History of shogi facts for kids

Shogi is a fun two-player board game from Japan. It's a bit like Western chess, but with its own special rules and pieces!

How Shogi Came to Japan

It's a bit of a mystery exactly when the game that became Shogi first arrived in Japan. Some people think it came around the 6th century. Back then, the pieces might have been 3D figures, not the flat ones we see today. But we haven't found any of these old 3D pieces, so it's hard to be sure!

Another idea is that Shogi came to Japan a bit later, after the Nara period. Shogi has some things in common with Chinese chess (xiangqi), like the king being in the middle and pawns moving straight forward. But Shogi also has unique features, like pieces moving on squares (not lines) and a full line of pawns. It also shares some similarities with games from Thailand and Myanmar. So, Shogi might be a mix of ideas from Chinese and Southeast Asian chess games.

Shogi in Ancient Japan

One of the oldest writings that mentions Shogi is called Shin Saru Gakuki, written around 1058-1064. It's thought to be the first document about the game!

We also have old Shogi pieces found by archaeologists. In 2013, a group of 20 Shogi pieces were found near Kōfuku-ji temple in Nara Prefecture. These pieces were simple, made from wood, but they had the same five-sided shape as today's pieces. They were found with a wooden writing tablet from 1058, so the pieces are likely from the same time!

A dictionary from the early 1200s, called Nichūreki, describes two types of Shogi:

• Heian Shogi: This is the older version that modern Shogi is based on. In this game, you won if your opponent only had one king left. This means players probably didn't "drop" captured pieces back onto the board yet. We don't know the exact board size for this game.
• Heian Great Shogi: This was a much bigger game played on a 13x13 board!

The pieces in Heian Shogi included the King, Gold General, Silver General, Knight, Lance, and Pawn. These pieces moved like they do in modern Shogi.

Shogi in Medieval Times

In the 1300s, people started talking about "small Shogi" and "large Shogi" again. For the first time, a piece called the Rook was mentioned, but only in the large Shogi game.

A very big version of Shogi, called Dai Shogi, was popular in the 1300s. It had 65 pieces for each player and was played on a huge 15x15 board! But its rules were later made simpler.

Then came Chu Shogi (Middle Shogi), which was played with 46 pieces per side on a 12x12 board. This game became very popular.

Later, in the 1400s, three pieces from Chu Shogi (the Rook, Bishop, and Drunken Elephant) were added to "small Shogi." This made small Shogi almost like the modern game, except it still had the Drunken Elephant and didn't have "drops" yet. The Drunken Elephant was a special piece that could become a "Crown Prince," acting like a second king that also had to be captured to win.

It's believed that the rules for modern Shogi were set in the 1500s. This is when the Drunken Elephant piece was removed, and the important rule of "drops" was added. "Drops" mean you can put captured pieces back onto the board as your own. This rule changed the game a lot!

Many Shogi pieces from the late 1500s have been found at the Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins. Among them was a Drunken Elephant piece, which suggests that both versions of Shogi (with and without the Drunken Elephant) were played at the same time.

The rules for modern Shogi were officially written down in 1636 by Ohashi Soko, who was a famous Shogi master called a Meijin.

Modern Shogi Begins

Modern Shogi became very popular and was even supported by the government in the 1600s. In 1612, the government gave money to top Shogi players. These players were part of special families who kept the Shogi traditions alive.

A special tournament called "castle Shogi" was held once a year, where games were played in front of the shōgun (Japan's military ruler). This tradition led to November 17 being named Shogi Day today!

The top Shogi players were called Meijin. This title was passed down in certain families for a long time. Today, the Meijin title is still used for the winner of a big competition called the Meijin-sen.

Many amazing Shogi players appeared over time. Itō Kanju was a brilliant puzzle maker in the Edo period. His collection of Shogi puzzles, called Shogi Zukō, is still famous today! Later, Amano Sōho was an amateur player so skilled that people said he had "the ability of a 13-dan player," which is super high! He's considered one of the greatest Shogi players ever.

Shogi in Newspapers and New Groups

After the old government ended, the Shogi families no longer received money, and the Meijin title started to be given based on skill, not family. Shogi stayed popular, with people playing "front-porch Shogi" everywhere, like in bath houses or barber shops. But it was hard to be a professional Shogi player and make a living back then.

Around 1899, newspapers started printing Shogi games, which helped make the game more famous. In 1924, the Tokyo Shogi Association was formed, led by Kinjirō Sekine, the 13th Meijin. This group later became the modern Japan Shogi Association in 1947.

The Meijin System and Title Matches

In 1935, the Meijin title became something you had to win in a competition, not just be given. The first Meijin title match was held, and Yoshio Kimura became the first winner in 1937. This was the start of many exciting Shogi title matches!

Over the years, more and more title matches were created:

• The Ōshō title match (King title match) started in 1950.
• The Ōza-sen tournament began in 1953.
• The Ōi title match started in 1960.
• The Kisei-sen began in 1962.
• The Kiō-sen started in 1974.
• The Ryūō title match began in 1988.
• The Eiō became a major title in 2017.

Today, there are eight major Shogi title matches!

Famous Shogi Champions

Ōyama vs Tsukada (1948)

After World War II, there was a time when Shogi was almost banned because some people thought it was too "feudal" (old-fashioned and related to samurai culture). But luckily, it wasn't!

In 1957, Kōzō Masuda became a "triple champion" by holding three titles at once. But then, Yasuharu Ōyama took those three titles from him! Ōyama went on to win two more new titles, becoming a "quintuple champion" (holding five titles) in 1959. He defended these titles for six years, a time known as the "Ōyama age." He held titles for a total of 80 times, which was a huge achievement!

Later, in 1996, Yoshiharu Habu became the first "septuple champion" by holding all seven titles at once! This started the "Habu age." He has held titles for over 81 periods, breaking Ōyama's record!

Women in Shogi

While both men and women can be professional Shogi players, it used to be hard for women to become officially certified professionals. To help more women play, a system for professional women Shogi players was created.

In 1966, Akiko Takojima became the first professional woman Shogi player. At first, there weren't any special tournaments for women, so she mostly gave Shogi lessons. But in 1974, the first Women's Meijin Title Match was held, and Takojima won! Many people see 1974 as the year women's Shogi truly began.

As of 2014, there are over 50 professional women players! They have many exciting competitions, like the Women's Meijin Title Match, the Mynabi Women's Open, and the Ricoh Cup Women's Ōza Title Match.

Shogi for Everyone (Amateurs)

Shogi is also very popular with regular people (amateurs) who play for fun. There are different ranking systems for amateurs and professionals. Sometimes, very strong amateurs can even play against professionals in special matches.

Some amateurs have been so good they were called "pro killers" because they could beat professional players! One famous amateur was Jūmei Koike, who won the amateur Meijin title twice. Even though he never became a professional, he became very famous after his death.

In recent times, the best amateurs are getting closer in skill to professionals. There are even official tournaments where top amateurs can compete! In 2006, the Japan Shogi Association made it easier for strong amateurs and women professionals to become official professionals.

Shogi Around the World

Shogi developed mostly in Japan, and its pieces have Japanese characters on them. This has made it a bit harder for the game to spread to other countries compared to games like Go.

However, in the 1990s, people started working hard to make Shogi popular outside Japan. It has become very popular in China, especially in Shanghai, where many people play it. For countries where Japanese characters aren't common, some people have tried using symbols on the pieces to show how they move, which helps new players learn.

Shogi Today

The number of people playing Shogi in Japan has slowly gone down over the years. Even when big Shogi events happen, like Yoshiharu Habu winning all seven titles in 1996, it hasn't led to a huge "Shogi boom."

However, Shogi is still very popular among young people aged 10 to 19!

Since the mid-1990s, playing Shogi online has become very popular. Websites like Shogi Club 24 and Yahoo! Japan Games let people play Shogi over the internet without needing a physical board.

Computer Shogi

Computers have gotten much better at playing Shogi since the 1980s. In 2006, a computer program called Bonanza was estimated to be as strong as a high-level professional player! There are special tools and tournaments for computer Shogi. The Japan Shogi Association has rules about professionals playing against computers.