Kaku Takagawa
Encyclopedia
, also known as , was one of the most successful professional Go
players
of the twentieth century.
title nine times in a row, from 1952 to 1960, and was subsequently awarded the permanent title of Honorary Honinbo. He then chose Shukaku as his Honinbō name. He is one of the few Honorary Honinbos. He was known for having a healthy rivalry with Sakata Eio. This could be seen as Sakata would constantly beat Takagawa from 1959 to 1966 in the finals of major tournaments.
Takagawa's books, translated from their original Japanese
, were instrumental in educating Westerners in the ways of Go. He also wrote a series of articles from 1961 through 1977 for the Nihon Ki-in
which was the primary English source of information about Go during that period. These articles were later compiled into Improve Your Intuition, still considered a valuable guide for Go players.
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
players
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...
of the twentieth century.
Biography
Kaku Takagawa won the HoninbōHoninbo
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....
title nine times in a row, from 1952 to 1960, and was subsequently awarded the permanent title of Honorary Honinbo. He then chose Shukaku as his Honinbō name. He is one of the few Honorary Honinbos. He was known for having a healthy rivalry with Sakata Eio. This could be seen as Sakata would constantly beat Takagawa from 1959 to 1966 in the finals of major tournaments.
Takagawa's books, translated from their original Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, were instrumental in educating Westerners in the ways of Go. He also wrote a series of articles from 1961 through 1977 for the Nihon Ki-in
Nihon Ki-in
The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...
which was the primary English source of information about Go during that period. These articles were later compiled into Improve Your Intuition, still considered a valuable guide for Go players.
Style
Sakata Eio was known to talk about Takagawa's style of play. He included him in his book Killer Of Go, saying he'd drag out his games so they'd be longer and then his opponent would lose their edge. He was so very cool and collected during games, that he would never tense up before a match. This could be seen when he strolled to many Honinbō title wins. He was also noted to having a very steady and elegant style.Promotion record
Titles & runners-up
| Title | Years Lost |
|---|---|
| Current | 7 |
 HoninbōHoninbo 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.... |
1961, 1963, 1964 |
| Judan Judan Judan can refer to:# The 10th degree black belt in Dan rank in Japan,# Judan : a Go competition in Japan,# A Shogi competition in Japan between 1962 and 1987. Now it was changed Ryu-oh.... |
1966 |
| Oza Oza is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners... |
1961 |
| NHK Cup NHK Cup The NHK Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The NHK Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. The tournament is televised on the NHK network. Before 1963, the competition was broadcasted on the radio. The winner's purse is 5,000,000 Yen .-Past winners:... |
1954, 1959 |
| Defunct | 8 |
| Old Meijin Old Meijin - Outline :The Old Meijin was the same tournament as the current Meijin. The reason it is called the Old Mejin is because before 1976, the Meijin tournament was hosted by Yomiuri Shimbun. In 1976, Yomiuri Shimbun stopped hosting the Meijin, and started the Kisei. The Meijin tournament then was... |
1969 |
| Nihon-Kiin Championship |
1955, 1959, 1960 |
| Asahi Pro Best Ten Asahi Pro Best Ten The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:... |
1964–1967 |
Books
- How to Play Go, Nihon Ki-in 1956 review, used copies, cover
- Vital Points of Go, Nihon Ki-in 1958 review
- The Power of the Star-Point (ISBN 4871870324)
- Improve Your Intuition (ISBN 0-9706193-2-4) Volume 1, (ISBN 0-9706193-2-4) Volume 2, (ISBN 0-9706193-2-4) Volume 3.
External links
Source
- GoGameWorld
- GoBase
- Sensei's Library