Stomping Grounds

The Honinbo Title tournament is one of the most prestigious and well-known Go competitions in Japan. It holds the distinction of being the first and oldest title in go history. For many Western go players, it’s probably the most familiar title, as it played a significant role in the Hikaru no Go anime series not just as a title but was a huge part of the history for one of our most beloved characters. However, what many might not know is that before Honinbo became a title, it was actually a go school. The school was founded by Honinbo Sansa alongside three other schools that existed alongside it being Hayashi, Inoue, and Yasui. Over time, most of these schools either died out or merged with the Honinbo school, as the Honinbo school was the most successful school. Of course, not before many fierce battles took place between the four but that’s an article for another day.

In the early 1900s, the Honinbo title was passed on to the Nihon Ki-in by Honinbo Shusai, transforming it into a title tournament. This marked the beginning of Japan’s major go title tournaments, with Kisei and Meijin soon joining Honinbo as the other two major competitions.

These tournaments have played a huge role in the Japanese professional promotion system. Winning a major title like Kisei, Meijin, or Honinbo has traditionally meant an automatic promotion to 9 dan professional, regardless of a player's current rank. As the Oteai was no longer the traditional way of promoting due to the lack of proper funding.

However, in April of 2023 we received news from the sponsor, Mainichi Shinbun. They announced a format change and a reduction in the prize pool, which will result in the Honinbo title being downgraded to a minor title. This means that now, a player will need to win the Honinbo title for two years to achieve a 9 dan professional rank.

As someone who has always regarded the Honinbo title as my favorite, this news is particularly disheartening. Knowing the history of the Go schools and the Honinbo title’s legacy made it incredibly special. While I don't know what other go players think. I can't imagine it is anything less than absolutely amazing than holding a title that holds so much historical value and a title that was held by some of the coolest players in go history.

What about you? Do you have a favorite Japanese title tournament? Do you keep up with the Japanese title scene? Would you be interested in hearing me talk about why the Oteai no longer exist? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. And if you enjoyed this post, please give it a heart at the bottom!