High school Go clubs in Tokyo (version 1)

Needless to say, Tokyo has more (junior) high schools than other prefectures. Therefore, it is believed that Tokyo has a stronger youth Go culture than any other places in Japan. This article includes topics about junior high school Go clubs because most private high schools in Tokyo have an affiliated junior high school.

High school games in Tokyo

In Tokyo, there are various games for (junior) high school students.

THSGA sponsored games

• Local preliminaries of the High School Championship (by Nihon Ki-in) and the High School Invitational Tournament (by Kansai Ki-in), not allowed for former Inseis
• Large-scale friendship matches in summer and winter, limited to junior high school students
• Training sessions with the Kanto Student Go Association (KSGA)

This is possible because Tokyo has:

• More students and teachers than other regions, note that the Tokyo High School Go Association (THSGA) and the Tokyo Junior High School Go Association are made by school Go club teachers.
• Convienient railway services (JR lines, Tokyo Metro, Tokyo Public Subway etc.)
• Many Go facilities, not only Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya but also other clubs (such as the Shinjuku Go Center)
• Stronger Internet connection than mountain areas, so they can easily cooperate with other schools, Chiba and Yokohama (affiliated to the Kanagawa Prefecture Go Association)

To participate THSGA sponsored games in Tokyo. You have to apply through your school's Go club teacher. Schools with THSGA membership can get a discount with their application fee. Some schools require additional authorization from the Principal or other executives.

KSGA sponsored games

Behalf of THSGA, KSGA is sponsoring the

• Kanto Studnet Go Carnival
• All Japan Student Go Championship (with PandaNet and the All Japan Student Go Federation)
• All Japan Student Go Best 10

The main target of these games are bachelor students but allows the attendance of high school students (and graduate students). THSGA are not responsible for these games but sometimes support the advertisements of them. In order to apply for KSGA sponsored games, high school students must directly take contact and make their payments to KSGA. Any high school students can join unless their school prohibits them.

Myth about high school Go clubs in Tokyo

In Tokyo, there is a myth about high school Go clubs in Tokyo that states "Schools with higher reputation have stronger Go clubs". There are some examples and many counterexamples, which are shown in the following table.

School Name	Gender	Type	Benesse Corporation Ratings (BCR)	Go club status
Kaisei Academy	Male	Private	78 (Highest in Tokyo private schools)	25 appearances at the High School Championship, 6-time high school champion (1994, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019), and 2019 winner at the High School Invitational Tournament
Ochanomizu Women's Univ. Affiliated	Girls	National	78 (Highest in Tokyo)	No data
Tsukuba Univ. Affiliated	Co-educational	National	78 (Highest in Tokyo)	No data
Tsukuba Univ. Affiliated Komaba	Boys	National	78 (Highest in Tokyo)	33 appearances at the High School Championship and 4-time high school champion (2000, 2003-2005)
Tokyo Gakugei Univ. Affiliated	Co-educational	National	77	2011 high school champion
Keio Girls	Female	Private	77	No data
Waseda Jitsugyo	Co-educational	Private	76	Some alumni members have contributed to the Waseda University Go Club
Toshimagaoka Girls Academy	Female	Private	75	2006 and 2014 winner at the High School Championship, 3-time winner at the High School Invitational Tournament (2012, 2015 and 2019)
International Christian Univ. Affiliated	Co-educational	Private	73	No data
Nishi	Co-educational	Public	73 (Highest in Tokyo public schools)	No data
Hibiya	Co-educational	Public	73	No data
Aoyama Gakuin Univ. Affiliated	Co-educational	Private	72	No data
Toyama Metropolitan	Co-educational	Public	72	2015 and 2016 winner of the High School Championship
Chuo Univ. Affiliated	Co-educational	Private	71	No data
Kokugakuin Univ. Affiliated Kugayama	Co-educational	Private	71	No data
Tachikawa	Co-educational	Public	71	No data
Kokugakuin Univ. Affiliated	Co-educational	Private	65	No data
Edogawa Girls	Female	Private	64-67 (BCR differs because their are several tests for admission)	No data
Jumonji	Female	Private	60-67 (BCR differs because their are several tests for admission)	No data
Fujimura Girls	Female	Private	45-55 (BCR differs because their are several tests for admission)	36 appearances at the High School Championship, 14-time high school champion (1977, 1979, 1985-1990, 1999-2003 and 2013), and 2007 winner at the High School Invitational Tournament

Benesse Corporation is one of the largest company in the Japanese education industry. Schools with BCR higher than 60 are regarded as hard schools, BCR higher than 70 are considered as very hard schools. Stronger schools and schools with higher BCR frequenlty gets important role in THSGA.

See also: High school Go clubs in Japan