Hon'inbō Shūsaku

Hon'inbō Shūsaku (1829–1862) was a Japanese professional go player of the Edo period, celebrated for his unbeaten record in castle games and lasting influence on go strategy.

Hon'inbō Shūwa: A Japanese go master who led the Hon'inbō school during much of the nineteenth century. As Shūsaku’s teacher and head of the school, Shūwa helped shape his professional career.
Go: A two-player board game in which players surround territory by placing black and white stones on a grid. Go is the game whose strategy Shūsaku refined and whose professional culture shaped his career.
Shūsaku's ear-reddening move: A move attributed to Shūsaku in an 1846 game against Inoue Gen'an Inseki, remembered for its strategic subtlety. The move became the most famous single example of his positional judgment.
Hon'inbō school: A Japanese go lineage and school founded in the seventeenth century, later associated with a professional tournament title. Shūsaku’s standing emerged within this school, whose name continued after the Edo system ended.
Hon'inbō Jōwa: A Japanese go master who headed the Hon'inbō school in the early nineteenth century. Jōwa’s era established the school Shūsaku later served and helped define its professional standing.
Fuseki: The opening stage of a go game, when players establish influence and potential territory across the board. Shūsaku’s influence is especially visible in how he approached the opening.
Inoue Gen'an Inseki: A Japanese go master who served as head of the Inoue school in the nineteenth century. His 1846 game with Shūsaku produced the celebrated ear-reddening move.
Meiji Restoration: The political transformation that ended Tokugawa rule and established imperial government in Japan beginning in 1868. The restoration soon dismantled the institutional world of professional go in which Shūsaku had risen.
Shūsaku fuseki: An opening pattern in go associated with Shūsaku, especially his use of the low Chinese formation. This opening bears his name because his games made the pattern influential.
Chinese opening: A go opening formation in which a player places stones to build broad influence along a side and corner. Shūsaku’s low Chinese formation became a standard reference for this opening strategy.

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Hon'inbō SansaBroader topic: Shūsaku became the Hon'inbō school’s most celebrated later player, extending its prestige.