Chapter 3: Learning Go

Unlike shogi and chess in which each piece moves differently, Go stones can be placed anywhere on the board so that anyone can play it casually (You can see an introduction of the tools and the rules of Go on the Nihon Ki-in website “How to play Go.” ). However, many books have been published to help people who want to improve their skills, including handbooks, instruction books, kifu collections, and collections of Go problems. The National Diet Library has a variety of Japanese and foreign books on Go. We would like to introduce some of these books, so please study Go by reading these books.

Great books on Go

The oldest existing guide on Go in the world is said to be Boyuseiraku-shu (『忘憂清楽集』, Collection of Pure Pleasure for Forgetting Worries) (Chinese [KD949-C2], Japanese translation [KD949-H44]) in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). It was named after the phrase “忘憂清楽在枰棊” (The pure pleasure for forgetting one's worries is Go) from one of the poems written by Emperor Kiso (徽宗) in this book. The second oldest guide on Go, Gengen Gokyo (『玄玄碁経』) is said to have been compiled in 1349 during the Yuan Dynasty in China (The original books are in the possession of the National Archives of Japan. It consists of the preface which tells the philosophy of Go, joseki (set sequences) and tsumego (Go problems). The Gengen Gokyo was frequently translated and published in Japan, with repeated changes. The collection in the NDL includes Gengen Gokyo Rigensho (『玄玄棊経俚諺抄』, Collection of famous sayings from Gengen Gokyo) vol.3 [106-110] in 1753, and Gengen Gokyo [249-118] in 1913, which was revised based on the opinions of Go players such as KARIGANE Junichi and SEKI Genkichi (関源吉) (1856-1925).

It is said that the oldest instruction manual of Go in Japan was Goshiki, which Emperor Daigo ordered Kanren (see Chapter 1) to present to him, but there is no existing manuscript. It is said that some parts of Goshiki were reprinted in Igo Kuden (『囲碁口傳』, Go instruction) which is included in Gunsho Ruiju (『群書類従』, Collections of old Japanese classics) [81.5-G95-Hk] (『綜合囲碁講座 別巻』, Comprehensive Go Course, separate volume [795-So626]). Igo Kuden was compiled by the Buddhist monk Genson (玄尊, year of birth and death unknown) in 1199. It describes tips for the game and words that express the essence of Go which have been handed down. For example, it is written that when you play a game without handicaps, you should look around in all directions and find mistakes carefully, and when you play a game with handicaps, you should scatter stones around on the board and use them later. These tips can be seen in today’s Go books, too.
Genson's Igoshiki, which is included in Gunsho Ruiju, too, describes in detail the preparations for a special Go meeting, such as laying tatami mats in a calm place and placing a fine board and stones. This book also tells how to prepare yourself for a game, such as getting a good night's sleep the night before playing against a strong opponent, abstaining from alcohol, and avoiding eating deer meat. In addition, it has poignant advice such as not blaming your age for an unlikely defeat.

GO

In the Meiji period, some foreigners who came to Japan became interested in Go. One of them, German chemist Oscar Korschelt (1853 -1940), became familiar with the game of Go under HON’INBO Shuho (see Chapter 2) and wrote an article on the rules of Go in 1880 in the journal of the German Society for Natural and Ethnological Studies in East Asia, Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Natur und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (Website of the German Society for Natural and Ethnological Studies in East Asia (German) ) (The articles at that time are summarized in Das “Go”-Spiel [KD949-24].). This article was referenced in Western countries.
In 1908, The game of Go, the national game of Japan [Ba-239] was published in the United States, adding some extra information based on this book.

This book explains in detail the rules, specific strategies, and joseki (set sequences) with illustrations. This is the first English book that introduces Japanese Go.
The preface includes the maxim “Go uchi wa oya no shini me ni mo awanu (碁打ちは親の死に目にもあわぬ, a man playing the game would not leave off even to be present at the deathbed of a parent).” The book also compares Go with chess, a familiar game in the United States, to discuss the appeal of Go. For example, in chess, the game revolves around the king, and capturing or losing the king leads directly to victory or defeat in the game, but in Go, battles are fought in various places on the board, and the overall situation determines the game. In addition, the book mentions that the unique charm of Go is the ko (劫) that can change the outcome of a game in an instant, and an advantage that chess does not have is that you can easily and appropriately set your handicap by placing black stones first.
The author Arthur Smith (1870-1929) said he learned how to play Go from a Japanese friend, NAKAMURA Mokichi, who lived in the United States. To improve their Go skills, he suggests that readers of this book find a Japanese friend and ask them to provide documents related to the game of Go.
In addition, an article by Korschelt was published in the United Kingdom in 1965 as an English translation from German, The theory and practice of Go [794.2-K84t].

Kifu of famous games

Kifu are records of games of Go. The oldest extant kifu in Japan is said to have been created in 1253 when Nichiren (日蓮, 1222-1282) and his disciple Kichijomaru (吉祥丸) (also called Nichiro (日郎), 1245-1320) played against each other. It was published in 1829 in The Koki (『古棋』). The Koki also includes the kifu of the match between TAKEDA Shingen (武田信玄, 1521-1573) and KOSAKA Danjo (高坂弾正, 1527-1578). Both of them are suspected to be forgeries.
The following records are included in the kifu available in the NDL.

The kifu from the time of the Honnoji Incident?

This is a kifu of a match played in the presence of ODA Nobunaga (織田信長, 1534-1582) on June 1, 1582, the night before the Honnoji Incident. The game of Go, the national game of Japan mentioned the ko (劫) which is unique to Go, but it is said that three cases of ko appeared simultaneously in a match on the night before the Honnoji Incident. Since then, triple ko was considered an evil omen.
However, it is unlikely that triple ko appears in this kifu, and it is said that this may be a fake or a different kifu played on the same night (Igo no Bunkashi (『囲碁の文化史』, The Culture Magazine of Go) [KD949-G321] written by MIZUGUCHI Fujio, Rankadokiwa 1 (爛柯堂棋話 1) [KD949-57] written by Hayashi Genbi). In Gokyo Renju (『碁経連珠』) [795-H365g3] by Hayashi Genbi, the names of the players were written as HON’INBO Sansa the 1st (本因坊算砂, 1558-1623) and KASHIO Rigen (鹿塩利賢), and in Rankadokiwa by Hayashi Genbi, the names of the players were written as Hon’inbo and Rigenbo.

Kifu by TOKUGAWA Iemitsu

The November 8, 1883 issue of the Yubin Hochi Shimbun (郵便報知新聞) has a kifu of a game by Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, 1604-1651). It says “As Masamune was a warlord who was entrusted the will of the founder of Tokugawa and the order to fill a vacancy in the governing province, he looked at the shogun as if he were a descendant,” which means the name of the opponent was DATE Masamune (伊達政宗, 1567-1636). It says Iemitsu won the game in September 1629.

Kifu of TOKUGAWA Yoshinobu

It is said that after Taisei Hokan (transfer of power back to the emperor from the shogunate), Tokugawa Yoshinobu (徳川慶喜, 1837-1913) spent the rest of his life enjoying various hobbies such as cycling, photography, and Noh songs. And one of his hobbies was Go. There is a kifu by Yoshinobu. The opponent is a Go player, TAKASAKI Taisaku (高崎泰策, 1839-1907).

The kifu of the main character of Tenchi Meisatsu (『天地明察』, The Samurai Astronomer) (HON’INBO Dosaku vs. SHIBUKAWA Shunkai (渋川春海))

This is a kifu of a game by Shibukawa Shunkai (YASUI Santetsu (保井算晢), 1639-1715), the main character of the novel Tenchi Meisatsu [KH644-J52]. It was held in Edo Castle on October 17, 1670.
In the long history of Go, the first move had gradually become closer to the corner star point (The thick black dot in the upper left on the board), but in this match, Shibukawa played the first move at the center point. This center is called the “Tengen” (天元, Origin of Heaven) Shunkai was well versed in astronomy, as he is known for creating the Jokyo calendar (a Japanese lunisolar calendar). This hand was devised based on astronomy. However, he lost by 9 points in this match and never tried it again ([795-So626] (『綜合囲碁講座 別巻』, Comprehensive Go Course separate volume)).

Kifu of Shusaku Shiro no Meikyoku (『秀策白の名局』, The best game of White Shusaku)

According to the kifu (1861) of HON’INBO Shusaku (1829-1862) and MURASE Shuho (see Chapter 2) from September 3, 1861, “They fought all through the night, and the game ended the next morning.” Although Shusaku, who had white stones, was defeated by one point, Shuho wrote, “The white stones of this game have been elaborated since the opening, and no negligent move can be found,” and this match came to be called Shusaku Shiro no Meikyoku. The last match between Shusaku and Shuho was held on November 7 in 1861, and Shusaku died suddenly of cholera the following year.
Shuho, along with SAKAMOTO Ryoma (坂本龍馬), OKUBO Toshimichi (大久保利通), and KITASATO Shibasaburo (北里柴三郎), is mentioned as an extraordinary person in Ichinen Yuhan (『一年有半』, One and a half year left) [91-117], which is said to be the will of Nakae Chomin, saying “I made a careful selection of 31 distinguished people in the modern age.”

Kifu handed down in the Hon’inbo school

According to the postscript written by Genjo (元丈, 1775-1832), the 11th master of Hon’inbo, Kogo Suki (古碁枢機, lit. Essential Part of Old Time Go) is a record of the kifu handed down to the Hon’inbo school from Sansa the 1st. The document contains kifu of all ages from the late 16th century to the middle of the 18th century, such as kifu by Hayashi Rigen (林利玄, 1565-?) and NAKAMURA Doseki (中村道碩, 1582-1630), contemporaries of Hon’inbo Sansa the 1st. It was originally published in 1822, and this is a reprinted edition from the Meiji period.

ISHIGAYA Kosaku also published Shusaku Kuketsu Kifu (『秀策口訣棋譜』) [187-336], which is a collection of Shusaku's kifu, and the fact that it has “Master Gosei Shusaku (先師碁聖秀策)” written on it is why people call Shusaku Gosei.

Column: Segoe Kensaku Go Library (瀬越囲碁文庫)

Segoe Kensaku Go Library (瀬越囲碁文庫) is an old collection of books owned by SEGOE Kensaku, a professional Go player who contributed greatly to the popularization of the game.
Segoe entered Hoensha in 1908, and was a leading Go player in the Taisho and Showa periods, with great achievements such as a consecutive victory over Hon’inbo Shusai. He contributed to the establishment of the Nihon Ki-in with Shusai and others. He also contributed to the collection and publication of old kifu, and Oshiro Gofu (『御城碁譜』, Castle Games Records) [W431-13] and Meiji Gofu (『明治碁譜』) [795-Se114m] edited by him are highly appreciated.
In 1963, this collection of books was donated to the National Diet Library through MATSUI Akio (松井明夫), who was the editorial assistant of Meiji Gofu. It includes Rankadokiwa [795-H365r], which was introduced in Chapter 2, and Zain Dan So (『坐隠談叢』) [795-A495z] (Zain Danso Igo Zenshi (『坐隠談叢　囲碁全史』) enlarged new edition [795-A495z-W(h)] written by ANDO Nyoi, revised by WATANABE Hideo), which was treated as “the only history book on the game of Go” for about half a century from the end of the Meiji period.
For the library catalog of the Segoe Kensaku Go Library, please refer to the Research Navi “Segoe Kensaku Go Library” (in Japanese only).

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