Shogi: A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Chess

What Is Shogi?

What is the game we have heard of, but no-one we know seems to play? Shogi!
Shogi is a variation on chess, but more challenging. The name derives from the word “Shogun,” so roughly it’s the “Game of Shoguns.”

The rules and strategy provide plenty of scope for tension and drama. Perhaps because it is not easy to be skilled at shogi that people hesitate to claim competence.

• Table of Contents
• Shogi: Japanese Chess
• Shogi Online International Play
• Koma (Shogi Pieces)
• Why Tendo Is Famous for Shogi Pieces
• A Fascinating Shogi Museum!
• Tendo Hospitality
• Experience Shogi Culture in Tendo

Shogi: Japanese Chess

Modern shogi has been played in Japan since the 16th century, evolving from chess-like games that originated in India and reached Japan via China and Korea. Earlier forms date back much further: 16 shogi pieces from 1058 were unearthed at Kofukuji Temple in Nara. One old piece, the “drunken elephant,” is no longer used, while English piece names generally follow those of international chess.

During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate officially promoted shogi and supported leading players. Annual tournaments were held on the 17th day of Kannazuki, and November 17 is still celebrated as Shogi Day. Today, the Japan Shogi Association regulates professional play and oversees the major championship titles.

Shogi Online International Play

Online play has helped shogi gain an international following. In 2010, 14-year-old Zhang Xin from Shanghai qualified to train as a professional, while Polish player Karolina Styczynska became the first foreigner to reach 3-kyu, one rank below professional level. Inspired by the anime *Naruto*, she also had to adapt to sitting in seiza for long matches.

Shogi is played on a 9×9 board, with each player starting with 20 wedge-shaped wooden pieces called koma. The pieces are the same color and are distinguished by the direction they face. Captured pieces can also be reused as your own, adding a unique strategic element to the game.

Koma (Shogi Pieces)

The koma have names and designated movements, however, when they reach the final three rows of the board, they are turned over and “promoted.” The renamed koma become more powerful as their range of movement increases. “Dropping” is a feature that introduces the unexpected as the dynamics of the game are altered by the placement of a captured koma onto an open square.

Starting koma on each side:
1 O-sho (higher-ranking player’s King)
1 Gyoku (challenger’s King)

2 Kinsho - Gold Generals
2 Ginsho - Silver Generals

2 Keima (Knights)
2 Kyousha (Lances)

1 Kakugyo (Bishop)
1 Hisha (Flying Chariot or Rook)

9 Fuhyo (Foot Soldiers or Pawns)

The objective is capture of the opponent’s King. However, in practice, the game continues until the opposing King is checked and has no way to avoid being taken on the next move. Therefore checkmate rather than capture marks the end and the bested player graciously resigns.

The distinctive hand movement for picking up koma and “snapping” them down on the board in an elegant and authoritative way takes some practice itself. The three middle fingers are used to lift the piece, with the thumb tucked under the hand.

Why Tendo Is Famous for Shogi Pieces

Why does Tendo in Yamagata produce over 90% of Japan’s wooden shogi pieces?

The tradition began during the Edo period, when a branch of the Oda clan ruled Tendo. Because the region’s hilly land produced limited rice income, local samurai began making shogi pieces from wood and lacquer to supplement their earnings.

Today, Tendo remains Japan’s leading center for shogi piece production. The finest koma pieces are decorated with raised lacquer lettering, carefully applied by hand and polished to a smooth finish.

Tendo also has ties to ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige (*1), who received support from the local daimyo and sometimes signed his work "Tendo Hiroshige."

*1... Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858) - one of Japan's prominent ukiyo-e artists.

Traditionally, Japanese boxwood (kaya) from Miyazaki Prefecture was used for the highest quality shogi boards. The tree rings are close together (not to compete with board grid lines), and the color is a light golden color. The sound produced when koma are snapped down on the board is also pleasing.

However, because of overcutting, this tree is now protected in Japan, and the scarcity means that genuine kaya wood boards are rare. Katsura wood also has a fine grain and, because it is not endangered, it is less expensive.

A Fascinating Shogi Museum!

Watch craftsmen making shogi koma at Eishundo.

Easy to find, the Tendo Municipal Shogi Museum is on the street level of the Tendo Station. Although the explanations are mostly in Japanese, fans of shogi will surely enjoy seeing the objects on display. (The entrance fee is 300 yen and the museum is closed on Mondays).
Next door is the Tendo Shogi Koryukan which is an open forum where there are several sets waiting for people to play shogi free.

A poster in Tendo announcing the upcoming release of the movie "March Comes in Like a Lion."

Ningen Shogi ("Human Shogi") is a unique outdoor weekend event that takes place during the cherry blossom season in late April every year. People dressed in samurai costume play the game as human pieces!

Osho Manju (sweet red bean buns)

In Tendo the shogi theme dominates in the shape of civic design, onsen pools, manju (sweet buns), straps for cellphones, and other items, so shopping for souvenirs is fun.

Tendo Hospitality

Suisha Namasoba, a soba noodle specialty restaurant in Tendo

Tendo is a welcoming place. It is famous for its many onsen hotels and ryokans which serve delicious foods sourced in Yamagata, including soba, beef and local fruits, as well as Tendo’s prestigious Dewazakura sake and Tendo wines. For cat lovers, the Azumasou ryokan has a cat called Mai, who wears special kitty-sized kimono to greet guests!

Experience Shogi Culture in Tendo

Shogi is more than a traditional board game—it is part of Japan’s cultural heritage, and Tendo is one of the best places to experience that connection firsthand. From handcrafted koma and the Shogi Museum to Ningen Shogi and local specialties, a visit to Tendo offers a unique look at how shogi continues to shape the city’s identity.