1. An Ancient Greek Dictionary From the 2nd Century Describes a Hide-and-Seek-Like Game
Around the 2nd century, a scholar named Pollux (whose Greek name was Polydeuces) included the names of children’s games in his dictionary, the Onomasticon. One entry is "Apodydraskinda," which is explained in classical Greek dictionaries as "a game where everyone runs except one" (found in Book 9, section 117 of the dictionary) [1].
Pollux also listed other games that seem related to hide-and-seek, such as "Myinda" and "Chalke Myia." However, the dictionary mostly lists the names, so the detailed rules are not clear [2].
The way to play is sometimes explained as: "One child closes their eyes, the other children run and hide. If a hidden child runs back to the starting point, they become the next 'it'." Here we treat this only as something that "is sometimes said," because secondary explanations do not let us confirm whether it matches Pollux’s own wording [3].
So, does this dictionary entry show that hide-and-seek was born about 1,800 years ago, or did it simply write down a game that already existed?
2. Why the Age of a Written Record Is Not the Same as the Age of the Game
It is important to distinguish between "an old written record" and "when the game was actually born." The English Wikipedia describes hide-and-seek as a very old game played all over the world under different names, and it lists Pollux’s Greek description as one of the old documents [4].
There is also visual evidence. A mural in Herculaneum, an ancient town buried by a volcanic eruption, shows a picture thought to depict a hide-and-seek-like game. However, pictures do not teach the rules, so researchers disagree on which of Pollux’s games it corresponds to [2].
Therefore, we can only say that "Pollux’s dictionary (around the 2nd century) is one of the oldest documents we can verify today." The game itself may have existed much earlier. So, what about Japan? What name does hide-and-seek appear under in old Japanese documents?
3. How an Edo-Period Book Describes the Game of Hiding
The Morisada Manko, written near the end of the Edo period, describes hide-and-seek as follows: one child covers their eyes with their sleeve, while other children hide in various places during that time, and the child who covered their eyes searches for them. [5] From this description alone, we cannot say that the game in the Edo period had exactly the same form as today.
When compared with the Greek description, what they share is the basic outline: one person closes their eyes, and the others hide in the meantime (in Edo Japan, the sleeve covered the eyes). The difference is that the Greek description says a hidden child runs back to the starting point to become the next "it," but this detail does not appear in the Edo description. However, it is not settled whether that Greek rule comes from Pollux’s own text [3].
So, what was this game called, and where did the name "kakurenbo" come from?
4. Did the Japanese Name "Kakurenbo" Change From Older Names Like "Kakureko"?
Japanese dictionaries state that this game was formerly called "kakure-asobi" (hiding play) or "kakure-oni" (hiding demon), and in more recent times, "kakurenbo" has become the standard name nationwide [5].
Regarding the origin of the word "kakurenbo," the Edo-period writer Santo Kyoden wrote in his Kottoshu (1814–1815) that "kakurenbo is a changed form of 'kakureko'." According to the same dictionary explanation, "kakure-asobi" is the older name [5].
This is Kyoden’s theory, and other theories may exist. Meanwhile, an 18th-century dialect dictionary shows well that the same game was called by different names in different places.
5. Regional Names for Hide-and-Seek Listed in a 1775 Japanese Dialect Dictionary
According to the cited article, the 1775 dialect dictionary Butsurui Shoko lists regional names for hide-and-seek. In Izumo, it was called "kakurengo"; in Sagami, "kakurekanchou"; in Kamakura, "kakurenbo"; and in Sendai, "kakurekajika" [6].
Even though it is the same game, it was called with quite different sounds depending on the region, such as "kakurengo" and "kakurekajika." Interestingly, the name "kakurenbo" already appears as the name in Kamakura in a book published about 40 years before Kyoden’s Kottoshu.
The reason for these regional differences is not clear from the available materials. What was this game called in your town, or in the place where your family grew up?
6. Try It Yourself: Collect the Names Your Family Used for Hide-and-Seek
Ask your family members or grandparents what they called hide-and-seek when they were children, and write it in a notebook along with the place where they lived. Comparing these with the names in Butsurui Shoko helps you see the differences in names by region.
Compare your own way of playing hide-and-seek with the Greek description (returning to the start to become "it") and the Edo description (covering eyes). What are the same and different parts in your current rules?
Reading the "Kakurenbo" entry on Kotobank allows you to see the change from "kakure-asobi" to "kakurenbo" and Kyoden’s theory with original quotes [5].
Even if you cannot find the answer to "when" the game started, you can start collecting the names used around you today.
Safety Note: When playing outside, do not hide in dangerous places like roads with traffic or off-limits areas. Play with an adult.