Jubango

    Keywords: Rules, Culture & History, Go term

Chinese: 十番棋 shí fān qí
Japanese: 十番碁 (jūbango)
Korean: -

Jubango, a Japanese go term adopted into English meaning ten-game match, is a contest between two players consisting of ten games. Typically the games in these matches were not played with a komi, but according to a system that changes the handicap as a function of who won the previous games. Therefore the implication of jubango can be a little more than simply playing ten games. (See Jubango handicaps.)

In most cases a jubango was played at a leisurely, rather than an intense pace, spread out over some months and different locations.

In the Edo period jubango, or other similar challenges, were used to settle disputes on who was the stronger player: they were involved more often than not in the difficult, and at times protracted, struggle for the Meijin and Godokoro posts, or for a promotion.

These challenges were a very serious affair; the honour of the player and of his House was at stake, and the dishonour of the loser or, worse, the humiliation of being forced to a higher handicap by the uchikomi system surpasses the imagination. This is why in Japan it has been popularly considered so bloodthirsty.

The modern master of jubango was undoubtedly Go Seigen. In part because of his position (inside or outside the Nihon Ki-in), the Yomiuri newspaper organised several matches between Go and the other top players of the mid 1930s to 1950s.


Notable matches past and present

1645-1653 - Honinbo Sanetsu vs. Yasui Sanchi: a six-game sogo for the title of Meijin. Played on tagai-sen, Black won all games, resulting in a 3-3 draw. As a result, neither player was promoted to Meijin.

1668-1676 - Honinbo Doetsu vs. Yasui Sanchi: Sanchi had managed to become Meijin Godokoro by means of political manoeuvering. Doetsu objected, asking for a Sogo. It was granted on the condition that if Doetsu lost he would be exiled forever.

It was a sixty-game affair, with the handicap changing after a lead of six wins or four in succession. The match started on jou-sen, the handicap for a two-rank difference, being Doetsu 7 dan and Sanchi formally the Meijin, i.e. 9 dan.

It seems that the first game ended in Jigo thanks to a previous agreement: this set up the custom to have the first game of a sogo end up in a prearranged jigo.

After 16 games the score was 9-3-4 jigo in Doetsu's favour. The handicap was lowered to sen-ai-sen, but Doetsu won 3 games out of the next four, losing only as white. Sanchi had enough of it; he abandoned the match and resigned as both Meijin and Godokoro.

1705-1706 - Honinbo Dochi vs. Yasui Senkaku: Senkaku (6 dan) had refused to let Dochi (4 dan) play on even against him in the Castle Games, even though he knew Dochi was stronger than his rank. A sogo of ten games was arranged, with the compromise handicap of sen-ai-sen.

Dochi won the first game from a desperate position by finding an exquisite and famous yose tesuji, then went on to win the second and the third with white. Senkaku saw he had no hopes: he abandoned the challenge, apologising and accepting to play Dochi on even terms. (the famous tesuji)

1737-1740 - Honinbo Shuhaku vs. Inoue Shunseki Inseki: Shuhakus application for promotion to 7 dan was blocked by Hayashi Incho Monnyu (whose application to Meijin had been opposed by the Honinbo and Yasui Houses some time before). Shuhaku challenged Incho to a sogo but the latter refused on grounds of his illness. Shunseki then stepped in to play in his place.

After two and half years only 8 games had been played: Shuhaku was ahead 4-3-1 jigo, but then he suffered a serious stomach haemorrhage. The match had to be suspended. Shuhaku died shortly afterwards, in early 1741.

1766-1767 - Honinbo Satsugen vs. Inoue Shunseki Inseki: a twenty-games sogo to decide the Meijin. After the traditional prearranged jigo in the first game, Satsugen won the next 5 games and applied for a change in the handicap. A series of mutual objections were made by the players regarding the conditions for changing the handicap, until the match was suspended.

Eventually Satsugen was nominated Meijin but wasn't given the post of Godokoro.

1840 - Shuwa vs. Inoue Gennan Inseki: Gennan's application for Meijin Godokoro was opposed by Honinbo Josaku, who put forward his heir Shuwa for a sogo. Only one game was played though, as Shuwa's 4-point win with black was so convincing that Gennan abandoned the match and rescinded his application.

1842 - Shuwa vs. Inoue Gennan Inseki: Again, only one game was played, Shuwa winning this time by six points. Thereafter, Gennan gave up all hopes to become Meijin.

1846-1847 - Honinbo Shuwa vs. Shusaku: a seventeen-game series between teacher and pupil. Shusaku won 13-4, but Shusaku played at jou-sen throughout because he refused to play white out of respect for his teacher; as a result, it is not known which of the two players is stronger.

1851 - Shusaku vs. Sekiyama Sendaiu: The strongest amateur of the Edo period, samurai Sekiyama Sendaiyu, arranged for Shusaku to come to Matsushiro for a twenty game series of teaching games. The games were played in only twenty days, one each day, with Sekiyama using 5-3 in each of them and Shusaku never playing an opening twice.

1853 - Shusaku vs. Ota Yuzo: a friendly thirty-game match (sanjubango). It started on even, and it took Shusaku 17 games to force a change in the handicap. The final score was 13-7-3 jigo in Shusaku's favour. The sanjubango marked the end of the Golden Era

1861 - Shusaku vs. Shuho: a friendly jubango with Shuho playing at jou-sen. Shuho won 6-3-1 Jigo.

1933-34 - Go Seigen 5p vs. Kitani Minoru 5p: The match was abandoned at 3-3, due to Kitani being promoted from 5p to 6p.

1939-40 - Go Seigen 7p vs. Kitani Minoru 7p: 6-4 (started even, Kitani was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 6 games (5-1)). There were only five 7p players at the time, but three of them were from the older generation. The match was regared as the fight to determine who was the real #1 in the world. Before the match, Kitani and Go were considered two of the best players. After the match, Go was considered the undisputed #1, and Kitani's career never recovered.

1941-42 - Go Seigen 7p vs. Karigane Junichi 8p: 4-1 (started even, abandoned to avoid possible embarrassment for Karigane, since one more loss would mean Karigane having to play with sen-ai-sen handicap). Karigane was probably the number two player after Shusai in the world for the period between 1907 and 1926.

1942-44 - Go Seigen 8p vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke 6p: 4-6 (started with Fujisawa playing with josen handicap; handicap not changed). Fujisawa was very young and held great potential. Some even considered him a strong candidate to be the next Meijin (long before the title was converted into a tournament).

1946-48 - Go Seigen 8p vs. Hashimoto Utaro 8p: 6-3-1 (started even, Hashimoto was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 8 games (6-2)). After WWII, Go abandoned playing go completely and lost his Nihon Ki-in membership. This match brought him back to playing go again. Hashimoto won the first game easily. After the game, Hashimoto told people "Even Go Seigen doesn't know how to play go now". In the second game, Hashimoto was far ahead until the end game. For some reason, Hashimoto lost his focus and lost this game. Starting from game 3, Go was was back in form, and Hashimoto could no longer hold his own. After the match, Go Seigen once again was back to the top of the Go world.

1948-49 - Go Seigen 8p vs. Iwamoto Kaoru Honinbo: 7-2-1 (started even, Iwamoto was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap handicap after 6 games (5-1)). Iwamoto (8p) was the Honinbo title holder at the time.

1949-50 - Go Seigen 8p vs. a team of 10 6p, 7p players (with 6p playing with josen handicap, 7p playing with sen-ai-sen handicap): 8-1-1 (The loss was against Kubouchi Shuchi, the jigo against Sumino Takeshi). Go Seigen was not a member of Nihon Ki-in at this time, and he coundn't participate in any regular Nihon Ki-in matches. Meanwhile, Fujisawa Kuranosuke was promoted all the way to 9p by the Nihon Kiin through a point-based promotion system that was instituted after the war; while Go Seigen, considered by many to be the #1 player in the world, was still stuck at 8p. This match was arranged as a promotion match for Go Seigen, and given his impressive results in this Jubango, he was promoted to 9p via special recommendation by the Nihon Kiin. This promotion created the unprecedented situation of there being two 9p players at the same time (previously, 9p is the special reserve of Meijin).

1950-51 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Hashimoto Utaro Honinbo: 5-3-2 (started with Hashimoto playing with sen-ai-sen handicap, handicap not changed). Hashimoto (8p) was Honinbo title holder at the time. The match was played as a stop-gap while the Yomiuri newspaper negotiated a Jubango between Go Seigen and Fujisawa Kuranosuke, the only two 9p players at the time.

1951-52 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke 9p: 7-2-1 (started even, Fujisawa was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 9 games (6-2-1)). This was a highly anticipated match, as it pitted the only two 9p players against each other to determine the strongest player of the day. Fujisawa was beaten down one rank and thoroughly outplayed by Go Seigen. This was a great humiliation for Fujisawa, who as the only other 9p, was expected to be Go Seigen's sole equal. Fujisawa refused to accept this state of affairs and promptly challenged Go Seigen to another Jubango.

1952-53 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke 9p: 5-1 (abandoned after Fujisawa was beaten down from sen-ai-sen handicap to josen handicap). Fujisawa suffered yet another humiliating defeat and was further beaten down to the handicap of playing black in every game against Go Seigen. To avoid further embarrassment to Fujisawa, this match was abandoned after the 6th game. Fujisawa's career was in ruins, and thereafter he resigned from the Nihon Kiin and went into semi-retirement, changing his given name to Hosai.

1953-54 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Sakata Eio 8p: 6-2 (abandoned after Sakata was beaten down from sen-ai-sen handicap to josen handicap). Due to Sakata's previous victory over Go Seigen in a six game match, Sakata was seen as having the best chance to defeat Go Seigen in a Jubango. Despite having the advantage of playing at sen-ai-sen handicap, Sakata was savagely beaten down to josen handicap in only 8 games. The match was abandoned to avoid further humiliation for Sakata.

1954-1955 - Hashimoto Utaro vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke: Hashimoto won 6-3, beating Fujisawa down to sen-ai-sen. A very detailed account of this historic match can be found [ext] here.

1955-56 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Takagawa Kaku Honinbo: 8-2 (started even, Takagawa was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 8 games (6-2)). Takagawa (8p) was the Honinbo title holder at the time (he would go on to hold that title for nine consecutive years), but Go Seigen easily dispatched Takagawa in this Jubango. This was to be Go Seigen's last Jubango, as there were no credible opponents left to continue the matches; during the previous two decades, Go Seigen had beaten all the top players and proved that he was, at the very least, one rank stronger than any of them.


Wiki Master Editors note: It would be nice if someone could contribute a bit more background information on Go Seigen's matches, or tell us about some more modern Jubangos played by other players. Last version prior to WME was version 30.


This is a copy of the living page "Jubango" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2011 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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