Honor Demands Blood: The Douchi–Senkaku Rivalry
A Win No One Believed
The first game should’ve been a death sentence.
Douchi, just a teenager, had entered the matchroom frail and sick, weakened by days of dysentery. His opponent, Yasui Senkaku, was a top-ranked 6-dan player—formidable, experienced, and utterly confident.
The game went through the night.
And against every expectation, Douchi won.
But Senkaku wouldn’t accept it. He demanded the game be recounted—three separate times—claiming that a key stone had been misplaced in Douchi’s bowl during a complicated exchange. If true, it would swing the game in his favor.
Spectators held their breath. Was this legendary comeback about to be overturned?
But each recount only confirmed what had already become legend: Douchi had won by a single point.
Instead of securing sympathy, Senkaku’s protests backfired. He wasn’t just seen as a sore loser—he was accused of breaking etiquette, of dragging the game into dishonor. Whispers spread. A top-ranked Yasui master, reduced to arguing over a stone?
And Douchi? He didn’t celebrate. He just stood quietly, pale and exhausted, and bowed.
But the war had only just begun.
Game Two: Victory… and Vengeance
The second game was held just months after the dramatic first. This time, Douchi arrived healthy and sharp. Senkaku, by contrast, was not the same man.
He had come into the first game expecting to crush a sickly child, and left it beaten and humiliated, his reputation bruised by accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct. Now, with no excuses left, all eyes were on him to redeem his house.
He didn’t.
Douchi played the game of his life. His moves weren’t flashy, but they were precise, quiet, cold—as if every stone he placed was a quiet judgment. The margin? Fifteen points. An absolute rout.
And then came the real humiliation.
In front of witnesses, Doseki stood and announced:
“Write it. Line by line. Let history remember.”
Senkaku, pale and trembling, was handed a brush and ink.
He was made to record the match himself. His opponent’s name. The fact that he played Black and lost. The exact margin of his defeat. The date. The witnesses. His own signature.
He tried to protest, saying this wasn’t normal, that the loss spoke for itself. But Doseki cut him off.
“A 15-point loss as Black isn’t just a defeat. It’s a disgrace. And the Yasui house must own it.”
Senkaku bent over the paper and obeyed.
Every stroke of ink was a wound.
When it was done, Doseki had it copied and distributed to the heads of the four Go houses. A symbolic gesture—one meant to leave no room for ambiguity or revision.
Douchi didn’t say a word. He only bowed once and left the room.
But the message was clear:
The Honinbo school was finished playing nicely.
Game Three: One Last Hope
With the score at 2–0, the third match loomed large. Senkaku had Black. He had the first move. He had to make it count.
He didn’t.
Douchi played with precision and restraint. The pressure, the shame, and the previous defeats had stripped Senkaku of his confidence. Douchi won again—this time by three points.
That made it 3–0 in a ten-game series.
And Senkaku cracked.
“Let’s Stop the Match”
After losing three straight games, Yasui Senkaku was utterly shaken. The defeats weren’t just losses — they were bruising, public, and politically humiliating, especially for someone from a house as prominent as the Yasui.
At that point, Senkaku wanted to resign. Ending the match early might still preserve what little dignity he had left. It was clear that continuing would only invite more damage to his name and the Yasui house as a whole.
But Honinbo Douchi wasn’t satisfied. Three victories weren’t enough.
He wanted to play out all ten games — not for tradition’s sake, but to grind Senkaku down and humiliate the Yasui house beyond repair. In Douchi’s eyes, this was about honor and revenge, and he would settle for nothing short of complete annihilation.
It was Doseki, Douchi’s mentor, who stepped in, along with the heads of the other major Go houses. They urged an end to the match, not out of mercy, but because they feared the consequences of letting it go further. The tension between the two houses had reached a boiling point. Any more would risk splitting the Go world apart.
A Fragile Peace
The fourth game never happened.
Other Go houses intervened to maintain the peace between families. This wasn’t a match anymore, they argued. It was a public execution.
Senkaku begged to withdraw. And finally, Douchi—at the urging of his elders—relented.
The series ended 3–0. But the damage was done.
Senkaku’s reputation lay in ruins. The Yasui house, once proud and powerful, had been humiliated in public. And the Honinbo school, under the guiding hand of Doseki and the blazing rise of Douchi, stood ascendant.
What Comes After a Duel?
But Go history is rarely so simple.
What happens when a young master rises too quickly?
When enemies retreat, but don’t disappear?
When victory itself makes you a target? There are whispers. Rivalries waiting. New power struggles ahead.
This was only the beginning.
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Copyright Notice
This English adaptation is based on Japanese Go Stories (《日本围棋故事》, 2016) by Xue Zhicheng (薛至诚).
For non-commercial use only: Shared for educational purposes under fair use.
Rights retained: All copyrights belong to the original author and cited sources.
Modifications: Minor narrative adjustments were made for readability; all historical content remains accurate.
No affiliation or endorsement: This work is independent and unaffiliated with the original author or publishers.
Contact: For verification or takedown requests, please email help@zeejyan.com.
References
Adapted from:
Xue Zhicheng (薛至诚), Japanese Go Stories (《日本围棋故事》), 2016.
Cited in original work:
Watanabe Hideo (渡辺英夫), Shin Zaigin Dansō (《新坐隱談叢》)
Watanabe Yoshimichi (渡部義通), Kodai Igo no Sekai (《古代囲碁の世界》)
Lin Yu (林裕), Weiqi Encyclopedia (《围棋百科辞典》)
