The Fall of Genan Inseki
A Duel Too Deep, A Legacy Too Heavy
The Return Match
In November of 1840, the long-awaited showdown began. Honinbo Shuwa, just twenty-two, would face Genan Inseki (幻庵因碩), head of the Inoue house and the last challenger standing. The match, sanctioned as a formal twenty-game series, was the final gate to the Meijin title.
All four Go houses sent their best. Around the board, Japan’s finest players gathered, eyes locked on the clash that would decide the future of Go.
Genan, as the senior, played White. Shuwa took Black.
They sat like stone statues, neither betraying emotion. With every move, time seemed to slow. One full day passed, and only thirty-one moves had been played. By day four, they reached move ninety-one. The pace was glacial. The pressure was unbearable.
A Clash of Styles
Shuwa’s calm precision stood in stark contrast to Genan’s complex reading and unpredictable traps. Where Genan sought complications, Shuwa absorbed them and answered with clarity. His style favored open space and subtle development. He never rushed. He never overplayed. But every move pressed.
By the fifth day, Genan had found no advantage. When Shuwa played his ninety-ninth move, the tide broke. Genan, blood boiling, felt his throat tighten. He tasted iron. A thread of blood touched his lips, but he swallowed it. He would not falter. Not here.
But Shuwa’s pressure didn’t let up. On day six, Genan played only six moves before requesting adjournment. On the seventh day, just twelve. At move 117, he could hold no longer. In full view of the crowd, he coughed blood onto his sleeve. The room froze.
The Nine-Day Epic
Genan refused to forfeit. He returned after a day’s rest and played through the night, hollow-eyed and driven. By morning, the match concluded. Shuwa’s had won by four points.
The game, played over nine days, became legendary. It was later called “The Sacrificial Game.” Genan had fought with everything—intellect, pride, and blood. Though defeated, he left the board as a warrior who never backed down.
A Rematch in the Shadows
Two years later, Genan returned, silent and changed. The pain of defeat lingered, but he had healed. Determined to test the ground before staking another claim, he sought out a behind-the-scenes match against Shuwa. Through connections, a friendly game was arranged—nominally casual, but both knew it was anything but.
Shuwa played Black. Genan, this time, opened with the Honinbo’s signature move: the taisha joseki. A complex corner formation so dangerous that it could end a game in 30 moves if misread. Shuwa calmly entered the maze and began dismantling it. Step by step, he unraveled the complications and returned fire. Genan’s traps fell short. Shuwa’s counterattack came sharp and precise. The match ended in another narrow loss for Genan.
It was a ghost match, but the implications were loud. Shuwa had beaten him twice now. Publicly. Privately.
The Last Stand
The following year, during the annual castle games, Genan made one final request—to face Shuwa again.
The request was granted, but Genan had one more demand. Despite being the senior 8-dan and having played as white two times in a row, he insisted on taking White again. He claimed that he didn’t want to take advantage of a youngster.
On the seventeenth of November, the two faced off again. Shuwa, calm and relentless. Genan, burning with quiet desperation.
He struck first, dividing Shuwa’s positions, trying to capture one of the groups. At move 86, he had the Honinbo group under pressure. But Shuwa refused to defend. He instead built a massive framework with the move 89 after quickly patching up his groups.
Genan found a path to counterattack—a complex sequence to cut off a large group. He played with precision, setting up an ambush. At move 136, the trap was sprung. If Shuwa responded normally, his entire group would be taken.
Then something strange happened.
Shuwa’s hand paused over the board.
A teacup toppled. His young assistant, Kuwabara Torajirou—later known as Shusaku—sat beside him, expression frozen. Shuwa glanced at him. Their eyes met.
In that instant, Shuwa saw it. The trap had a flaw. He chose a different move.
The trap failed.
Genan’s hopes were shattered.
Shuwa pressed on. When the game ended at move 261, he had won by four points once again. Genan had been beaten a third time.
The Man Who Jumped Into the Mountain
Genan returned home in silence. His household waited, unsure how to speak to him. That night, he locked himself in his room.
Memories surged.
His childhood was spent as an orphan. His adoption by Hattori Inshuku. His promise to the Inoue house. His defeats before the entire Go world.
Near midnight, he walked into the hills behind the Inoue estate. The wind howled. He climbed to the ancestral monument of the Inoue family, knelt, and bowed deeply.
Then he vanished into the night.
It’s said he jumped from the cliff behind the shrine, intending never to return.
But fate had one last move.
Servants found him, broken but alive, among the rocks. He had survived.
Aftermath
Genan Inseki never challenged for the Meijin title again. He lived out the rest of his life quietly, returning to study and mentoring younger disciples. His reputation, though marred by defeat, remained one of intensity and passion. He had been a master of strategy, a political player, a battlefield general on the board.
But Shuwa had shown the world something more enduring—an unshakable balance between clarity and brilliance. And in doing so, became more than a player.
He became inevitable.
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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》)
