The game of Go was first introduced to Japan from China early in the seventh century, and quickly became popular there among members of the imperial house and the nobility. During Japan's Warring States period (late 15th to late 16th centuries), Japan's most famous warlords fell in love with the game. Notable among them was Oda Nobunaga, who conferred the title meijin ("master of Go") on the young Sansa, who would later go on to found the Honinbo school. Oda's successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, established the post of Godokoro ("Minister of Go"), and the game's popularity rose to unprecedented heights under the ensuing Tokugawa shogunate. Leading players competed before the emperor or the warlord, and it was during this period that the renowned "four Go houses" were established.
Meritocracy at Honinbo
The best player among all the competitors at the four Go houses was granted the lifetime title of meijin. The four houses were evenly matched in the early years of the shogunate, but as time went by Honinbo came to account for almost all the meijin. Unlike the other houses, where leadership was passed down to a son or relative, the head position at Honinbo always went to the top player. This meritocracy ensured the continuing emergence of brilliant competitors, including such memorable names as Dosaku, Jowa, Shuwa, Shusaku, and Shuei.
After the Meiji Restoration brought an end to Japanese feudalism in the closing decades of the 19th century, leading Go players could no longer rely on a stipend from the shogunate, and the title of meijin no longer brought the financial perks of years past. Support for the game had to come from other quarters. Newspaper publishers took up the baton by sponsoring matches, and a system was developed to rank players by awarding dan ranks. The Japan Go Association (Nihon Kiin) was established in 1923 to promote the development of professional Go players.
The game of Go was first introduced to Japan from China early in the seventh century, and quickly became popular there among members of the imperial house and the nobility. During Japan's Warring States period (late 15th to late 16th centuries), Japan's most famous warlords fell in love with the game. Notable among them was Oda Nobunaga, who conferred the title meijin ("master of Go") on the young Sansa, who would later go on to found the Honinbo school. Oda's successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, established the post of Godokoro ("Minister of Go"), and the game's popularity rose to unprecedented heights under the ensuing Tokugawa shogunate. Leading players competed before the emperor or the warlord, and it was during this period that the renowned "four Go houses" were established.
Japan has a long tradition of professional Go competitions. Pictured here is a scene from the fourth Meijin Tournament in 1965, at which the then 23-year-old Lin Hai-feng (at left, in white shirt) defeated the previous year's champion Sagata Eio to become the youngest meijin in the history of professional Go in Japan.
1938 saw a memorial match between the last lifetime meijin Honinbo Shusai and the rising young star Kitani Minoru. Held to mark Shusai's retirement, the match dragged on for a half year as Shusai, 65 years old and seriously ill, took time out for multiple hospital stays. Kitani won in the end by five and a half "eyes." Shusai retired, bequeathed the title of Honinbo to the Japan Go Association, and died a year later. Japanese-resident Chinese Go player Wu Qingyuan ("Go Seigen" in Japanese) provided public commentary on the contest, while literary giant Kawabata Yasunari wrote his impressions of the match and later immortalized it in his novel The Master of Go.
Title tournaments
In 1939, the Japan Go Association joined forces with the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun newspaper (predecessor of today's Mainichi Shimbun) to hold the first annual Honinbo Tournament. The winner takes the title of Honinbo and is required to defend the title the following year. Six other major Go tournaments have been started up in Japan since World War II: Oza, Meijin, Judan, Tengen, Kisei, and Gosei. Together these are referred to as "the big seven title tournaments." There have been some formidable Go players from Taiwan over the years, including Lin Hai-feng ("Rin Kaiho"; eight-time winner of the Meijin, five-time winner of the Honinbo, and holder of an Honorary Tengen), Wang Li-cheng ("O Rissei"; winner of three consecutive Kisei titles and four consecutive Judan titles), and Wang Ming-wan ("O Meien"; two-time winner of the Honinbo and winner once of the Oza).
The biggest Taiwanese star these days in Japan is Chang Hsu ("Cho U"), who went to Japan at age ten to study Go and today at age 27 is recognized as one of the strongest competitors in the game. Chang is known (alongside Takao Shinji, Yamashita Keigo, and Hane Naoki) as one of the "four young superstars." He has won the Honinbo, Meijin, Oza, and Gosei titles during his career, and is the current holder of both the Meijin and the Gosei.
Japan has a long tradition of professional Go competitions. Pictured here is a scene from the fourth Meijin Tournament in 1965, at which the then 23-year-old Lin Hai-feng (at left, in white shirt) defeated the previous year's champion Sagata Eio to become the youngest meijin in the history of professional Go in Japan.
Meritocracy at Honinbo
The best player among all the competitors at the four Go houses was granted the lifetime title of meijin. The four houses were evenly matched in the early years of the shogunate, but as time went by Honinbo came to account for almost all the meijin. Unlike the other houses, where leadership was passed down to a son or relative, the head position at Honinbo always went to the top player. This meritocracy ensured the continuing emergence of brilliant competitors, including such memorable names as Dosaku, Jowa, Shuwa, Shusaku, and Shuei.
After the Meiji Restoration brought an end to Japanese feudalism in the closing decades of the 19th century, leading Go players could no longer rely on a stipend from the shogunate, and the title of meijin no longer brought the financial perks of years past. Support for the game had to come from other quarters. Newspaper publishers took up the baton by sponsoring matches, and a system was developed to rank players by awarding dan ranks. The Japan Go Association (Nihon Kiin) was established in 1923 to promote the development of professional Go players.
1938 saw a memorial match between the last lifetime meijin Honinbo Shusai and the rising young star Kitani Minoru. Held to mark Shusai's retirement, the match dragged on for a half year as Shusai, 65 years old and seriously ill, took time out for multiple hospital stays. Kitani won in the end by five and a half "eyes." Shusai retired, bequeathed the title of Honinbo to the Japan Go Association, and died a year later. Japanese-resident Chinese Go player Wu Qingyuan ("Go Seigen" in Japanese) provided public commentary on the contest, while literary giant Kawabata Yasunari wrote his impressions of the match and later immortalized it in his novel The Master of Go.
Title tournaments
In 1939, the Japan Go Association joined forces with the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun newspaper (predecessor of today's Mainichi Shimbun) to hold the first annual Honinbo Tournament. The winner takes the title of Honinbo and is required to defend the title the following year. Six other major Go tournaments have been started up in Japan since World War II: Oza, Meijin, Judan, Tengen, Kisei, and Gosei. Together these are referred to as "the big seven title tournaments." There have been some formidable Go players from Taiwan over the years, including Lin Hai-feng ("Rin Kaiho"; eight-time winner of the Meijin, five-time winner of the Honinbo, and holder of an Honorary Tengen), Wang Li-cheng ("O Rissei"; winner of three consecutive Kisei titles and four consecutive Judan titles), and Wang Ming-wan ("O Meien"; two-time winner of the Honinbo and winner once of the Oza).
The biggest Taiwanese star these days in Japan is Chang Hsu ("Cho U"), who went to Japan at age ten to study Go and today at age 27 is recognized as one of the strongest competitors in the game. Chang is known (alongside Takao Shinji, Yamashita Keigo, and Hane Naoki) as one of the "four young superstars." He has won the Honinbo, Meijin, Oza, and Gosei titles during his career, and is the current holder of both the Meijin and the Gosei.
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