Honinbo Shusai
| Hon'inbō Shūsai | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Hoju Tamura |
| Kanji | 本因坊秀哉 |
| Born |
June 24, 1874 Japan |
| Died | January 18, 1940 (aged 65) Atami, Japan |
| Rank | 9 dan |
Hon'inbō Shūsai (本因坊 秀哉 Hon'inbō Shūsai?, June 24, 1874 – January 18, 1940) is the professional name of Hoju Tamura, also known as Yasuhisa Tamura (田村保寿 Tamura Yasuhisa?), who was a Japanese professional Go player.
Shusai was born in Shiba, Tokyo, son of Tamura Yasunaga, a retainer of the shogun. He learned go at age 10 and joined the Hoensha in 1883, then under the leadership of Murase Shūho. He was made shodan at age 13. At age 18, he attained the rank of 2nd dan (the lower professional ranks cannot be assumed to correspond to modern ones). He then broke with the game for a time, tried to go into business on his own account, and ended up in a Buddhist retreat in Chiba Prefecture. After more than a year out of the game, he set up his own go salon in Roppongi.
He was then helped by Kim Ok-gyun, a Korean then resident in Japan, who used his contacts to secure Tamura an introduction to Hon'inbō Shūei. He was re-ranked as 4th dan in 1892 and proceeded up the ranks from there. He engaged in a number of high-profile matches. He played Ishii Senji, a top player at Hoensha, in two jubango, one in 1895 on sen, and the other in 1897 on sen-ai-sen. A fourth such match in 1899 was left incomplete. In 1897, he challenged Yasui San'ei, last of the Yasui house, to a jubango. He also challenged Hon'inbō Shūgen. In 1897–98 he played Ishii Senji once more. In 1899 he played jubango against Karigane Junichi, who would be his only serious rival over the coming decades. In 1900–01 he played a jubango with Iwasa Kei. He emerged with the reputation of the top player, apart from Shuei. In 1907, he became 7th dan, an exclusive grade in those times.
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