[Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture] The sacred place of the unprecedented shogi boom “March Comes in Like a Lion”! Enjoy the Shogi Museum and Human Shogi

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  • Last updated: 2022.03.15

The shogi world is very hot these days. Popular players such as Kato Hifumi sensei and Fujii 4-dan also appeared, and it was truly a shogi fever. A manga based on shogi called ``March Comes in Like a Lion'' was also made into a live-action movie and became a big hit.

Tendo City in Yamagata Prefecture is known as a shogi city. Tendo City is the largest producer of shogi pieces in Japan. It is also famous as a sacred place for lions in March, which I mentioned earlier.

“Tendo City Shogi Museum” is filled with the charm of shogi

The Tendo City Shogi Museum is attached to the station. The landmark is a blue sign in the shape of a shogi piece. Inside the museum, you can see exhibits such as the history of shogi, the manufacturing process of pieces, and various pieces.

Chaturanga, the original form of shogi

Chaturanga, the original form of shogi, is also on display. Chaturanga is a board game that was popular in ancient India around 300 BC. Chaturanga is performed by rolling dice. It is a 4-person shogi game.

However, when four people played by rolling dice, the winner was often determined by chance rather than skill. So, the format gradually changed to the current one-on-one competition.

From small to big

You can also watch small shogi from the Heian period. You can see that it is almost the same as modern shogi. If you look closely, you will notice that the rook and the kakugyo are missing.

It is surprising that Chu Shogi from the Kamakura period had more pieces than today. It is interesting that a piece called a matchmaker is placed in front of the phoenix, giraffe, and infantry.

When it comes to Dai Shogi from the Muromachi period, the number of pieces is even larger. The number is actually 130. You can see pieces such as nekomata and evil wolf. I'm curious as to what kind of tricky movements it will make.

Tai Shogi is the largest and has the most pieces. The size is 25 x 25 squares, and the number of pieces is 354. There are 93 types of pieces. The pieces are lined up so tightly that there are no gaps anymore. There are also many pieces with interesting names, such as Jizaiou and Yasha.

There are also items that children will enjoy, such as Ultraman Shogi, GeGeGe no Kitaro Shogi, and Star Wars Shogi.

Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival Specialty: Human Shogi

The Shogi Museum also displays a model of human shogi. Human Shogi is an event at the Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival, Tendo City's representative spring festival. It is held every April at the summit plaza of Mt. Maizuru, where about 2,000 cherry trees are in full bloom.

The warriors and kimonos dressed in armor and kimono become the pieces of shogi. Walk around the board following the moves of a professional Shogi player. It's very realistic and powerful to see people actually confront each other and kill or be taken.

Special guests at the 2017 Human Shogi event include Ryunosuke Kamiki, who starred in the live-action adaptation of March Comes in Like a Lion, and director Keishi Otomo.

Summary about Tendo City, the city of shogi

An unprecedented shogi boom is currently sweeping the world. Many people took this opportunity to become interested in shogi. Especially during the Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival season, the whole town gets into a shogi mood, so be sure to come and enjoy the unique atmosphere.

There are also many locally produced gourmet foods such as Osho Monaka and Osho Senbei (a confectionery shop in Yamagata Prefecture http://www.yamagata-kasi.com/kashi/data/0049.html

INFORMATION

nameTendo City Shogi Museum
locationTendo Station 1F, 1-1-2 Honmachi, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture
telephone number023-653-1690
Official URLhttp://bussan-tendo.gr.jp/db/?d=2528
GOOGLE MAP

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