Sansa

Honinbo Sansa (Japanese: 本因坊算砂, or Nikkai (Japanese: 日海), 1559–1623) was the first head of the Honinbo house, first Meijin Godokoro and a Meijin Shogidokoro?.

Honinbo Sansa was a Buddhist priest of the Nichiren sect and his dharma name was Nikkai. He lived in a temple pavilion called Honinbo, where he taught go and shogi. After becoming Meijin, he took the name of Sansa.

"In 1588, Nobunaga's successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, organized a large-scale competition to systematize the rankings of Go players. Nikkai, a high-ranking Buddhist monk, who was Nobunaga's Go teacher, won this competition and Hideyoshi decreed that from then on all other players should take black or a larger handicap from him. Nikkai was also awarded a stipend which began the government patronage that enabled go to flourish in Japan." (Bozulich, 1999) ^[1][2]

Honinbo Sansa & Kashio Rigen

For many years it was believed that Honinbo Sansa had a rivalry with a person named Kashio Rigen. However, evidence referred by Fairbairn & Hall (2009, p. 198-9) suggests that in all probability the name Kashio Rigen was a confusion based upon another text, where the two names Kashio and Rigen are immediately next to each other.^[3] This would mean that Kashio and Rigen are different people and Honinbo Sansa had a rivaly with two individuals, rather than a single person.

Pupils^[4]

• Honinbo Sanetsu
• Honinbo Sanseki
• Nakamura Doseki
• Yasui Santetsu

Book

He published a book titled Honinbo Joseki Sakumono (本因坊定石作物) in 1607, a collection of 155 problems (most are well-known classics). It was the first printed Go book in Japan. Available at the Japanese National Diet Library here

Notes

• In a Hikaru no Go chapter, Kimihiro Tsutsui acts as Nikkai in a play.

References

^[1] Bozulich, R. (1999). Go Seigen, the 20th century's greatest player. Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved May 30, 2005 from http://gostart.ru/e017.html.

^[2] JaredBeck/DevelopmentOfGoEarlyHistory

^[3] Fairbairn, J. & Hall, T. M. (2009). The Go companion: Go in history and culture. Richmond, VA: Slate & Shell.

^[4] Nihon Kiin. (1995). Igo Nenkan 1995. Tokyo, Japan: Nihon Kiin Publishing.