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Kami No Itte
    Keywords: Go term

Literally means 'God's move' in Japanese. I think it means perfect play.

Hikaru no Go fans will probably be more familiar with the phrase 'The Hand of God', which Sai is striving to achieve - as should all Go players!

Of the deshi here, Bill Spight is probably closest; at least in the endgame :-)

Bill: Please, no. Sometimes, with study, I can find the largest play in a small area. Nothing deserving such praise.
In a real game, if I make the right play it is probably an accident.

In [ext] Rob van Zeijst's current column, Otake Hideo is quoted as saying that he would need to take three or four stones from God.

moonprince: Other authors on this page have summarized the meaning of kami no itte, but I thought people might be interested in a more detailed explanation. The word 'itte' has 'te' (hand) as its root, it literally means 'one hand' and can be directly translated into English as 'move', as in a 'move in a game'. Shougi as well as go uses the term. There is nothing mystical about this meaning. The word 'kami' which is often translated as 'god' is more complicated. It literally means 'superior', and by extension, 'upper,' 'above', 'very good', 'sacred', etc. In other words, the Japanese kami are the 'superior ones', not exactly 'gods' like the word means in English, but things that inspire awe in humans.

The term 'kami no itte' could be directly translated into English as 'the superior move'. Or, as we usually say in English, 'the best move.' But the connotations of the word 'kami' give it a different taste, which results in it being translated as 'the hand of God'. Perhaps the most correct translation would be 'the move whose sheer perfection inspires an almost religious awe in those who witness it', but this is way too cumbersome for easy use ^_^



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