Honinbo Shusaku (1829 to 1862) was a Japanese go player of the Edo period Honinbo school, widely regarded as one of the greatest go players in history despite his short life; he died of cholera at thirty three. He is remembered above all for a game played in 1846 against Inoue Genan Inseki, known ever since as the ear reddening game: a single decisive move, recognized as such by a physician spectator whose face was seen to visibly redden before either player themselves fully grasped its significance, turned the game in Shusaku favor. His recorded games remain studied today as models of the classical Honinbo style.
Facts
Career HighlightRegarded as the strongest player of his generation and, by many later assessments, among the greatest go players of all time, on the strength of his winning record in the Edo period castle games and his 1846 ear reddening game. 1 Classification
Competition Category FAQs
What was Honinbo Shusaku's record in the annual castle games?
He won all 19 of his castle games and was nicknamed Invincible Shusaku.
Honinbo Shusaku first took part in the annual castle games in 1849, when his rank and position as heir to the Honinbo house allowed it. Over the years that followed he played a total of 19 castle games and won every one of them. That unbeaten run in the castle games is why he was later nicknamed Invincible Shusaku.
Connections
Associated With
Shusaku (1829-1862) was a celebrated player of the historical Honinbo go house in Edo-period Japan, generations before the modern annual Honinbo title tournament of the same name was established in 1941; the tournament continues the house's name and lineage rather than a competition he personally entered.
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Competed In
Source Wikipedia, Ear-reddening game
Long-Form Articles
Plays
Source A History of Board-Games Other Than ChessH.J.R. Murray
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Sources
1. A History of Board-Games Other Than Chess
H.J.R. Murray, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1952Wikipedia or cited reference, description lead (competition-category)
Honinbo Shusaku (1829 to 1862) was a Japanese go player of the Edo period Honinbo school, widely regarded as one of the greatest go players in history despite his short life; he died of cholera at thirty three.
- Plays: Go
Wikipedia, Ear-reddening game
lead paragraph
The ear-reddening game (Japanese: 耳赤の一局, Hepburn: mimiaka no ikkyoku) is a game of go of the Edo period of Japan, played on September 11, 1846, between Honinbo Shusaku (black) and Inoue Genan Inseki (white).
Competed In: Honinbo, Lead or career section
The ear-reddening game (Japanese: 耳赤の一局, Hepburn: mimiaka no ikkyoku) is a game of go of the Edo period of Japan, played on September 11, 1846, between Honinbo Shusaku (black) and Inoue Genan Inseki (white).
View the SourceWikidata: Honinbo Shusaku
Wikidata Q511141, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
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