The Weight of a Name: Douchi vs. Yasui in a Game for History

After the death of Honinbo Dosaku, the Honinbo house stood at a precarious crossroads.

Though Dosaku had entrusted the young Honinbo Douchi to his most trusted disciple Doseki, the boy was still only thirteen. And while Doseki had inherited the headship of the Inoue family and formally taken the name Inoue Dosetsu Inseki, we'll continue to call him Doseki here to avoid confusion.

Without Dosaku’s authority to protect the house, rival factions stirred. And the Go world—forever political—began to test how much legacy alone was worth.

The Prodigy Emerges

Doseki took his role as mentor seriously. He poured his energy into training Douchi, just as Dosaku had once poured his soul into the Honinbo house. And Douchi delivered results quickly—too quickly for some.

At just thirteen, Douchi entered the prestigious castle games (御城碁), where only the strongest players in the nation could compete. There, he was matched against Hayashi Monetsu, the head of the Hayashi house. Despite his youth and lower official rank, Douchi played Black and won by seven points.

People whispered it must have been luck.

The following year, Douchi faced Yasui Senkaku, the acknowledged second-best player in Japan. Again, Douchi won—this time by five points.

There was no more room for doubt: a new force had arrived on the board.

The Rank He Deserved—Denied

By now, Douchi’s skill was widely recognized as 6-dan level. But officially, he was still listed as a “4-dan candidate.” Without formal promotion, he continued to play as a junior, even against players he had clearly surpassed.

Doseki submitted an official request to promote him.

Many of the Go elders agreed. Douchi was not just strong—he was carrying the future of the Honinbo name.

But Yasui Senkaku stood in the way.

He rejected the request, claiming Douchi’s victories were too few, that traditions mattered more than recent results. He insisted that bypassing the usual steps would be an insult to the history of the game.

But there was more to it.

Years earlier, Honinbo Doetsu, Douchi’s spiritual predecessor, had defeated Senkaku’s teacher Yasui Sanchi in a legendary rivalry. That loss had humiliated the Yasui house, and Senkaku had never forgotten. Now, history was repeating itself—with a younger Honinbo ready to ascend. And Senkaku wasn’t going to let it happen.

The Last Plea

To break the deadlock, the aging Doetsu, long retired, personally visited the Yasui house to plead for Douchi’s promotion. It was a rare gesture of humility and respect.

It backfired.

The Yasui family interpreted it as desperation, or worse, condescension. They laughed off the request, mocking the Honinbo house for sending “a relic” to do its bidding.

The insult cut deep. The Honinbo house was outraged. Even Doseki, ever calm, seethed.

And so, with no peaceful path remaining, the challenge was made:

Ten games. Head-to-head. Douchi versus Senkaku. Let the stones speak for themselves.

Then Came the Illness

With the match looming, the unthinkable happened: Douchi fell ill.

It was serious—dysentery. He lost weight, grew pale, and collapsed into bed. Doctors were summoned, and treatments administered. There was talk of postponing the match.

But Douchi refused.

“This isn’t just about me,” he said weakly. “It’s for the Honinbo name. For Dosaku. I’ll play.”

Even Doseki couldn’t change his mind. The decision was made.

At just sixteen, barely recovered from sickness, Douchi would face down his greatest rival—on the board, and in front of all of Japan.

To be continued in Episode 12: Honor Demands Blood

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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》)