The Amashi Masterpiece

May to June 1820. Edo, Japan. Kadono Jowa, 6-dan and future Meijin, met Yasui Chitoku, better known as Yasui Senchi, an 8-dan master of the Yasui house and one of the Four Sages of classical go. Their game, played across four sessions from 21 May to 25 June 1820 (Bunsei 3), is frequently cited as one of the best games of the entire Edo period: 259 moves, no komi, Black wins by two points.

Amashi on the Board

Amashi is a strategy of giving the opponent territory in the early and middle game while building outward influence and efficiency, then converting that influence into a winning margin in the endgame. Though the concept is associated with earlier masters such as Honinbo Dosaku, Senchi was its great Edo-period exponent. In this game he played White and executed amashi with a subtlety that impressed commentators for generations.

Jowa held the advantage of the first move and pressed steadily. Senchi allowed White to take substantial corner and side territory, trusting that his outward-facing position would prove sufficient. The game remained close throughout: a two-point margin in an era without komi is a narrow verdict indeed.

Why It Is Remembered

Go historians note a paradox at the heart of this game's fame. Black won, yet it is Senchi's amashi that is praised. The explanation is aesthetic and instructional: the kifu demonstrates how a master can play a strategically rich game as White, surrendering territory without losing control of the whole-board flow, even when the final count favours Black by the slimmest margin.

Jowa's victory confirmed his strength at a critical moment in his career. Senchi's play confirmed his reputation as a sage whose games belonged in every serious student's library. Together they produced a record that VitWiki and other historical surveys rank among the essential games of the 19th century.

Primary sources for this account include the CWI Amsterdam game archive (RE[B+2], 259 moves, DT[1820-05-21,06-10,24,25]), VitWiki's famous games index, and Sensei's Library entries on Yasui Senchi and amashi strategy.