Heavenly hand 天和 · tenhou
Short answer: Tenhou is a yakuman in which the dealer's starting fourteen tiles already form a complete hand, declared as tsumo before the first discard for 48,000 points.
The dealer's starting fourteen tiles are already a complete hand.
| Value | Yakuman (closed hands only) |
|---|---|
| How often | very rare |
There is nothing to build and nothing to decide: either the wall deals the dealer a finished hand or it does not. Any complete shape qualifies — four sets and a pair, seven pairs, or the thirteen orphans pattern — and the win is declared as a self-draw before the first discard. What you can control is the habit: sort your opening hand properly every deal, because the one time it matters, you want to notice.
The near-misses are where the practical value lies. A dealer hand that arrives one tile short of complete is a tenpai テンパイ start, which means an immediate double riichi on your first discard. And keep the family straight: tenhou is the dealer's version, chiihou is the same event for a non-dealer completing on the first draw, and renhou, a first-go-around ron, varies in value and status from one ruleset to another.
Key points
- Dealer only, before any discard or call
- Pure luck — roughly one in several hundred thousand deals
- The non-dealer equivalent is chiihou
Worked example
The dealer takes fourteen tiles at the deal, one more than everyone else. If they already form four sets and a pair — as here — or seven pairs, or thirteen orphans, the dealer declares tsumo on the spot instead of discarding. No wait, no draw, no decision.
It scores as a dealer yakuman: 48,000 points, paid 16,000 by each of the three other players. The odds are commonly put at roughly one deal in several hundred thousand, so the practical lesson is simply to sort your opening tiles carefully every time.
Common mistakes
- Calling one-short-of-complete tenhou. Fourteen tiles that are tenpai but not complete are a start for double riichi, not a yakuman.
- Mixing up the family. Tenhou is the dealer's; chiihou is the non-dealer's on the first draw; renhou (a first-go-around ron) varies in value and status by ruleset.
- Discarding before checking. The declaration has to come before your first discard; once a tile hits the river, the chance is gone.
Related yaku
- Earthly hand 地和 — A non-dealer completes their hand on their very first draw, before any call.
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