The character "kei", (桂) as in the word for shogi knight, "keima" (桂馬), is a Jinmeiyō kanji or name kanji, but when used as a word in Japanese, can mean the katsura or Japanese Judas-Tree, the cinnamon tree, sweet osmanthus, laurel, or bay laurel. Cassia in English means cinnamon, or specifically Chinese Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) as opposed to regular "true" cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum). Laurel in English can mean a kind of small fragrant evergreen tree that can have black colored berries growing on it, as well as any plant in the Lauraceae family, or any other usually similar plant that is regionally named laurel. Bay Laurel specifically is Laurus nobilis, which was used in ancient Greece under the name daphne to fashion a laurel wreath, a symbol of high status. While "cassia horse" may potentially more accurately represent the connotation in Japanese, "laurel horse" seems to make more sense in English, and here's why: Because laurel was used historically as an award and the fact that in the video it seems more like he might have said "laurelled horse", which would use laurel as an adjective to mean something that has been awarded praise, it's possible that a synonymous translation of 桂馬 is "prize horse"! It seems safe to guess that the word could be based on perhaps a particularly prestigious breed or coloration of horse in ancient Japan, seeing as the word is quite old. However if anyone finds anything else in the future, feel free to lemme know! TL;DR: 桂馬 (keima) might have a similar meaning to "prize horse" in English.
Me too! I just learned how pieces moves in a tutorial, did some puzzles and win my first ever game against level 1 (800 ratings) bot in a 30 minutes game. I'm excited to play more but first I wanted to watch some lessons before jumping to level 2 (1100 ratings) bot. I don't know my actual rating but in chess there is a big skill gap between 800 and 1100. Better safe than sorry; I might catch and memorize some tips and tricks I learn here. Let's start with flipping pieces, who knows, one day we may play on real shogi board. Also playing shogi with international piece set is easier to recognize but I really want to learn and memorize kanji pieces. Again, who knows, one day we may play on real shogi board. :D
8:50 It's so strange to think that 14 years ago, someone would say "There are a lot of websites about shogi, and one of those, I found this one very good. It's Wikipedia. I don't know who wrote this, but it's great!". Now Wikipedia is THE site everyone knows and uses. It was really a different Internet age at that time.
Thanks for your kind comment. I'm surprised (also glad) to know there's a local shogi club in Netherlands. I've once been to Belgium on business, but never been to Netherlands. I want to visit there next time I go to Europe. I'll explain about openings in later lessons, so please look forward to it.
Just found the channel and its very helpful to understand. Sadly the channel doesn't upload anymore but I hope he is doing great 👍 during this pandemic and in general. Very helpful videos.
Hi, I'm glad to know that you're coming to Japan, and hope you enjoy your visit here. You can easily buy Shogi sets here in Japan. Reasonable ones are around 3,000 yen, I guess. Most expensive ones are more than 1,000,000 yen... (^o^;)
Hidetchi, I want to express my gratitude for your excellent teaching. I've been playing shogi for 3 years, and thanks to your guidance, I've gained a deep understanding of the game.
Very useful! I only vaguely knew that the slapping of the pieces was important to the culture of the game, from my research before constructing a board (it was mentioned that the board is raised to allow the board to resonate with the slapping down of the pieces). Now it's a skill I look forward to improving as I am learning the game!
The idea behind this way of slapping the piece is similar to that in Go. Basically the board is very crammed during a game, with pieces very close to each other. So if you put down a piece the normal way with your index finger and thump, it would be difficult and possibly dislocate other pieces around. That's why they invented this way of putting down a piece so that it won't affect other pieces.
@hirohiigo Chariots were in heavy use during the Springs and Autumn period, and the "minister" (相) piece is a defensive piece that can get around quickly on its own side of the board. The char. elephant（象) is used only as a homonym. An elephant would be used for offense and not defense. The fact that the Indian version uses an "elephant" in the same way suggests that Chaturanga is taken directly from Xiangqi but played in the squares instead of intersection points. Refer to the Xiangqi board.
Watching in 2021. I’m a long time chess player but I’ve recently become interested in Shogi. I can’t wait to play it with someone. Right now I’m still just learning the basics. But I am in awe just thinking of the kind of games that can be played. I love the pieces and their movements. Thanks!
awesome lessons! there is a lot of people trying to teach shogi on youtube but you make them really simple to understand and even go over the etiquette and other important facts.
I realy like how the video feels realy warm because of the light coming from his window or what and the yellowish colour of wood. It's such a peaceful environment isn't it.
Touching your opponent's pieces is rude in chess also, except when capturing. At a professional level, there is a rule that you _must_ capture any enemy piece you touch, if possible.
@hirohiigo I said that the placement and not the functionality of the piece was similar to the cannon in Xiangqi. Just because there were variations of Shogi before the 9x9 version was settled on, does not mean there could have been influence. It's not unreasonable to make this observation given that Xiangqi predates Shogi by several hundred years at least and the Japanese made more than 1 trip to China to pick up things.
Wow!!!! You know the person who wrote that!? I'm so surprised, and so glad to receive a comment from you. Oh, and articles on Shogi variants, too? (like Chu-shogi, so on?) I'll check it out! I know how to play Go and Mahjong. But I'm not a good player, not good enough to explain them to people, so I can't. I hope someone will make english tutorials about them.
shingi-san's comment (the one just after yours) answers to your question perfectly. So please refer to it. You can see I've been using another set from Lesson#5, and the sound of that set is worse than in this video. It's because the set I used in this video is more expensive, and made from wood with high density and hardness.
Thank you for the advice. I won't use internationalized. (I don't even know where I can get it...) I've started using "one-letter pieces", which are surely still the correct Japanese pieces.
The snapping of the pieces is part of what gives shogi it's distinctive aesthetic. When setting a piece down, it's supposed to give that aural and tactile response. Apparently traditional Shogi floor tables are carved in such a way as to properly 'tune' this sound for maximum effect. You can also think of it as similar to why some people slurp loudly when eating noodles, as part of enhancing the overall experience.
@hirohiigo After the 2 cannons were added, there was a need to add the additional minister and counselor for extra protection and the modern version of Xiangqi looks like Chaturanga. Not the other way around. The original Xiangqi game has 1 counselor behind the general, 1 minister in front of the general, 2 horses, and 2 chariots, and no cannon. That is less pieces than the first Indian version. Janggi, the Korean version keeps the general in the middle intersection.
Your channel is wonderful and, unlike your own comment about it, I think your English is very good. I learned the moves of Shogi 30 years ago and I taught one other person to play and have only player with those two people, so I am less than a beginner. But one doesn't have to master something to see it's beautiful and I like to play badly occasionally. Thanks for your wonderful videos.
thank you soo much for posting this, i've always wanted to learn shogi but I've never ad the resources, just wanted to let you know your doing a great job explaining, your English is great by the way =D
@hirohiigo Another thing I have noticed regarding discussion of Shogi's origins is that the debate between Xiangqi and Chaturanga as being the first chess war game influences how people view the origin of Shogi. If one believes Xiangqi is an original game and Chaturanga was developed from it via the silk road, then thinking Shogi happened in a similar way is normal. But the West believes Chaturanga is first so naturally logic deduces that everything else is from Chaturanga.
@KampungJering Ya, the Japanese set sail across the ocean to pick up Chinese character and culture during the Tang dynasty and later on too and Xiangqi was one of them. Although it appears there may have been some influence from India too. Anyway, Koreans and Japanese all use Han Chinese characters or have used them in the past.
@hirohiigo We know that Chaturanga started around the 7th century or so. From the Chinese point of view, the earliest forms of Xiangqi come from around the Warring States or Spring and Autumn period, which is several hundred years before Chaturanga although people in the Western world don't like to acknowledge that. The minister in Xiangqi is a minister and not an elephant. The Indians changed it to an elephant at time to fit their culture. That piece does not move like an elephant.
@hirohiigo I just looked up Heian Shogi and it is similar, but the boards and some of the pieces are different with the gold general, knight, and lance. Shogi's origin is quite difficult to determine but I believe it may have been influenced by more than 1 source. The placement of the rook and bishop in the modern game is similar to the cannon in Xiangqi. From the Chinese point of view, the Japanese borrowed an entire written language for their own so a chess game is no biggie.
Great lessons so far. I finally understand the basics of Shogi. My father tried to teach me this game before. He thought I might enjoy it as I was playing chess since I was 7 years old. Sadly, he wasn't a very good teacher. =D I know people already said this before but I have to say you speak English very well.
@hirohiigo I meant the 相 in Xiangqi means minister and not Chaturanga. The meaning behind this piece is that it is for defense and can get around the countryside easily. It does not prove that Chaturanga is the original game. More research is needed. Elephants were generally not used in Chinese armies around in B.C. period. I didn't mean Indian armies. To put it simply, the Chinese date their game back to around 800 or more years before Chaturanga. If that's true, it didn't come from Chaturanga.
Hi! I think it's great how you explain Shogi. I've recently started playing at a local club. At the moment I'm working on openings and am very curious to your lessons on that subject. Please keep up your great work. Kind greetings from the Netherlands (Europe)
@leejh27 The placement of the rook and bishop aren't influenced by xiangqi at all. In fact, they're influenced by Chu Shogi! Heian Shogi evolved into some bigger variants such as Chu Shogi, Tai Shogi, etc. After these versions were developed, a variant called Sho Shogi developed that was placed with a Heian Shogi set but also including the Drunk Elephant, Flying Chariot, and Angle Goer pieces from Chu Shogi. The drunk elephant was removed, and drops were added, and now we have modern shogi.
@hirohiigo Chinese sources suggests no direct link with Chaturanga. Similarities can mean that either side influenced the other side and does not prove it one way or the other. If the earliest known version of Xinagqi does not resemble Chaturanga but the earliest known version of Chaturanga resembles the modern form of Xiangqi, it is more reasonable to assume Chaturanga came from Xiangqi and not the other way around. Please look at Chinese sources also. Would it be okay if you considered them?
Usually, that kanji is only read "katsu" and "koku". I've never seen a name that reads 克 as "sato" or "takeshi". But when we use kanji to name a baby, sometimes we put irregular reading to the kanji.
Thank you for answering the question for me. It's a perfect answer! This question was pretty difficult for me to answer in English.(^o^;) So it was really helpful. Thanks.
@leejh27 It's not that people are getting offended at the idea that the original chess game was created in China. But evidence tends to point to the fact that Chaturanga came first, due to the parallel history of India and the pieces, and the fact that Xiangqi shares the very unique knight movement with chaturanga which all chess variants share. Also keep in mind that there are at least 3 different games known as Xiangqi throughout China's history, some of which may not have been like chess.
Hi. This technique has nothing to do with the length of your fingers. You can make it look cool once you get used to it regardless of how your fingers are long. So just practice it for a while.
@leejh27 The style of the shogi pieces is similar to xiangqi, but I'm more inclined to believe shogi is based on the Thai game of Makruk more than it is xiangqi. Heian Shogi (played about 1,000 years ago) and Makruk are almost identical in gameplay.
@hirohiigo Yes, that is a good point, but it does not mean that it is the original game still. Have you done any direct research on Xiangqi's origins. It has nothing to do with Chaturanga or India and its only the Western world that keeps insisting that Chaturanga is first because that's what they want to believe. The 9x10 board is 1/4 of the 19x19 intersection game, and the first version of Xiangqi had no minister and just one counselor. Only later were 2 counselors and 2 ministers added.
Japanese makes use of "kanji" (Chinese characters) and two other alphabets (that are made of symbols for each vowel, plus symbols made of one or two English consonants and a vowel). For example: A, Ka, Ga, Sa, Za, Ra, Na... One alphabet is called katakana. It's used to spell modern Japanese words that are adapted from other languages. The other alphabet is hiragana, which is how most children's manga are written. Hiragana & katakana both have symbols representing 5 vowels, n/m, & syllables.
@leejh27 As for which came first, the pieces are based on a standard Indian army (foot soldiers, cavalry, chariots, and elephants), so I'm inclined to believe Chaturanga came first.
@hirohiigo Why does everyone seem to be so offended at the thought that a war board game could have originated in China independently of another culture? Why is it okay to believe the first war board game came from India, but any suggestion that Xiangqi predates the Indian version by several hundred years suddenly gets everyone riled up except for Chinese people? Weiqi (Go) comes from China but because there aren't like different variations of it, no one contests its origin.
@leejh27 I think you're mistaken about the elephant. Elephants were used in Indian armies. The word "Chaturanga" when not referring to the board game is a direct reference to an Indian army, which is made up of foot soldiers, chariots, cavalry, and war elephants. The fact that 象 acts only as a homonym, in my opinion, proves that Chaturanga was the original, because in Chaturanga it is a literal reference, while in Xiangqi it isn't.
I always thought that sliding on the back of your oponents pieces when you move in front of them shows that you respect your opponent. If onegiashimas (is spelling correct) means "I hope to rely on your support", then, in a sense, you'd be relying on their support. It seemed to me that when someone put the piece on the board in front of a piece without touching it shows that they don't trust their opponents enough to do so.
I just want to make a comment to say how hard it is now NOT to snap the pieces on the board when I play. It comes so naturally now. When my sister was in the hospital several weeks ago and I was playing with her there, I had to be quiet not to make too loud of sounds so that I wouldn't disturb the other patients, and it felt very awkward not snapping the pieces.
@leejh27 If Xiangqi really was the original chess game, then it would make sense that the majority of variants would be played on intersections rather than squares. But shogi, makruk, sittuyin, shatranj, and chess are all played on squares, whereas only xiangqi and janggi are played on the intersections. Doesn't it make more sense that China simply moved onto intersections from the original game because of familiarity with weiqi, rather than *everyone else* moving to squares?
"Oh that's kinda cool. how is he doing that?" SO true :P. "wow, this guy must be a very good player. I gotta be careful." Also true ^^. I don't have any ways to obtain a shogi board T-T, but it's ok. I can't wait to learn Castling from you ^^! i'm weak at it ^^'. until next leason Hidetchi sensei.
Is it cassia シナニッケイ or camphor クスノキ ? I think 桂馬 should really translate to camphor horse if what is meant is the plant Cinnamomum camphora (camphor) and not Cinnamomum aromaticum (cassia), but I do not know for sure.
thank you for the videos. they are very informative. I have a question though. why do you always pick up and slap down instead of sliding them when possible?
Japan's writing style comes from Chinese, so even if they're written in Japanese, they still use Chinese characters. It's like how even though we're typing in English, we're using the Latin alphabet.
So he teaches you how to play Shogi, and how to play Shogi cool
amen
Man's upholding the traditions :3
Thanks.
Glad to know you appreciated my special lesson.
I am confused. What exactly is a cassia horse? I don't know what "cassia" means, and can't find a definition that has to do with horses.
The character "kei", (桂) as in the word for shogi knight, "keima" (桂馬), is a Jinmeiyō kanji or name kanji, but when used as a word in Japanese, can mean the katsura or Japanese Judas-Tree, the cinnamon tree, sweet osmanthus, laurel, or bay laurel.
Cassia in English means cinnamon, or specifically Chinese Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) as opposed to regular "true" cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum).
Laurel in English can mean a kind of small fragrant evergreen tree that can have black colored berries growing on it, as well as any plant in the Lauraceae family, or any other usually similar plant that is regionally named laurel. Bay Laurel specifically is Laurus nobilis, which was used in ancient Greece under the name daphne to fashion a laurel wreath, a symbol of high status.
While "cassia horse" may potentially more accurately represent the connotation in Japanese, "laurel horse" seems to make more sense in English, and here's why:
Because laurel was used historically as an award and the fact that in the video it seems more like he might have said "laurelled horse", which would use laurel as an adjective to mean something that has been awarded praise, it's possible that a synonymous translation of 桂馬 is "prize horse"! It seems safe to guess that the word could be based on perhaps a particularly prestigious breed or coloration of horse in ancient Japan, seeing as the word is quite old. However if anyone finds anything else in the future, feel free to lemme know!
TL;DR: 桂馬 (keima) might have a similar meaning to "prize horse" in English.
As someone 10 years in the future, I really appreciate these videos. I have an interest in learning and it's cool to have this resource available!
Me too! I just learned how pieces moves in a tutorial, did some puzzles and win my first ever game against level 1 (800 ratings) bot in a 30 minutes game. I'm excited to play more but first I wanted to watch some lessons before jumping to level 2 (1100 ratings) bot. I don't know my actual rating but in chess there is a big skill gap between 800 and 1100. Better safe than sorry; I might catch and memorize some tips and tricks I learn here. Let's start with flipping pieces, who knows, one day we may play on real shogi board. Also playing shogi with international piece set is easier to recognize but I really want to learn and memorize kanji pieces. Again, who knows, one day we may play on real shogi board. :D
Yeah, also as someone 10 years in the future, I burst out laughing when the website he was surprised to find was wikipedia
@@sessionQ XD.
I also started learning this week!
You don't have to snap it. We do it just to make it look cool.
So, just sliding the piece is OK.
Cool
Thank you so much for explainig it and even bothering to buy another set
i love how he is being considerate of touching the opponents piece and warning us of it being a rude action.
This is the most important lesson
I absolutely adore him for making a video just for this. What a king.
8:50 It's so strange to think that 14 years ago, someone would say "There are a lot of websites about shogi, and one of those, I found this one very good. It's Wikipedia. I don't know who wrote this, but it's great!". Now Wikipedia is THE site everyone knows and uses. It was really a different Internet age at that time.
Thanks for your kind comment.
I'm surprised (also glad) to know there's a local shogi club in Netherlands. I've once been to Belgium on business, but never been to Netherlands. I want to visit there next time I go to Europe.
I'll explain about openings in later lessons, so please look forward to it.
Just found the channel and its very helpful to understand. Sadly the channel doesn't upload anymore but I hope he is doing great 👍 during this pandemic and in general. Very helpful videos.
Such a cool guy you can play cool but not at the sake of disrespecting your opponents piece
Thank you for leaving a comment. I hope these videos will help Shogi be more and more popular all over the world.
ほんとうに かたじけない．from ドイツ国、将棋がすきでござる。せっしゃはわるいけど。
it has been nearly 12 years since you have posted this video. Thank you. It is still teaching people this day.
And now it's been 12 years
Thanks man. This was a huge help. It was so difficult to reliably recognize pieces. So your new set was helpful.
2008 youtube was the real deal!
Hi, I'm glad to know that you're coming to Japan, and hope you enjoy your visit here.
You can easily buy Shogi sets here in Japan.
Reasonable ones are around 3,000 yen, I guess. Most expensive ones are more than 1,000,000 yen... (^o^;)
Hidetchi, I want to express my gratitude for your excellent teaching. I've been playing shogi for 3 years, and thanks to your guidance, I've gained a deep understanding of the game.
I've been told that if you follow up the badass piece drop with the line : all according to keikaku, your opponent inmediately resigns.
Very useful! I only vaguely knew that the slapping of the pieces was important to the culture of the game, from my research before constructing a board (it was mentioned that the board is raised to allow the board to resonate with the slapping down of the pieces).
Now it's a skill I look forward to improving as I am learning the game!
Yeah I was reading a manga before wondering about the rules of shogi and a character slammed a piece down
The idea behind this way of slapping the piece is similar to that in Go. Basically the board is very crammed during a game, with pieces very close to each other. So if you put down a piece the normal way with your index finger and thump, it would be difficult and possibly dislocate other pieces around. That's why they invented this way of putting down a piece so that it won't affect other pieces.
@@tacoeater5758 Which manga was it?
@@maverick4900 Probably Sangatsu no Lion, an AMAZING manga with great characters that also happens to revolve around shogi.
@@bennemann Yeah it’s a great one. It delves more into the lives of the characters than be a typical sports shounen which is why I liked it.
@hirohiigo Chariots were in heavy use during the Springs and Autumn period, and the "minister" (相) piece is a defensive piece that can get around quickly on its own side of the board. The char. elephant（象) is used only as a homonym. An elephant would be used for offense and not defense. The fact that the Indian version uses an "elephant" in the same way suggests that Chaturanga is taken directly from Xiangqi but played in the squares instead of intersection points. Refer to the Xiangqi board.
Watching in 2021. I’m a long time chess player but I’ve recently become interested in Shogi. I can’t wait to play it with someone. Right now I’m still just learning the basics. But I am in awe just thinking of the kind of games that can be played. I love the pieces and their movements. Thanks!
Chess player here aswell, just very bored with life and don’t feel like ruining my ELO lol
Same here, but it's 2024😊
Watching someone discover Wikipedia back in the day is such a nostalgic feeling 😂
Really enjoyed this lesson. Just knowing how to do it make it much cooler.
i really appreciate that he thought of doing this video.
awesome lessons! there is a lot of people trying to teach shogi on youtube but you make them really simple to understand and even go over the etiquette and other important facts.
I realy like how the video feels realy warm because of the light coming from his window or what and the yellowish colour of wood. It's such a peaceful environment isn't it.
(It’s Wikipedia)
Oof. I was expecting a nice, shogi dedicated website, but that works too lol
I didn't realize shogi pieces were slanted like that. Now that I'm seeing them from the side, they look much easier to pick up and handle.
*ITS WIKIPEDIA*
I liked your previous video lessons, but now you have changed me into a big fan. You're cool, thanks for the tutorials.
Touching your opponent's pieces is rude in chess also, except when capturing. At a professional level, there is a rule that you _must_ capture any enemy piece you touch, if possible.
I was already trying to move the pieces the same way you do but did not expect a lesson on that😂 I love it!, thanks so so much😊🙏🙏🙏
@hirohiigo I said that the placement and not the functionality of the piece was similar to the cannon in Xiangqi. Just because there were variations of Shogi before the 9x9 version was settled on, does not mean there could have been influence. It's not unreasonable to make this observation given that Xiangqi predates Shogi by several hundred years at least and the Japanese made more than 1 trip to China to pick up things.
thanks for put the translation in Spanish it makes it more easier thanks a lot. Your English is also really great :)
Wow!!!! You know the person who wrote that!? I'm so surprised, and so glad to receive a comment from you. Oh, and articles on Shogi variants, too? (like Chu-shogi, so on?) I'll check it out!
I know how to play Go and Mahjong. But I'm not a good player, not good enough to explain them to people, so I can't. I hope someone will make english tutorials about them.
I'm delighted to find this video because I've really been wondering how to do that snapping thing!
Many thanks for this splendid set of videos.
shingi-san's comment (the one just after yours) answers to your question perfectly. So please refer to it.
You can see I've been using another set from Lesson#5, and the sound of that set is worse than in this video. It's because the set I used in this video is more expensive, and made from wood with high density and hardness.
Thank you for the advice. I won't use internationalized. (I don't even know where I can get it...) I've started using "one-letter pieces", which are surely still the correct Japanese pieces.
The snapping of the pieces is part of what gives shogi it's distinctive aesthetic. When setting a piece down, it's supposed to give that aural and tactile response. Apparently traditional Shogi floor tables are carved in such a way as to properly 'tune' this sound for maximum effect.
You can also think of it as similar to why some people slurp loudly when eating noodles, as part of enhancing the overall experience.
@hirohiigo After the 2 cannons were added, there was a need to add the additional minister and counselor for extra protection and the modern version of Xiangqi looks like Chaturanga. Not the other way around. The original Xiangqi game has 1 counselor behind the general, 1 minister in front of the general, 2 horses, and 2 chariots, and no cannon. That is less pieces than the first Indian version. Janggi, the Korean version keeps the general in the middle intersection.
Your channel is wonderful and, unlike your own comment about it, I think your English is very good.
I learned the moves of Shogi 30 years ago and I taught one other person to play and have only player with those two people, so I am less than a beginner. But one doesn't have to master something to see it's beautiful and I like to play badly occasionally.
Thanks for your wonderful videos.
Started playing shogi just because of the cool sound when placing it. Music to my ears
Hi, thanks for leaving a comment.
I'm thinking of making a new series of videos of "famous games" in the future. So look forward to it.
thank you soo much for posting this, i've always wanted to learn shogi but I've never ad the resources, just wanted to let you know your doing a great job explaining, your English is great by the way =D
@hirohiigo Another thing I have noticed regarding discussion of Shogi's origins is that the debate between Xiangqi and Chaturanga as being the first chess war game influences how people view the origin of Shogi. If one believes Xiangqi is an original game and Chaturanga was developed from it via the silk road, then thinking Shogi happened in a similar way is normal. But the West believes Chaturanga is first so naturally logic deduces that everything else is from Chaturanga.
I just ordered my shogi board and pieces today, can't wait! thank you so much for putting up these videos!
best lesson yet
Am I a shinobi now? :P
Omg lol XD Thats the exact reason why I wanted to learn how to play Shogi 😂
Yes you are lol
@KampungJering Ya, the Japanese set sail across the ocean to pick up Chinese character and culture during the Tang dynasty and later on too and Xiangqi was one of them. Although it appears there may have been some influence from India too. Anyway, Koreans and Japanese all use Han Chinese characters or have used them in the past.
Thank you for these lessons! I'm sure they will be helpful to promote shogi all over the world!
Another episode of: "where quarentine brought me?"
hidetchi discovering wikipedia is quite interesting as a piece of early internet history. Still appreciating these videos 15 years in the future.
Top tier lesson.
いや～、すごいですね。日本人でもやりにくい技を見事にこなしていますね。
教えてくださって、ありがとうございます。
" I ma show you in slow motin" hahaha this channel is the best wehn it comes to learning shogi thanks
@hirohiigo We know that Chaturanga started around the 7th century or so. From the Chinese point of view, the earliest forms of Xiangqi come from around the Warring States or Spring and Autumn period, which is several hundred years before Chaturanga although people in the Western world don't like to acknowledge that. The minister in Xiangqi is a minister and not an elephant. The Indians changed it to an elephant at time to fit their culture. That piece does not move like an elephant.
@hirohiigo I just looked up Heian Shogi and it is similar, but the boards and some of the pieces are different with the gold general, knight, and lance. Shogi's origin is quite difficult to determine but I believe it may have been influenced by more than 1 source. The placement of the rook and bishop in the modern game is similar to the cannon in Xiangqi. From the Chinese point of view, the Japanese borrowed an entire written language for their own so a chess game is no biggie.
Hey you're really cool. I enjoy the lessons. I am also learning the way to say all of this in Japanese so I can play with my Japanese friend.
Oh my goodness.. You bought a new set just so we can read the pieces?? This dude is great
Great lessons so far. I finally understand the basics of Shogi. My father tried to teach me this game before. He thought I might enjoy it as I was playing chess since I was 7 years old.
Sadly, he wasn't a very good teacher. =D
I know people already said this before but I have to say you speak English very well.
@hirohiigo I meant the 相 in Xiangqi means minister and not Chaturanga. The meaning behind this piece is that it is for defense and can get around the countryside easily. It does not prove that Chaturanga is the original game. More research is needed. Elephants were generally not used in Chinese armies around in B.C. period. I didn't mean Indian armies. To put it simply, the Chinese date their game back to around 800 or more years before Chaturanga. If that's true, it didn't come from Chaturanga.
Hi!
I think it's great how you explain Shogi. I've recently started playing at a local club.
At the moment I'm working on openings and am very curious to your lessons on that subject.
Please keep up your great work.
Kind greetings from the Netherlands (Europe)
とても細かいことまで紹介されていて驚きました
Thosd satisfying clicking sounds are literally the first thing that made me interested in shogi🤣
I believe this to be probably the most important lesson of how to play shogi :P
Changing the Wikepedia article? Oh, that had never come up to my mind till you mentioned. I'll think about it.
@leejh27 The placement of the rook and bishop aren't influenced by xiangqi at all. In fact, they're influenced by Chu Shogi! Heian Shogi evolved into some bigger variants such as Chu Shogi, Tai Shogi, etc. After these versions were developed, a variant called Sho Shogi developed that was placed with a Heian Shogi set but also including the Drunk Elephant, Flying Chariot, and Angle Goer pieces from Chu Shogi. The drunk elephant was removed, and drops were added, and now we have modern shogi.
@hirohiigo Chinese sources suggests no direct link with Chaturanga. Similarities can mean that either side influenced the other side and does not prove it one way or the other. If the earliest known version of Xinagqi does not resemble Chaturanga but the earliest known version of Chaturanga resembles the modern form of Xiangqi, it is more reasonable to assume Chaturanga came from Xiangqi and not the other way around. Please look at Chinese sources also. Would it be okay if you considered them?
Usually, that kanji is only read "katsu" and "koku".
I've never seen a name that reads 克 as "sato" or "takeshi". But when we use kanji to name a baby, sometimes we put irregular reading to the kanji.
Thank you for the suggestion.
I tried one in Lesson#15.
Thanks for the comment.
Hope you enjoy the following vids, too.
Thank you for answering the question for me. It's a perfect answer!
This question was pretty difficult for me to answer in English.(^o^;) So it was really helpful. Thanks.
@leejh27 It's not that people are getting offended at the idea that the original chess game was created in China. But evidence tends to point to the fact that Chaturanga came first, due to the parallel history of India and the pieces, and the fact that Xiangqi shares the very unique knight movement with chaturanga which all chess variants share. Also keep in mind that there are at least 3 different games known as Xiangqi throughout China's history, some of which may not have been like chess.
Arigatou gozaimas Sensei 😊
Hi.
This technique has nothing to do with the length of your fingers. You can make it look cool once you get used to it regardless of how your fingers are long.
So just practice it for a while.
Really helping me get through the pandemic🙏
I find it amusing that HIDETCHI thinks his English needs improving, while he speaks it so well.
@leejh27 The style of the shogi pieces is similar to xiangqi, but I'm more inclined to believe shogi is based on the Thai game of Makruk more than it is xiangqi. Heian Shogi (played about 1,000 years ago) and Makruk are almost identical in gameplay.
@hirohiigo Yes, that is a good point, but it does not mean that it is the original game still. Have you done any direct research on Xiangqi's origins. It has nothing to do with Chaturanga or India and its only the Western world that keeps insisting that Chaturanga is first because that's what they want to believe. The 9x10 board is 1/4 of the 19x19 intersection game, and the first version of Xiangqi had no minister and just one counselor. Only later were 2 counselors and 2 ministers added.
I'm afraid I don't understand your question, but if you wanna know how the promoted peices move, see Lesson#3.
Because it's considered to be the coolest way of moving the piece, and once you get used to doing it, you can't help doing that every time.
Japanese makes use of "kanji" (Chinese characters) and two other alphabets (that are made of symbols for each vowel, plus symbols made of one or two English consonants and a vowel). For example: A, Ka, Ga, Sa, Za, Ra, Na... One alphabet is called katakana. It's used to spell modern Japanese words that are adapted from other languages. The other alphabet is hiragana, which is how most children's manga are written. Hiragana & katakana both have symbols representing 5 vowels, n/m, & syllables.
They don't have alphabets
whats the name of this shogi set and where can i order it?
@leejh27 As for which came first, the pieces are based on a standard Indian army (foot soldiers, cavalry, chariots, and elephants), so I'm inclined to believe Chaturanga came first.
@hirohiigo Why does everyone seem to be so offended at the thought that a war board game could have originated in China independently of another culture? Why is it okay to believe the first war board game came from India, but any suggestion that Xiangqi predates the Indian version by several hundred years suddenly gets everyone riled up except for Chinese people? Weiqi (Go) comes from China but because there aren't like different variations of it, no one contests its origin.
@leejh27 I think you're mistaken about the elephant. Elephants were used in Indian armies. The word "Chaturanga" when not referring to the board game is a direct reference to an Indian army, which is made up of foot soldiers, chariots, cavalry, and war elephants. The fact that 象 acts only as a homonym, in my opinion, proves that Chaturanga was the original, because in Chaturanga it is a literal reference, while in Xiangqi it isn't.
I can... I am chinese i also spent time learning japanese and malay
I always thought that sliding on the back of your oponents pieces when you move in front of them shows that you respect your opponent. If onegiashimas (is spelling correct) means "I hope to rely on your support", then, in a sense, you'd be relying on their support. It seemed to me that when someone put the piece on the board in front of a piece without touching it shows that they don't trust their opponents enough to do so.
I just want to make a comment to say how hard it is now NOT to snap the pieces on the board when I play. It comes so naturally now. When my sister was in the hospital several weeks ago and I was playing with her there, I had to be quiet not to make too loud of sounds so that I wouldn't disturb the other patients, and it felt very awkward not snapping the pieces.
Amazing tutorial. Thank you!
Will you also be explaining the handicapped modes of Shogi?.?
@leejh27 If Xiangqi really was the original chess game, then it would make sense that the majority of variants would be played on intersections rather than squares. But shogi, makruk, sittuyin, shatranj, and chess are all played on squares, whereas only xiangqi and janggi are played on the intersections. Doesn't it make more sense that China simply moved onto intersections from the original game because of familiarity with weiqi, rather than *everyone else* moving to squares?
thank you! i bought shogi, and am watching this to learn
"Oh that's kinda cool. how is he doing that?" SO true :P.
"wow, this guy must be a very good player. I gotta be careful." Also true ^^.
I don't have any ways to obtain a shogi board T-T, but it's ok. I can't wait to learn Castling from you ^^! i'm weak at it ^^'.
until next leason Hidetchi sensei.
Yes you can. I thought I mentioned it in this video.
Is it cassia シナニッケイ or camphor クスノキ ?
I think 桂馬 should really translate to camphor horse if what is meant is the plant Cinnamomum camphora (camphor) and not Cinnamomum aromaticum (cassia), but I do not know for sure.
thank you for the videos. they are very informative. I have a question though. why do you always pick up and slap down instead of sliding them when possible?
Japan's writing style comes from Chinese, so even if they're written in Japanese, they still use Chinese characters.
It's like how even though we're typing in English, we're using the Latin alphabet.
Is this a sort of manners to do when playing shogi or just to look cool for psychological warfare?
@thrash77581 I'm aware. I was referring specifically to the questions about the kanji, which are Chinese characters.