The Final Years of Inoue Genan Inseki
The Last Fire of Genan Inseki
By the late Tenpo era, Honinbo Jouwa had retired. The Meijin title, long held by his hand, was now behind him. The storm he had weathered—against Chitoku, Genan Inseki, and even internal betrayal—had passed. But the board was not yet quiet. One final inferno was about to burn.
Genan Inseki, though defeated, had never yielded in spirit. After failing to take the Meijin title through three bitter matches with Honinbo Shuwa, he vanished from the central scene. Many thought he had been broken. They underestimated him.
The Unseen Merit
Even Honinbo Jouwa himself, now retired, once commented: “Genan is worthy of the Meijin title. His tragedy lies in timing.” That assessment was not flattery. Inseki’s talent was genuine, and his courage—unparalleled.
When Jousaku nominated Shuwa to contest Genan for the Meijin title, it was an affront. No precedent allowed a house’s heir to fight a senior head. But Genan didn’t hide behind rules or reputation. He accepted the challenge and fought three times, refusing to bow to tradition or pressure. That spirit defined him.
But Genan Inseki was more than just a warrior of the board.
When the City Burned
In 1844, the Edo Castle at Chiyoda went up in flames. The fire raged through the night of May 10, leaving behind only ruins and rumors. With Russian envoys already prowling Japan’s coasts, the castle’s destruction threw the country into panic. To rebuild, the shogunate imposed a crushing new tax on government officials.
Genan saw disaster. He wrote directly to Wakisaka Awajinokami, arguing that the levy would stoke unrest. The council elders fumed at the insult. Who was a Go player to challenge the policy? They ordered him confined.
But then the shogun read his petition. Not only did he accept Genan’s advice—he summoned him in person, praised his courage, and rewarded him with gifts. The elders were left dumbfounded. Suddenly, Genan wasn’t just a player. He was a voice.
Of Stray Love and Compassion
Genan’s face was dark, blotched, and stern. His gaze was intense, even frightening. But his heart, at least to those he loved, was generous and soft. One story speaks volumes.
He had taken a second wife late in life. She felt ignored and distant from his world of books and stones. Eventually, she ran off with one of his students. The pair vanished into a city alleyway. When Genan tracked them down, the young man collapsed in shame. But Genan didn’t shout or strike. Instead, he handed them a set of Go stones and some silver.
“Hardship can’t rob you of dignity,” he said. “If you love Go, then play Go. Live with honor.”
That young man went on to reach 7-dan. It wasn’t talent that brought him back. It was forgiveness.
The Battle for the Soul of Go
By the late Edo period, Go had lost its way. The elegance of the board had given way to backroom favors and gambling halls. The old discipline was being replaced with convenience.
Genan refused to stay silent. In 1852, he published “Igo Myouden,” a blistering critique of modern Go. Alongside it, he wrote a strict three-point code of ethics for his disciples. The second rule was simple: “Victory by deceit is not victory.”
In a world that was shifting fast, Genan stood still. That earned him respect, even from those who once fought him.
Eyes to the West
He knew the tide in Japan had turned. Shuwa’s Honinbo house had grown too strong. His position at the Inoue house had peaked. So he made a decision that shocked even his closest student, Mikami Gouzan.
“I will go west,” Genan said. “Go is Chinese in origin. Japan will not have me. But maybe across the sea, there is still room to build.”
They planned everything in secret. To avoid suspicion, they called it a pilgrimage and traveled westward, reaching Nagasaki, Japan’s last open port.
A Duel on the Edge of the World
While waiting for a ship, Genan played a match against Katsuta Eifu, a proud 5-dan from the Honinbo house. Eifu had come to Nagasaki on leisure and couldn’t resist challenging the retired master. He lost three games in a row.
But in the fourth, as Genan’s mind drifted toward the voyage, he missed a key sequence. Eifu, seizing the chance, cut down a massive group. Genan paused, stunned. He called a halt to the game.
Eifu mocked him afterward. But Genan, ever composed, replied: “The position is still drawish. He will not be able to seal it.”
They resumed the game days later. Genan won by a single point.
That game became known as “The Winning Loss.” It was his last major match on Japanese soil.
The Forbidden Voyage
In 1853, with preparations complete, Genan and Gouzan chartered a boat under the guise of a pleasure sail. Once at sea, Genan revealed the truth to the boatman, and Gouzan drew his sword.
The boat turned west.
They hadn’t gone far when the sky darkened. Wind slammed the water. Waves tore at the hull. The boatman, silent in fear, let the current take them back toward shore.
Three days later, drenched and battered, they washed up on the beaches of Kyushu. Everything was gone. Their wealth, their dream. Genan stood, dripping, and looked at the sky.
“China will not have me either,” he said.
They moved inland and settled quietly in Saga, at the home of Tanida Ranten. Genan taught Go again. He accepted anyone, high or low, who sought to learn. By the end of his days, Saga was full of Inoue disciples.
A Quiet Ending
In 1859, Genan Inseki died in Saga at the age of 62. Gouzan vanished not long after.
The man who once faced down the Honinbo line, who had crossed blades with Jouwa and Shuwa, who had almost founded a new Go order across the sea, died in silence, far from the capital.
But his name was not forgotten. In Japan’s Go circles, he became something more than a player. He was the last warrior of the old order, the man who tried—until his final breath—to live by the code he believed in.
And on every board where someone fights not just to win, but to play rightly, a trace of Genan still lingers.
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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.
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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》)
