History of Shogi

The origins of Shogi remain obscure. The eldest mention of Shogi is the Kirinshô, a text dated 1027 which just explains how to calligraphy the characters on the pieces. From Nara and about the same time (1058-1059) 16 pieces in Hinoki wood (Japanese cypress) have been conserved. They have already the same shape as modern pieces. Along with them was found a wooden tag used for writing purposes, on which Japanese archaeologists have identified the characters for Suizô, meaning “Drunk Elephant”.

Earliest extant Shogi pieces conserved in the Kôfukuji at Nara
(Thanks to Peter Banaschak for these illustrations)

Shogi is then mentioned in several personal diaries but no useful information is recorded about the game rules. One must wait until 1230 when the Nichûreki details two different forms of Shogi: one over a 8x8 and/or a 8x9 board (both might have existed), the other over a large 13x13 board.

The first one is is called Heian Sho Shogi (Little Heian Shogi) in reference to the important Heian period (794-1185) of Japanese history.game was played over a 8x8 and/or 9x8 . It had only six different kinds of pieces (King, Gold General, Silver General, Knight, Lance, and Pawn). The game has been reconstructed with all pieces promoting to Gold General on reaching the 3rd rank, and that baring the opponents King wins the game. An interesting point is that both Hisha and Kakugyo (Rook and Bishop) were not present. Those two pieces were (maybe) used in the enlarged variant only.

About 1300, the Futsû shôdôshû written by a Buddhist monk describes two forms again: Dai Shogi (Large Shogi) which was played on 15x15 board with 130 pieces and Sho Shogi (Little Shogi).

Sho Shogi was played over a regular Shogi-ban of 9x9 spaces and each player had 21 pieces which were those still in use in modern Shogi, with the remarkable introduction of both Hisha (Rook) and Kakugyo (Bishop), plus a Suizo, a Drunk Elephant. The Suizo moved 1 space on 7 directions (all except backward). This piece was potentially a very important piece, as it promoted to a Taishi, Crown Prince. A player who gained a Crown Prince effectively acquired a second King as the Crown Prince had also to be captured (or bared) before the opponent could win the game.

Diagram in the Sho Shogi Zushiki (1694) were drops are suggested.
One notes the presence of the Drunk Elephant on the middle of the 2nd row.
(From John Fairbairn)

Sho Shogi was then stabilized for a long time. It was one of the variants played by people, as Dai Shogi and, also, Chu Shogi (Middle Shogi), on a 12x12 board, were equally popular. In the 15th centuries, even larger variants were recorded on 17x17, 19x19 and even 25x25 boards.

Several Shogi pieces were excavated in 1943-44 from a grave of the Asakura clan in Fukui. They have been dated to 1567 and the 98 pieces, of which 20 are illegible, contain exactly those pieces that would be needed for this Sho Shogi and no others. There are Kings, Golds, Silvers, Knights, Lances, Pawns, Rooks, Bishops (10!) - and Drunk Elephants. Apart from the lack of the other pieces the presence of Knights seems to rule out Middle Shogi.

On the 16th century, the drop concept has been introduced in Sho Shogi. It is possible that drops were inspired by the Japanese war custom in that period were many valorous knights fought as mercenaries, switching sides to get better income or profit. Tradition says that Emperor Go-Nara (reigning 1527 or 1536-1557) reformed Sho Shogi by permitting drops. In exchange, it is supposed that the Drunk Elephant was definitively withdrawn. Modern Shogi was born.

In 1612, the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa asked Sansa Honinbo, the best player of Go and Shogi of his time, to found the first professional academy for these two games. Sansa did it along with Sokei Ohashi (1555-1634) who became the first Meijin (Grand Master). In 1636, Sokei's son, Soko Ohashi published the Shogi Zushiki, a treatise with the essential standardised rules of modern Shogi.