HoninboGenjo/discussion (version 1)

(By an IP user on 7 July 2024): And in what sense was the deleted portion (Privy Council) a mistranslation? The term 枢機 is widely known from the Book of Changes and has long been used in China (and copied in Japan) to refer to the pivotal powers in any enterprise but especially in state affairs. By extension, it came to mean those of high status close to the Emperor (or Shogun), and in Song times it was actually formalised into a Privy Council. In the case of this book, Genjo points out that these were records handed down within the Honinbo family from the time of Sansa. He is implying that the Honinbos were in the position, within the go world, of privy councillors. Nowhere in his text does he discuss key points of fuseki or tactics or anything else, and so it is 'key points' which is the mistranslation. He just presents lots and lots of Honinbo games to show they were the top players. Metaphors are allowed in book titles.

hnishy:　Literally, 枢 is a kind of doorlock and 機 is the trigger of crossbow. So 枢機 basically means "something very important" and can be used in any field. The word has been used in political context too, but it's wrong to assume a metaphor for something in a different field when the basic meaning is sufficient. There are no references to politics in the book's foreword and afterword - it's just a go book.　If you insist, please show us some concrete evidence that the metaphorical meaning was the author's intention.