Honinbo house
The house of Honinbo was one of the Four houses in the golden era of Go.
This is a list of the historic Honinbos, including the heirs who did not succeed to the Head of the House. (Heirs will not have a number before their use name.)
1 | Sansa | 算砂 | Meijin | 1612-1623 |
2 | Sanetsu | 算悦 | 8-Dan | 1630-1658 |
3 | Doetsu | 道悦 | 7-Dan | 1658-1677 |
4 | Dosaku | 道策 | Meijin | 1677-1702 |
(h) | Doteki | 道的 | 7-Dan | 1684-1690 |
(h) | Sakugen | 策元 | 7-Dan | 1692-1699 |
5 | Dochi | 道知 | Meijin | 1702-1727 |
6 | Chihaku | 知伯 | 6-Dan | 1727-1733 |
7 | Shuhaku | 秀伯 | 6-Dan | 1733-1741 |
8 | Hakugen | 伯元 | 6-Dan | 1741-1754 |
9 | Satsugen | 察元 | Meijin | 1754-1788 |
10 | Retsugen | 烈元 | 8-Dan | 1788-1808 |
11 | Genjo | 元丈 | 8-Dan | 1808-1827 |
12 | Jowa | 丈和 | Meijin | 1827-1839 |
13 | Josaku | 丈策 | 7-Dan | 1839-1847 |
14 | Shuwa | 秀和 | 8-Dan | 1847-1873 |
(h) | Shusaku | 秀策 | 7-Dan | 1848-1862 |
15 | Shuetsu | 秀悦 | 6-Dan | 1873-1879 |
16 | Shugen | 秀元 | 4-Dan | 1879-1884 |
17 | Shuei | 秀栄 | 7-Dan | 1884-1886 |
18 | Shuho | 秀甫 | 8-Dan | 1886 |
19 | Shuei | 秀栄 | Meijin | 1887-1907 |
20 | Shugen | 秀元 | 6-Dan | 1907-1908 |
21 | Shusai | 秀哉 | Meijin | 1908-1940 |
Note: The 17th and 19th Honinbo are the same person, and the 16th and 20th are the same, too. Also from 1864-1884 Shuei had been head of the Hayashi school.
The last hereditary Honinbo, Shusai, gave (or sold) his title to the Nihon Ki-in so as to turn it into a tournament title.
The Nihon Ki-in has recently started numbering those players who have qualified for the Honorary Honinbo title (by winning the Hon'inbo title five times in a row or ten times if not in a row) as a continuation of the above list, as follows:
22 | Takagawa Kaku | 高川秀格 |
23 | Sakata Eio | 坂田栄男 |
24 | Ishida Yoshio | 石田芳夫 |
25 | Cho Chikun | 趙治勲 |