Jowa

Honinbo Jowa (本因坊丈和, a.k.a. Kadono Matsunosuke 葛野松之助, Kadono Jowa, or Jowa; 1787–1847) was the 12th head of the Honinbo house. He became Meijin-Godokoro in 1831. He has been noted for his extremely strong playing strength and infamous intrigues.

Table of contents Rank Progression Biography Controversy Style Reputation Children Contemporaries Pupils Jowa's Go Advice Books Monument Related Material English Commentaries Notes

Rank Progression

1807 - 1d
1815 - 5d
1819 - 6d
1827 - 7d, Honinbo after retirement of Genjo
1828 - 8d, jun-meijin
1831 - Meijin

Biography

Jowa's origins were considered very murky for a long time. However, a Buddhist monk named Ōsawa Eikō (大沢永弘) privately published a book "Honinbō jōwa shutsuji kō" (本因坊丈和出自考, "Thoughts on the birth of Jowa") in 1984. He concluded that Jowa was born in today's Numazu, Shizuoka, as a son of a wholesale fish merchant, after diligent new research. As was common in the Edo period, Jowa changed his name several times. According to Osawa, he was born Kadono Issaku (一作), later Kanichi (貫一), Minosuke (巳之助), Matsunosuke and Kadono Jowa at various points. He was described as being of short stature, with bushy eyebrows and full cheeks.

Very few game records exist before about 1807, when he was 20 and about 2-dan. At that point he left Edo to what is now Yamagata-ken and played a 21 game series against Nagasaka Inosuke. Although Nagasaka was officially also a 2-dan, the series started with Jowa taking sen in recognition of Nagasaka's strength. Jowa forced the handicap down to sen-ai-sen.

On returning to Edo, he began to improve rapidly and made 5-dan in 1815.

After the premature death of Okunuki Chisaku in 1812, who had been the prospective heir to the Honinbo House, Jowa's chances for career progression improved. In 1819, he was recognised as Honinbo Genjo's heir and promoted to 6-dan. In the official notification however, it appears that Jowa's age is understated by 8-years and Genjo's by 2. This perhaps reflects that, at 31, Jowa was a little on the old side. He also first played in the castle games in 1819, taking Black and beating Yasui Chitoku by 5-points.

Another famous jubango Jowa played was against 'Yonezo from Awa' (Shinomiya Yonezo), a famous go gambler. To Yonezo's surprise, Genjo recommended they play with a two stone handicap (Yonezo as black) and Jowa won 5, lost 4 & 1 jigo.

Controversy

Jowa and Gennan Inseki both had ambitions for the title of Meijin. A period of political struggle took place, with all the interested parties involved in different schemes. Jowa was eventually made meijin without playing a sogo against any of the other senior players. That he didn't have to prove himself over the board was thanks to Hayashi Gembi. Gembi used contacts of his within the Government to help Jowa. In exchange Jowa had agreed to promote Gembi to 8 dan upon becoming meijin.

Jowa never fulfilled this secret promise, angering Gembi. Gennan Inseki and those close to him were also outraged at Jowa's successful scheming. However the title of Meijin Godokoro was effectively a non-playing title. This meant that they had little chance of proving over the board that Jowa was not worthy of the position. Their one chance came in the famous Blood Vomiting Game when Jowa was maneuvered into playing the rapidly improving Akaboshi Intetsu. To have lost to Intetsu, several ranks Jowa's junior, would have had implications upon Jowa's status. The game initially swung Intetsu's way, but Jowa managed to salvage a win. Tragically, whether due to the effort of the game or not, Intetsu died shortly after being beaten by Jowa.

After his contacts had died, Gembi eventually revealed the secret agreement he and Jowa had made and the bakufu officials forced Jowa into retirement in 1839.

Style

Jowa's two largest strengths were his ability to read out even the most complex situations to the end and discover profound or sharp moves in the process. He played a style of power go that often lead to complex fighting and multi-group life and death situations. The threat of capturing races and ko fights loomed constantly, especially in his handicap games. This could lead to spectacular reversals, sacrifices and trades. He disliked running with weak groups so attacked problems head-on with powerful responses that could often overpower the opponent. The result made Jowa one of the most powerful fighters in go history.

However, his reading wasn't just for middle game fighting, but extended into the endgame. This was due to the fact that in his games groups often remained unsettled or contained residual defects entering into the endgame.

He was also a master of rescuing weak groups. In fact, Segoe Kensaku, 9d recommended amateurs not to study Jowa's games, because the way he could rescue lost causes made the games too difficult to learn from.^[1]

In his attempt to find josekies that catered to his play style, Jowa innovated several variations. He preferred outcomes stressing outward influence, attacking potential and complications.

Reputation

Jowa was said to have "superhuman strength without equal" (怪力無双). Historically he was accorded the title 'latter sage' (後聖) to match Dosaku (who was known as the 'former sage' 前聖). At some point in the Meiji era this title was transferred to the more wholesome Shusaku. ^[2]

Children

Inoue Setsuzan Inseki - First child
Hana - Second child and future wife of Shusaku)
Nakagawa Kamesaburo - Third child

Contemporaries

Yasui Senchi
Inoue Gennan Inseki
Hayashi Gembi
Hattori Inshuku (Gennan's stepfather)

Pupils

Honinbo Shuwa

Jowa's Go Advice

The book Zain Danso contains a passage attributed to Jowa about go improvement. The original Japanese text is as follows (from the 1910 edition):

夫れ奕碁に三法あり石立、分れ、堅めなり此三つ宜き時は其業大功なり三つの内一を得ば凡ならず凡そ三十手或は五十手百手にして勝負を知るを修行の第一とす修行に正邪二つあり正道に志せば上達し邪道に志せば下達す邪道とは慾心強きを云ふ慾心は見えぬ手を見出さんとして調子長く成って起きる手筋を云ふ知らざれば考へてもなかなか見えぬものなり故に打つほどに下達す正道は慾心深からざるを云ふ其の術早打にして手筋を心掛くるにあり早きときは慾心出る隙なし慾心出でざれば手筋好く次第に上達す是れ初心第一の心意なり又地取、石取、敵地へ深入りし石を逃ぐる皆悪し夫れ地取は隙なり石取は無理なり深入りは慾心なり石を逃ぐるは臆病なり故に地と石とを取らず深入りせば石を捨て打つべし地を取らざるは堅固、石を取らざるは素直、深入せざるは無欲なり石を捨つるは尖きなり兎角我石を備え堅むるを第一とし次に敵の透間を打つべし是の如くするときは手筋素直にして上達速やかなり初心の業正道に入り易く上達し易からんことを示すのみ

A translation of the text, by John Fairbairn, can be found over on L19 here.

Books

• Kokugi Kanko

Monument

Numazu Branch of the Nihon Kiin built a monument at Jowa's birthplace in 2017, featuring calligraphy by Cho Chikun. Another small monument features a position from the Blood Vomiting Game.

Related Material

• Honinbo Jowa - Complete Game Collection
• The Fury of Jowa and the Blood-Vomiting Game (paid) — More information on the life of Honinbo Jowa in this interactive video course on Go Magic

English Commentaries

Notes

[1] Go World, Iss. 33 p. 52
[2] Source: John Fairbairn's article, "Honinbo Jowa - Sage or Scoundrel" (5 May 2000) from the now defunct Mindzine.