Honinbo Dosaku
Encyclopedia
Hon'inbō Dōsaku was a professional go
player
.
of Japan
and studied Go in the Hon'inbō
school, becoming Meijin at a very young age.
Dōsaku was the fourth Hon'inbō
by the time he was 23, and the fourth Meijin by the time he was 33. He started to learn go at 7. Dōsaku was so strong by the time he was in his early 20's that even if someone played the first move, he would always win. Rumors were that he was two stones stronger than any other go player. This was due to his deep thinking and next-level tactics. Players today can thank him for founding what is known today as modern opening strategy.
of his official positions) was handled by the Jisha-bugyō
by summoning a meeting of all concerned parties, including the shogidokoro Ohashi Sokei. Sanchi did not attend, and the change of Meijin-godokoro was agreed nem. con. The ground for this decision was the match of 20 games played between Hon'inbō Dōetsu
and Sanchi, for which Dōsaku probably acted as Dōetsu's second on adjournments.
records.
Two of his famous games are the 1683 defeat by one point in a two-stone game (his 'life-time masterpiece') and the 1670 castle go game when his opponent opened at tengen
, the central point, which was a victory. These were both against members of the Yasui house. Over 150 games of his are known.
In playing Peichin Hamahika from the Ryukyu Islands
, in 1682, he gave a practical demonstration of his theories, winning easily when giving a four-stone handicap. This game is a textbook piece and is still frequently cited. (The first game he won by 14; the second game on the same day was also recorded and he lost by a small margin, which may naturally mean that he had nothing to prove and was being diplomatic.)
In the field of joseki
, he innovated with the three-point low pincer, a more strategic play than the two-point low pincer favoured in particular by the players of the Yasui house.
, Sayama Sakugen, Hoshiai Hasseki, Kumagaya Honseki, and Kuwabara Dosetsu. All but one died young, in their early twenties, and the Honinbo house faced a period of rebuilding. Dōetsu became the Inoue house
head. The young Hon'inbō Dōchi
carried on the tradition.
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
player
Go players
This page gives an overview of well-known players of the game of Go throughout the ages. The page has been divided into sections based on the era in which the Go players played and the country in which they played. As this was not necessarily their country of birth, a flag of that country precedes...
.
Biography
Dōsaku was one of the greatest go players in history. He was born in the Iwami provinceIwami Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Iwami bordered Aki, Bingo, Izumo, Nagato, and Suō provinces.In the Heian era the capital was at modern-day Hamada....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and studied Go in the Hon'inbō
Honinbo
Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....
school, becoming Meijin at a very young age.
Dōsaku was the fourth Hon'inbō
Honinbo
Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....
by the time he was 23, and the fourth Meijin by the time he was 33. He started to learn go at 7. Dōsaku was so strong by the time he was in his early 20's that even if someone played the first move, he would always win. Rumors were that he was two stones stronger than any other go player. This was due to his deep thinking and next-level tactics. Players today can thank him for founding what is known today as modern opening strategy.
Becoming Meijin by fiat
Only a short time after receiving the Head of the Hon'inbō school he was given the post of Meijin in recognition of his unrivaled strength. On one account, this controversial appointment (which deprived Yasui SanchiYasui Sanchi
Yasui Sanchi was a Japanese professional go player, and second head of the Yasui house.He became Meijin-godokoro in 1668. It has always been said that this promotion was achieved by a backstairs route, with influence exerted by the head of the Matsudaira clan...
of his official positions) was handled by the Jisha-bugyō
Jisha-bugyo
was a "commissioner" or an "overseer" of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were always fudai daimyō, the lowest-ranking of the shogunate offices to be so restricted...
by summoning a meeting of all concerned parties, including the shogidokoro Ohashi Sokei. Sanchi did not attend, and the change of Meijin-godokoro was agreed nem. con. The ground for this decision was the match of 20 games played between Hon'inbō Dōetsu
Honinbo Doetsu
Hon'inbō Dōetsu was a Japanese professional go player, who became the third head of the Honinbo house. His surname was Niwa, and he used a Buddhist name Nissho.-Biography:...
and Sanchi, for which Dōsaku probably acted as Dōetsu's second on adjournments.
Games
By the time he was 32, he was already head of the Hon'inbō school and placed at the top of the official hierarchy. It has been suggested that the true level of his playing strength was never really tested, given the distance between him and his nearest rivals. The evidence of his contributions is in the legacy of games, known to us by the kifuKifu
Kifu is the Japanese term for a game record for a game of Go or shogi. Kifu is traditionally used to record games on a grid diagram, marking the plays on the points by numbers....
records.
Two of his famous games are the 1683 defeat by one point in a two-stone game (his 'life-time masterpiece') and the 1670 castle go game when his opponent opened at tengen
Tengen (Go)
Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....
, the central point, which was a victory. These were both against members of the Yasui house. Over 150 games of his are known.
Theoretician
Dōsaku is also well remembered for his contributions to go theory. He took advantage of overconcentration also known as korigatachi, making that henceforth one of the key theoretical errors that players avoided. Tewari analysis, a systematic if rather tricky tool of analysis of efficiency of sequences, is also attributed to him; as is the strategy of amashi.In playing Peichin Hamahika from the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
, in 1682, he gave a practical demonstration of his theories, winning easily when giving a four-stone handicap. This game is a textbook piece and is still frequently cited. (The first game he won by 14; the second game on the same day was also recorded and he lost by a small margin, which may naturally mean that he had nothing to prove and was being diplomatic.)
In the field of joseki
Joseki
In Go, are studied sequences of moves in the corner areas of the Go board, for which the result is considered balanced for both black and white sides. Because games typically start with plays in the corners, players often try to use their understanding of joseki to gain local advantages in the...
, he innovated with the three-point low pincer, a more strategic play than the two-point low pincer favoured in particular by the players of the Yasui house.
Pupils
He taught Ogawa DōtekiHoninbo Doteki
Honinbo Doteki , also known as Ogawa Doteki, was a professional Japanese Go player.- Biography :By the time Doteki was 13, he was regarded as one of the best players, and became heir to Honinbo Dosaku, his teacher. Still only 13, he had already reached 6 dan. He played in his first Castle Games in...
, Sayama Sakugen, Hoshiai Hasseki, Kumagaya Honseki, and Kuwabara Dosetsu. All but one died young, in their early twenties, and the Honinbo house faced a period of rebuilding. Dōetsu became the Inoue house
Inoue house
The Inoue house was one of the four go houses, the state-supported schools for the game of go in Japan during the Edo period.The numbering of the heads of the house is that introduced by Inoue Genan Inseki, at the start of the nineteenth century, and including Nakamura Doseki for reasons of prestige...
head. The young Hon'inbō Dōchi
Honinbo Dochi
Hon'inbō Dōchi was a professional Go player.- Biography :Dōchi learned to play Go at the age of 7. A short two years thereafter, he had become a disciple of Hon'inbō Dōsaku, the strongest player of his time. He became very strong under Dosaku, eventually reaching 6 dan. After Dosaku died in 1702,...
carried on the tradition.