The Ring of Water - Chris Bradford [90]
Over the next 250 years, the intense rivalry between these schools raised the standard of play significantly and a ranking system was established, classifying players into nine dans (grades) of which the highest was Meijin (master).
The game remains popular to this day with some 50 million Go players in the Far East alone.
Five Go Legends and Facts
1. Go has been compared to playing four Chess games at the same time on the same board!
2. A full set of Go stones (goishi) typically contains 181 black stones and 180 white ones, since a 19x19 board has 361 liberty points. As Black goes first, that player gets an extra stone. Traditionally, the stones are made of clamshell (white) and slate (black).
3. Legend says the future of Tibet was once decided over a Go board when the Buddhist ruler refused to go into battle; instead he challenged the aggressor to a game of Go!
4. Go Seigen, who was born in China in 1914 but primarily played in Japan, is considered to be the best player in modern Go – and perhaps of all time.
5. The Atom Bomb Game is a celebrated Go match that was in progress when the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945. The immense explosion stopped the game, damaged the building and injured some spectators, but amazingly play was resumed after a lunch break! White won by five points.
Learn how to play the game of Go!
For further information on the game and how to play, visit www.youngsamurai.com or contact the British Go Association via their website www.britgo.org
JAPANESE GLOSSARY
Bushido
Bushido, meaning the ‘Way of the Warrior’, is a Japanese code of conduct similar to the concept of chivalry. Samurai warriors were meant to adhere to the seven moral principles in their martial arts training and in their day-to-day lives.
Virtue 1: Gi – Rectitude
Gi is the ability to make the right decision with moral confidence and to be fair and equal towards all people no matter what colour, race, gender or age.
Virtue 2: Yu – Courage
Yu is the ability to handle any situation with valour and confidence.
Virtue 3: Jin – Benevolence
Jin is a combination of compassion and generosity. This virtue works together with Gi and discourages samurai from using their skills arrogantly or for domination.
Virtue 4: Rei – Respect
Rei is a matter of courtesy and proper behaviour towards others. This virtue means to have respect for all.
Virtue 5: Makoto – Honesty
Makota is about being honest to oneself as much as to others. It means acting in ways that are morally right and always doing things to the best of your ability.
Virtue 6: Meiyo – Honour
Meiyo is sought with a positive attitude in mind, but will only follow with correct behaviour. Success is an honourable goal to strive for.
Virtue 7: Chungi – Loyalty
Chungi is the foundation of all the virtues; without dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to one another, one cannot hope to achieve the desired outcome.
A Short Guide to Pronouncing Japanese Words
Vowels are pronounced in the following way:
‘a’ as the ‘a’ in ‘at’
‘e’ as the ‘e’ in ‘bet’
‘i’ as the ‘i’ in ‘police’
‘o’ as the ‘o’ in ‘dot’
‘u’ as the ‘u’ in ‘put’
‘ai’ as in ‘eye’
‘ii’ as in ‘week’
‘ō’ as in ‘go’
‘ū’ as in ‘blue’
Consonants are pronounced in the same way as English:
‘g’ is hard as in ‘get’
‘j’ is soft as in ‘jelly’
‘ch’ as in ‘church’
‘z’ as in ‘zoo’
‘ts’ as in ‘itself’
Each syllable is pronounced separately:
A-ki-ko
Ya-ma-to
Ma-sa-mo-to
Ka-zu-ki
arigatō gozaimasu thank you very much
bitasen copper coin
bō wooden fighting staff
bōjutsu the Art of the Bō
bokken wooden sword
bushido the Way of the Warrior – the samurai code
Butokuden Hall of the Virtues of War
Butsuden Buddha Hall
Chō-no-ma Hall of Butterflies
daikon long, large white radish
daimyo feudal lord
daishō pair of swords, wakizashi and katana,