I could be wrong, but from living there for a couple years, I also get the impression that most of the players over there were introduced to western chess in their later teens, or already adult years.
Compared to here in Aus for example - where often juniors are actually the majority of the field in a weekender, in Japan it's pretty much the opposite, with very few juniors playing.
You hit on a great point—it makes sense considering children would be far more likely to be interested in or learn shogi rather than chess in Japan. A significant proportion of the competitive/top chess players in Japan, for example, come out of the Azabu school system which is unique in that it has a chess club—if that school didn't exist, the level of chess in Japan would be markedly lower for sure. Goes to show how important it is for a game to be accessible to kids and have environments where they can regularly compete against and interact with friends and rivals.
Fascinating topic. Brings to mind the chess documentary, Through the Mirror of Chess (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/throughthemirrorofchess). One thing that impressed me about that (4 hour!) series was how he took pains to portray each branch of the chess tree as chess proper - the chess that comes from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea and Western chess. Perhaps, in that light, we would expect some resistance to having two versions of chess in one country.
I'd heard the documentary mentioned, nice that you've watched it! The way chess branched into different forms in different countries is fascinating—how each one came to be, how they reflect some characteristics of the country in terms of ideology or philosophy, where the similarities and differences lie—including how big 'Western chess' became out of all of them. China, for example, have impressed on the world stage in chess for decades now while having their 'own' form of chess, so it'll be interesting to see how things develop in Japan—I suspect it will be rather a slow process since it's unlikely the government would give much direct support to chess, for example, but anything's possible in this digital day and age even from the power of individuals and a few things clicking into place to get the wheels in motion. The impact of the manga/anime series, Hikaru no Go, on the popularity of Go in the last few decades in Japan and even around the world can't be underestimated.
I have to find that Go documentary, it's right up my alley. I briefly acquired both Go and Shogi sets, but backed off. I think Shogi was my favorite of the two, although having to "read" the names of the pieces was a bit of a learning curve. I still have the Shogi set somewhere. Key impediment was having someone to play with.
I really recommend the documentary. I rented it. Then I bought it! Was thinking I might show clips to my not-yet-existing chess students. You will love that documentary. I practically guarantee it.
Went to Japan in 2018 and adored it, as I knew I would. If there's one country in the world that might build a cultural moat that keeps chess out, I'd put my money on Japan.
Thank you for your comment, Anna, it was really interesting. Shogi has many 'advantages' over chess to entice people to learn it in Japan, but as you say, perhaps on a deeper level there is pride and nationalism in it being their 'own' chess! While writing the post I was reading up on Galápagos syndrome and how it applies to shogi, quite intriguing. Yes, the mainstream-ness of shogi is impressive, while the 'barriers to entry' for chess, when flipped around, might paint a good picture of the difficulty for shogi in gaining popularity outside Japan, too, e.g. kids are far more likely to learn chess over shogi, outside Japan.
Considering how sexist the chess world is (though at least awareness of it has been increasing a lot), it's sad to hear it is more so in shogi, but not surprising given the game developed within Japan, as well as your friend's reaction and her daughter giving up later. Although my evidence is anecdotal rather than having properly looked into it, I'm fascinated by how Go seems to be friendlier to players of all demographics.
I love the idea of your book! I read quite a few of your posts after reading your comment, and I'm excited to hear more about it as a subscriber.
I could be wrong, but from living there for a couple years, I also get the impression that most of the players over there were introduced to western chess in their later teens, or already adult years.
Compared to here in Aus for example - where often juniors are actually the majority of the field in a weekender, in Japan it's pretty much the opposite, with very few juniors playing.
You hit on a great point—it makes sense considering children would be far more likely to be interested in or learn shogi rather than chess in Japan. A significant proportion of the competitive/top chess players in Japan, for example, come out of the Azabu school system which is unique in that it has a chess club—if that school didn't exist, the level of chess in Japan would be markedly lower for sure. Goes to show how important it is for a game to be accessible to kids and have environments where they can regularly compete against and interact with friends and rivals.
Fascinating topic. Brings to mind the chess documentary, Through the Mirror of Chess (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/throughthemirrorofchess). One thing that impressed me about that (4 hour!) series was how he took pains to portray each branch of the chess tree as chess proper - the chess that comes from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea and Western chess. Perhaps, in that light, we would expect some resistance to having two versions of chess in one country.
But if ever it were possible, now's the time!
I'd heard the documentary mentioned, nice that you've watched it! The way chess branched into different forms in different countries is fascinating—how each one came to be, how they reflect some characteristics of the country in terms of ideology or philosophy, where the similarities and differences lie—including how big 'Western chess' became out of all of them. China, for example, have impressed on the world stage in chess for decades now while having their 'own' form of chess, so it'll be interesting to see how things develop in Japan—I suspect it will be rather a slow process since it's unlikely the government would give much direct support to chess, for example, but anything's possible in this digital day and age even from the power of individuals and a few things clicking into place to get the wheels in motion. The impact of the manga/anime series, Hikaru no Go, on the popularity of Go in the last few decades in Japan and even around the world can't be underestimated.
I have to find that Go documentary, it's right up my alley. I briefly acquired both Go and Shogi sets, but backed off. I think Shogi was my favorite of the two, although having to "read" the names of the pieces was a bit of a learning curve. I still have the Shogi set somewhere. Key impediment was having someone to play with.
I really recommend the documentary. I rented it. Then I bought it! Was thinking I might show clips to my not-yet-existing chess students. You will love that documentary. I practically guarantee it.
Went to Japan in 2018 and adored it, as I knew I would. If there's one country in the world that might build a cultural moat that keeps chess out, I'd put my money on Japan.
Thank you for your comment, Anna, it was really interesting. Shogi has many 'advantages' over chess to entice people to learn it in Japan, but as you say, perhaps on a deeper level there is pride and nationalism in it being their 'own' chess! While writing the post I was reading up on Galápagos syndrome and how it applies to shogi, quite intriguing. Yes, the mainstream-ness of shogi is impressive, while the 'barriers to entry' for chess, when flipped around, might paint a good picture of the difficulty for shogi in gaining popularity outside Japan, too, e.g. kids are far more likely to learn chess over shogi, outside Japan.
Considering how sexist the chess world is (though at least awareness of it has been increasing a lot), it's sad to hear it is more so in shogi, but not surprising given the game developed within Japan, as well as your friend's reaction and her daughter giving up later. Although my evidence is anecdotal rather than having properly looked into it, I'm fascinated by how Go seems to be friendlier to players of all demographics.
I love the idea of your book! I read quite a few of your posts after reading your comment, and I'm excited to hear more about it as a subscriber.