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Iwamoto Kaoru
    Keywords: Culture & History, People

Iwamoto Kaoru, Japanese 9 Dan. Born 2 May 1902, died 29 November 1999.

Iwamoto was very active in promoting go outside Japan, founding go centers in South America, the United States and Europe, and financing them from his own means. Many non-oriental players (myself including) must have picked up his 'Go for beginners' when first learning the rules and basic principles of the game.

But perhaps he is known even more as he happened to hold the black stones during the famous 'atomic bomb game'. Iwamoto and Hashimoto Utaro were playing the second game of the Honinbo match in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped on that city. The board was knocked over, but both players replaced the stones on the goban and finished the game before they realised what had happened in the real world.

--Stefan

The game was played in a suburb about four miles outside Hiroshima city limits. U. S. planes had dropped leaflets warning of dropping a "terrible new" kind of bomb, and advising people to evacuate. However, most people thought it was a trick.

Segoe, the referee, was at the open window when the bomb exploded. He did not hear a sound, but saw several blue flashes in the sky. He turned and said, "The bomb . . ." and was blown off his feet.

--BillSpight



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