Nihon Ki-in
Table of contents |
History
The Nihon Ki-in (literally "Japan Go Association") is the principal Japanese go association. It is based in Tokyo and was formed in July 1924. The main driver was the Kanto earthquake, which caused great financial hardship among the existing Go groups of the time.
Baron Okura Kishichiro was a primary patron of the new organization, investing ¥100,000 in a newly built hall in Tameike, Akasaka, completed in April 1926, and further supporting it with ¥1,000 a month through 1937. This hall, pictured at this site (
http://www.gobooks.info/pics/p47.jpg )
, was destroyed during World War II by the USAF strategic air campaign against the Japanese home islands.
The first president of the Nihon Ki-in was Makino Nobuaki, a great Go patron himself, with Okura Kishichiro serving as vice president. The vast majority of pros at the time joined the fledgling organization, excepting the Inoue faction in Osaka and Nozawa Chikucho. A brief splinter group called Kiseisha was created soon after the Nihon Ki-in was formed, but most of the players involved had returned to the Nihon Ki-in within a couple of years. There have been many other such groups over the years (see Outside the Ki-ins for a list). By far the most important is the Kansai Ki-in in Osaka, formed in 1950 and still active today.
Among the innovations of the Nihon Ki-in were the organization of the Oteai promotion system, the introduction of time limits, and the introduction of amateur rank diplomas.
Web Site
- Japanese language -
http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp
- English language -
http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/index-e.htm
Current Japanese Go news is posted to the English language site every week or two, and there is an archive of older news going back to 1998. It pays particular attention to news of Western professionals at the Nihon Ki-in. This section has recently been titled the "Redmond Report" for detailing the activities of Michael Redmond 9-dan.
Related Pages
- Insei
- Oteai (old promotion system)
- Yugen no Ma
- Nihon Ki-in new promotion system
- Nihon Ki-in new tournament system
- Nihon Ki-in Hall of Fame
- Nihon Ki-in Offices
- Nihon Ki-in Championship (defunct tournament)
- Professional Go Associations
- International Go Federation
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Page with contact information for the Nihon Kiin (Imagist: I didn't copy the contact information here because I'm afraid people will unwisely inundate them with emails. If there is a general feeling of disagreement, someone else can copy it over)
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MindZine article on the early Oteai