Honinbo Jowa
Encyclopedia
Honinbo Jowa served as 12th Honinbo
from 1827 and Meijin Godokoro from 1831 until 1839, when he was forced into retirement.
Jowa was born in Nagano, Japan
in 1787. It was said that Jowa had great strength without equal. Historically he was accorded the title "latter sage" to match Dosaku
who was known as the "former sage". At some point in the Meiji Era this title was transferred to the more popular Shusaku
, as word was spread that Jowa made use of the contacts that Hayashi Gembi had within the government to help him attain the Meijin Godokoro position. However, even without playing a sogo, Jowa's strength was still apparent.
Later on in his life, Jowa also played one of the most famous games in Go
history known as the "Blood-vomiting game
". Gennan Inseki, a rival of Jowa's who had seen the coveted position of Meijin godokoro snatched away from him through less than honorable means, persuaded a rapidly improving pupil of his, Intetsu Akaboshi, to play a game on black against Jowa. Although Genan, an 8-dan, would probably take black the majority of the time against Jowa in a challenge match, he thought it would be more effective to have Akaboshi, a 7-dan, play against Jowa. If Jowa lost, he intended to argue that Jowa could certainly not be qualified to be Meijin if he couldn't defeat a 7-dan. The match started with Jowa making an unreasonably aggressive move in the fuseki, and Akaboshi countering with a variation of the taisha joseki
that was developed secretly in the Inoue house. However, as the four-day long game progressed, Jowa slowly clawed his way into the lead by playing three famous moves known as the "Ghost Moves". The three moves were supposedly brought to Jowa by ghost
s, allowing him to grind Intetsu's lead away.
In the end, Jowa won, and as the stones were being cleared from the board, Akaboshi kneeled over the board and coughed up blood
. Within a few weeks, he was dead. Genan's tactics for discrediting Jowa's worthiness of being appointed Meijin backfired spectacularly, as this game was the supreme triumph of Jowa's career.
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....
from 1827 and Meijin Godokoro from 1831 until 1839, when he was forced into retirement.
Jowa was born in Nagano, 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...
in 1787. It was said that Jowa had great strength without equal. Historically he was accorded the title "latter sage" to match Dosaku
Honinbo Dosaku
Hon'inbō Dōsaku was a professional go player.- Biography :Dōsaku was one of the greatest go players in history. He was born in the Iwami province of Japan and studied Go in the Hon'inbō school, becoming Meijin at a very young age....
who was known as the "former sage". At some point in the Meiji Era this title was transferred to the more popular Shusaku
Honinbo Shusaku
Honinbo Shusaku was a professional Go player and is considered by many to be the greatest player of the golden age of Go in the mid-19th century.- Biography :He was nicknamed "Invincible" after he earned a perfect score for 19 straight wins in the annual castle...
, as word was spread that Jowa made use of the contacts that Hayashi Gembi had within the government to help him attain the Meijin Godokoro position. However, even without playing a sogo, Jowa's strength was still apparent.
Later on in his life, Jowa also played one of the most famous games in Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
history known as the "Blood-vomiting game
Blood-vomiting game
The blood-vomiting game is a famous game of go of the Edo period of Japan, played on June 27, 1835 between Honinbo Jowa and Intetsu Akaboshi...
". Gennan Inseki, a rival of Jowa's who had seen the coveted position of Meijin godokoro snatched away from him through less than honorable means, persuaded a rapidly improving pupil of his, Intetsu Akaboshi, to play a game on black against Jowa. Although Genan, an 8-dan, would probably take black the majority of the time against Jowa in a challenge match, he thought it would be more effective to have Akaboshi, a 7-dan, play against Jowa. If Jowa lost, he intended to argue that Jowa could certainly not be qualified to be Meijin if he couldn't defeat a 7-dan. The match started with Jowa making an unreasonably aggressive move in the fuseki, and Akaboshi countering with a variation of the taisha joseki
Taisha joseki
The taisha joseki is the Japanese term for the most celebrated of all joseki in the game of go. It is often described in go literature as having a thousand variations ; this is more than a figure of speech, since many hundreds of subvariations have been documented, in high-level games, books and...
that was developed secretly in the Inoue house. However, as the four-day long game progressed, Jowa slowly clawed his way into the lead by playing three famous moves known as the "Ghost Moves". The three moves were supposedly brought to Jowa by ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s, allowing him to grind Intetsu's lead away.
In the end, Jowa won, and as the stones were being cleared from the board, Akaboshi kneeled over the board and coughed up blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. Within a few weeks, he was dead. Genan's tactics for discrediting Jowa's worthiness of being appointed Meijin backfired spectacularly, as this game was the supreme triumph of Jowa's career.