka poem is unknown. However, since a male deer calls for a female deer in autumn (or so it is said), it was personified and has lived in the hearts of Japanese people since ancient times as a very beautiful poem expressing human love in the sad autumn season.

While enjoying this chat, we were treated to the hospitality of the TEISHU. We were served delicious koicha (thick tea) prepared by “KAKUFUKU-DATE” , “HIGASHI” sweets and “USU-CHA”(thin tea), and admired the wonderful utensils. We had a relaxing and stimulating time, different from our usual practice.

mica♡matcha