Explore the secrets of Shogi mastery

Prologue: What is Shogi?

Shogi is not a game where the one who knows the correct move wins by simply listing them. It is a battle where, within limited time, you must accept a given position, imagine your opponent’s intentions, and continue choosing one move at a time.

All pieces are visible on the board. Yet, you cannot see the future. Therefore, what you believe in and what you base your decisions on is just as important as the amount of knowledge you possess.

More Than a Single Correct Move: Consistency Across the Game

If you only examine a single position, the best, safest, or most aggressive move may appear different. What matters most is not losing sight of what kind of game you want to play in this one game.

If you decide to attack, you must create a continuation of the attack. If you decide to defend, you should not just endure — you should leave room for a counterattack. When each move has a purpose that connects to the next, the game is resilient, even if there are small errors. Conversely, a game that repeatedly jumps to the most conspicuous move will result in broken piece relationships and scattered strategy.

Essence of this Section: A good move is one that connects the previous moves to the next.

Because There’s an Opponent, It Becomes a Battle

If you only look at the board, you may think of Shogi as a problem to be solved by one person. In actual play, your opponent is also striving to win. They are trying to eliminate your intentions, provoke confusion, and lead you into a shape you did not anticipate.

Instead of seeing an opponent’s move as an obstruction, read it as a statement of what they are trying to achieve. Then, instead of reacting with anger, you can begin to understand the underlying desire. Once you understand your opponent’s intention, options such as accepting, evading, repurposing, or fighting elsewhere emerge.

Essence of this Section: Before rejecting an opponent’s move, consider the future it intends to achieve.

Deciding Without Fully Understanding

It is rare that you can fully anticipate all possible variations before making a move. As time runs out, the number of branches increases, and eventually, you must make a decision with uncertainty remaining.

In such moments, the foundation for judgment comes from the safety of your king, the effectiveness of your pieces, the turn, and the location of the battle. Reading is the ability to clearly see the future, while overall vision is the strength that supports decisions when the future cannot be fully seen. You should evaluate what you can see, and when you cannot, rely on principles and experience.

Essence of this Section: Uncertainty and lack of evidence are not the same thing.

Strength Is the Ability to Recover

It is difficult to play a game without making a single error. Even strong players make mistakes, hesitate, and miss opportunities. The difference appears when a mistake is made.

If you are overwhelmed by the fact that you made a bad move, you may lose sight of the entire game. The board has already changed. What is needed is not to endlessly judge the past move, but to search for the best possible move in the current situation.

Essence of this Section: Convert the time spent regretting a move into time for refining the next move.

Takeaway from the Prologue

The strength of Shogi is not just the ability to know the correct answer. It also includes the ability to face your opponent, accept uncertainty, and return to the board after a collapse.

Volume I: The Essence of Overall Vision — Seeing the Board as a Whole

Overall vision is not synonymous with the ability to see far ahead. It is the ability to choose what to prioritize from the many pieces of information on the board.

Even if you have gained pieces, you cannot feel safe if your king is in danger. Even if an attacking piece advances, the attack will not continue unless the pieces support each other. Overall vision is the ability to sense the balance behind a move that appears prominent.

First, Check the Safety of Your King

The purpose of Shogi is to checkmate the opponent’s king and to avoid being checkmated yourself. However, when pieces start to clash, people often become distracted by immediate gains or attacks.

If a rook stays near your king, the opponent is likely to attack both your king and the rook. The saying “Never get close to the king and rook” is not a mechanical command to keep the king and rook apart. Rather, it teaches crisis management by avoiding placing two important pieces on the same attack line.

Similarly, “The king’s defense requires three generals” does not mean you must always have three pieces. It is a question of whether you have sufficient preparation around your king before the battle begins. In a fast-paced game, you may fight with only two pieces, and in the endgame, you may send defensive pieces to attack. What matters most is not the number of pieces, but ensuring your king is not left vulnerable.

Essence of this Section: Before considering an attack, check whether your king still has time to defend.

Find the Piece That Is Not Working

If you focus only on the flashy actions of major pieces, you may overlook pieces like silver or a piece blocked from movement. A piece that is not in use is not contributing to the game, even if it exists on the board.

The saying “Use even idle pieces” does not mean you should send every piece forward. It teaches the value of finding a piece that is not currently involved and creating a path for it to function. If a piece cannot be used in one move, consider pushing a pawn, clearing a space, or changing the direction of the game. Quiet, subtle moves that improve the position can yield value over several moves.

Essence of this Section: Rather than pushing the strongest piece further, awaken a piece that is currently dormant.

The Value of a Piece Changes by Location

Although rooks are strong and pawns are small, this is useful for remembering piece characteristics. However, the actual value in battle is not determined by piece type alone. A single move that blocks the opponent’s king’s escape may be more important than a powerful piece that cannot reach it.

The saying “One pawn is worth a thousand” teaches that a single move in the endgame can determine the outcome. The value of a piece is not just its name, but also its position, turn, distance from the king, and whether it can be replaced.

While counting pieces is necessary, after counting, ask yourself: “What is this piece currently doing?” Overall vision is the ability to translate fixed values into the current situation.

Essence of this Section: Look at the role a piece can play in the next move, not its listed value.

Identify the Center of the Position

Not every square on the board is equally important. Squares near the king, areas where pieces are concentrated, boundaries between attack and defense, and squares where opposing intentions intersect carry more than one move’s weight.

When you know where the center of the position lies, you are less likely to be tempted by distractions such as gaining pieces in irrelevant areas. Conversely, if you lose sight of the center, you risk being left behind while your opponent concentrates their strength.

Essence of this Section: Seeing the entire board does not mean seeing everything equally. It means identifying the most important location.

Takeaway from Volume I

Overall vision is not the ability to decide on a single statement about the position. It is the habit of comparing the safety of the king, the effectiveness of pieces, changes in value, and the center of the battle, and choosing what to prioritize at this moment.

Volume II: The Essence of Strategy — Crafting a Story for One Game

Strategy is not a memorized sequence of moves. It is the direction of a game — where your pieces will operate, where you will apply pressure, and where you would like to end the game.

With a strategy, each move becomes part of a connected plan. However, strategy is not a vow to defend it. If the board conditions change due to your opponent’s move, your strategy must also change.

Work Backward from an Ideal Form

If you only consider the current move, your pieces may seem to move only for immediate effect. Therefore, first imagine where you want each piece to be after several moves.

Where do you want a rook to pass through? Where do you want a silver to advance? Which diagonal should retain the bishop’s strength? Which surrounding formation will calm your king? Once you have a clear vision of the ideal form, you can determine which pawn to push, which squares to open, and which moves to delay.

An ideal form is not a completed picture to be realized directly. Because your opponent will also interfere, the ideal form becomes a standard for what to retain and what to give up.

Essence of this Section: Before finding the next move, first imagine the form that comes after.

Know Your Opponent’s Ideal First

If you only focus on your own strategy, you may end up accepting your opponent’s attack as complete. What is the most natural position for your opponent’s pieces? What move is necessary to achieve that? By anticipating this, you can begin to develop a defensive move.

The saying “Attack where your opponent wants to attack” is a defensive wisdom — occupying the spot your opponent wants to attack. However, its essence is not about anticipating the opponent’s move. It is about realizing that what is urgent for your opponent may also be urgent for you.

If a move that undermines your opponent’s ideal also serves your own piece’s function, then one move can achieve two goals. Strategy is not just about your future, but also about the intersection of your future and your opponent’s.

Essence of this Section: Think about your opponent’s move with the same passion as your own.

Build a Big Strategy from a Small Pawn

Although the word “strategy” sounds grand, in reality, it often begins with a single pawn. When a pawn advances, space opens, piece paths open, and weaknesses that cannot be recovered remain.

Pawns can only move forward. Therefore, each pawn move reveals a direction — where the position is heading. Whether to open a line, close a path, or designate a location as the future battlefield. Small pieces, in particular, quietly shape the outline of the strategy.

“One pawn is worth a thousand” is not just a lesson for the endgame. In the middle of the game, the presence or absence of a pawn can determine the path of other pieces and the direction of the attack. A small move can hold the future of the game.

Essence of this Section: When pushing a pawn, look beyond the immediate square and choose the future of the line.

The Courage to Abandon a Plan

Plans often create attachment. It is difficult to abandon a plan you’ve spent time building — whether it’s a defensive formation, an attack, or a piece combination you were waiting for. However, if you cling to the same plan despite changed conditions, your strategy becomes a burden rather than a guide.

If your opponent moves first, if a piece exchange changes the role of your pieces, or if your own king becomes more vulnerable than expected, recognizing these changes and simplifying your plan is a commendable decision.

A strong strategy is not one that refuses to change. It is one that can let go when the original goal is no longer valid.

Essence of this Section: Don’t protect your plan — protect the purpose behind it.

Takeaway from Volume II

Strategy is not a rigid script that binds each move. It is a map that shows the direction of the game and can be rewritten in response to your opponent’s intentions and the changing board.

Volume III: The Essence of Piece Movement — Harmony and Exchange

No single powerful piece can win the game. Both attack and defense rely on multiple pieces sharing roles and compensating for each other’s weaknesses.

Piece movement is not about sending all pieces forward. It is about creating a situation where the necessary pieces arrive at the right time and place.

Never Start an Attack with a Single Piece

The saying “Attack with rook, bishop, silver, and knight” teaches that while these four pieces are effective in attack, coordination is essential.

A rook or bishop lines up a path, a silver advances forward, and a knight jumps from a different angle. Then, pawns open the path, disrupting the opponent’s formation. If only one piece leads, when that piece is countered, the entire attack collapses.

You do not need to gather all four pieces. What matters is that the attacking pieces, supporting pieces, path-opening pieces, and pieces joining later are connected.

Essence of this Section: It’s not the number of attacking pieces, but whether the attack continues into the next move.

Using Pawns Moves the Position

“Shogi without pawns is a losing game” is said to emphasize how pawns support the subtleties of attack and defense. Pawns are not disposable because they are cheap. A small cost can change the opponent’s formation, draw pieces into action, open lines, and gain the initiative.

The saying “With three pawns, use them in sequence” teaches that using multiple pawns in sequence can create a powerful attack. In the first move, move the opponent’s pieces; in the second, remove support; in the third, save the pawn as a reserve for future use. Pawns gain strength not in isolation, but through sequence.

However, you should not abuse pawns simply because they are convenient. If you lose a pawn, you cannot place it in a safe spot, and the continuation of the attack becomes difficult. You must consider both the pawns you use and those you save.

Essence of this Section: Pawns are not just for capturing — they are used to change the opponent’s formation.

Moving a Piece Forward Is Not the Same as Making It Work

A piece that has advanced may seem active. However, a piece without support, such as a knight without a base, a silver without a retreat, or a major piece without a goal, becomes more vulnerable after advancing.

“A knight jumping too early is a feast for pawns” warns against the danger of jumping a knight too quickly. A knight without a way to return, and one that can be attacked from the base, becomes vulnerable and loses its effectiveness. However, this saying does not deny the speed of a knight’s jump in good conditions. It is a distinction between a piece that advances without preparation and one that advances with purpose.

Essence of this Section: Evaluate a piece not by how far it has advanced, but by the role it gains from its destination.

Look at What Remains After an Exchange

Even when exchanging pieces of the same type, the result is not guaranteed. After an exchange, does the defense weaken? Does the attack open up? Does a new place for a piece appear? Only by examining the shape that remains after a piece is removed can you truly understand the value of the exchange.

“No gold, no defense” teaches that gold plays a defensive role near the king and is essential in the endgame for holding the defensive pieces. Even if you gain a piece, if you lose all defensive gold, you may lose your options for defense.

When considering an exchange, look not only at what you gain, but also at who gains freedom and which roles are eliminated after the exchange.

Essence of this Section: The value of an exchange is not in the pieces that are removed, but in the actions that remain after the exchange.

Takeaway from Volume III

A piece’s strength is not determined alone. Only when support, path, turn, and role are connected does a piece fully perform. Harmony is achieved by reducing inactive pieces and preserving coordination between attack and defense.

Volume IV: The Essence of Attack and Defense — The Dialogue for Dominance

Attack is not simply moving forward, and defense is not simply retreating. Both are actions to guide the next position into a form that benefits you.

A good attack does not give the opponent freedom, and a good defense weakens the opponent’s strength while preparing for a counterattack. Attack and defense alternate, and at times, a single move can achieve both.

Before Attacking, Check Whether the Attack Can Continue

A capture or capture of a piece is immediately visible, and the result is clear. However, if the attacking pieces are insufficient after the first move, the game simply passes to the opponent’s turn.

Before launching an attack, check whether the second or third piece can join, whether pawns can be used to fill gaps, and whether your king can withstand a counterattack. The decision to attack is not measured by the sharpness of the first move, but by whether pressure continues beyond that point.

Essence of this Section: Don’t just focus on the first strike — prepare the entire path of the attack.

Defense Is Not About Protecting the Attacked Piece

If you defend only by protecting the piece that was attacked, you will fall into a passive position. Instead, think about what your opponent truly wants and find a way to deny it.

The saying “Attack where your opponent wants to attack” is a prime example. While you eliminate the opponent’s attack, you place your own piece in the most vulnerable spot. However, if you anticipate too early, you may open a different path for the opponent. It is essential to verify whether the opponent’s weak point is truly the most critical point in the position.

“A pawn at the bottom of gold is stronger than a rock” also shows a defensive technique — a pawn placed at the base of a gold piece can protect the gold’s weakness and block attacks from the side, such as from a rook. Defense strengthens not by adding expensive pieces, but by fixing small weaknesses with a simple move.

Essence of this Section: Don’t defend the attacked square — eliminate the reason the attack can succeed.

Don’t Rush the King Check

A king check forces the opponent to respond, giving the impression of dominance. However, each time a check is made, the opponent’s king may escape to a safe location, leaving your pieces behind.

The saying “A check is a chasing move” does not deny the check itself. It warns that if you continue a check while leaving escape routes, the opponent’s king will be chased, and the attack will become less effective. Instead, first narrow escape routes, disable defensive pieces, and then create a move with no escape. In many cases, a quiet surrounding is more effective than a direct check.

Essence of this Section: Instead of a move that moves the opponent’s king, consider a move that removes escape routes.

The Initiative to Offer a Move

Being the one who moves the board is not the only way to gain initiative. In some cases, it is better to let your opponent set the form first, and then respond after observing the change.

Offering a move does not mean doing nothing. You create a situation where your opponent’s move creates a weakness, and you respond with a move that does not disrupt the board. To wait requires both the safety of your king and flexibility in piece positioning.

If you rush to attack, you risk breaking the balance. If you wait too long, your opponent may fully prepare. Waiting also requires a purpose and a deadline.

Essence of this Section: Even a passive move should have the power to force the opponent to make a choice.

Takeaway from Volume IV

Attack and defense are not opposites. They both aim to take control of the game by reducing the opponent’s freedom and increasing your own options — just from different directions.

Volume V: The Essence of Decision — Choosing a Move at the Critical Moment

At the critical moment, every move has its advantages and risks. Choosing safety may mean missing a good opportunity, while taking a risk may lead to a counterattack. What is tested here is not fear, but the decision of what to accept.

The Critical Moment is When the Position Changes

The moment pieces collide is not the only critical moment. Whether to complete a surrounding, to attack first, to respond to an exchange, or to accept an attack — the moment when a choice changes the nature of the game is the critical moment.

It is common to realize after the fact that you should have acted sooner. Therefore, look beyond the board — at the temperature of the position. If both sides are fully prepared and further delay would only benefit the opponent, a decision may be needed even in a quiet position.

Essence of this Section: The most intense moment is not the one with the most action, but the one where you cannot go back.

Courage to Act and the Courage to Retract

Courage is not always about attacking. It can also mean the courage to act, and the courage to admit a move is not good and to withdraw.

The decision to act is not guaranteed to succeed. It is based on what remains if the move fails — is your king safe? Does the exchange open a new battle? Or does it result in total loss? A decision is made when you understand the magnitude of the risk.

Essence of this Section: Courage is not the absence of fear — it is the ability to accept and justify a risk.

Don’t React to Every Threat

When faced with a fork, you may want to escape one piece. When under attack, you may instinctively respond with the most natural defense. However, reacting to each threat one by one allows the opponent to control the flow of the game.

The saying “Do not flee from a fork” does not mean to ignore a fork. It teaches to search for a more powerful counterattack, a closer approach to the king, or a larger piece capture before fleeing. After accepting the threat, consider whether you can return a heavier question to your opponent.

Essence of this Section: Don’t just answer your opponent’s questions — return a heavier one to them.

Choose Simplicity or Complexity?

The side with an advantage can get closer to victory by simplifying the position, while the side at a disadvantage may find more chances for reversal by increasing options. However, simplification does not guarantee safety, and complexity does not guarantee victory.

Is the simpler path truly the best? Can you handle the complexity of the position with your time and mental capacity? Consider not only the situation, but also your strengths and weaknesses, remaining time, and how easy it is to make decisions.

The saying “A long endgame is worse than a short, certain win” teaches that it is often better to choose a simple, certain win over a difficult, long endgame. Choosing safety over beauty is a practical decision in battle.

Essence of this Section: Choose not the best move, but the one you can fully commit to and carry through.

Time Is Also a Piece

Using time can improve precision, but using it up means losing the chance to think in the endgame. Spending time on a difficult position is not the same as continuing to think about it.

If a move changes the direction of the game, it is worth using time. Conversely, if every move leads to the same result, and a more serious situation comes later, you should save time. The allocation of time reflects how important you see the position.

Essence of this Section: Time is not for delaying decisions — it is for improving the quality of decisions.

Takeaway from Volume V

Decision is not about knowing the correct answer. It is about accepting the position, yourself, your opponent, and time, and choosing what to protect and what to risk.

Volume VI: The Essence of Endgame — Understanding the Weight of a Single Move

In the endgame, the value of pieces, the safety of the king, and the meaning of a single move all change rapidly. An advantage built in the middle game can vanish due to a single delayed move. Conversely, even in a disadvantageous position, if you advance toward the opponent’s king first, you can reverse the entire position’s value.

From Piece Gain to Speed

The saying “In the endgame, speed matters more than piece gain” does not mean to ignore piece gain. It teaches to shift your evaluation from which piece gain is better to which move brings you closer to victory — the evaluation of which move reduces the distance to checkmate.

Even if you take a piece, if your king is checkmated in the move, the move is meaningless. Even if you give a piece, if the opponent’s king is under immediate attack, you are getting closer to victory. In the endgame, it is not about how many pieces you gain, but how much you reduce the distance to checkmate.

Essence of this Section: In the endgame, compare the number of moves remaining for both kings, not the number of pieces.

Don’t Chase the King, Eliminate Escape Routes

If you keep checking the opponent’s king, it may seem like you are attacking. However, if you allow the king to escape to a safe direction, the pressure will weaken.

“Surround the king” teaches to press on all sides of the king, gradually reducing escape routes. “Drop the king” also shows that if the king escapes upward, it becomes harder to capture — a key characteristic of Shogi.

However, both are principles to be applied based on the current board, not rigid rules of always chasing from below or always surrounding. The essence is not the number of checks, but whether the opponent’s king has fewer escape options.

Essence of this Section: The progress of the attack is measured not by the number of checks, but by the number of escape routes taken away from the opponent’s king.

Reserve the Final Piece

As the attack continues, you may want to use your pieces one by one. However, if the piece that finally captures the opponent’s king is not reserved, even a surrounding will not end.

The saying “Save the gold for the final move” teaches that a gold piece with stable positioning is best suited for the final move to checkmate. It is not wrong to use a gold piece in the middle, but rather a reminder to think about which piece will be used for the final capture at the start of the attack.

On the other hand, “No one-space dragon” shows that a dragon placed one square away from the opponent’s king, and linked with gold and silver, can be extremely strong. The attack is not just a single clever move, but a move built from the final role.

Essence of this Section: Before using all your attacking pieces, decide in advance which piece will be used for the final capture.

Don’t Rush to Win

When victory seems close, people often want to end the game quickly. They may be drawn to flashy checks, decisive piece drops, or a move they believe they’ve already solved. However, when you are in a strong position, you must still consider the possibility of a counterattack.

A safe defense, a move that removes escape routes, or a move that reduces the opponent’s remaining pieces may be safer than the shortest path to victory. If a move that delays victory removes the possibility of defeat, then that move is truly effective.

Essence of this Section: When victory is in sight, first verify that a move that loses is not the one that leads to defeat.

Losing is Determined by the Board

In difficult positions, emotions may cause you to give up before the board does. But opponents may also make mistakes, and sometimes time pressure can prevent a decisive move.

Sticking to the game is not about continuing meaningless checks. It is about forcing the opponent to make a choice, demanding the most difficult possible win, and forcing the opponent to choose a path that is as far from your king as possible. As long as possibilities remain, you should transform them into actual moves on the board.

Essence of this Section: Beyond hope, create a specific difficulty that the opponent can make a mistake in on the board.

Takeaway from Volume VI

In the endgame, shift your evaluation standard to speed. Take away the opponent’s king’s freedom, reserve the last piece, and in both winning and losing positions, search for a possibility that remains on the board.

Volume VII: The Essence of Battle Spirit — Calming a Restless Mind

The mind during a game fluctuates with the situation. When things go well, you become optimistic; when things go bad, you become anxious; when you can’t see the future, you become fearful. You cannot avoid a fluctuating mind. What is needed is the ability to recognize when your mind is moving and to return to the board.

When You Are in the Advantage, Don’t End the Game

When you feel you have the advantage, you may immediately assume you have already won. This leads you to see the opponent’s counterattack as weak, to skip necessary checks, and to rush toward a conclusion.

Advantage is not victory — it is a state where you have many options. Use that flexibility not to make a flashy move, but to reduce risk. After seeing the opponent’s most serious counterattack, choose a path that cannot be broken.

Essence of this Section: It is better to celebrate victory after the game ends. On the board, use your advantage to transform it into safety.

After a Bad Move, Start Over

When you realize you made a bad move, your mind may immediately want to go back to the previous position. However, the board does not return. If you are overwhelmed by regret, you may try to recover what you lost, and easily fall into a second error.

First, accept the current situation. You lost pieces, your king is weak, the attack has stopped. Briefly state these facts, and then search for the remaining strengths. Instead of returning to your original plan, create a new strategy suited to the current position.

Essence of this Section: Before trying to recover what you lost, count what you still have.

Convert Fear into Verification Questions

When you fear your opponent’s attack, fear of misreading, or fear of losing — fear can lead you to either ignore it or overreact.

Convert fear into specific questions. “How many types of checks does the opponent have?” “Does my king have an escape route?” “What happens if I give this piece?” When fear is transformed into questions, it becomes a verifiable piece of information.

Essence of this Section: Do not deny emotions — translate them into questions that can be answered on the board.

Respect for the Opponent Deepens Your Understanding

If you underestimate your opponent, you may only consider moves that suit your own convenience. On the other hand, if you overestimate your opponent, you may imagine moves that don’t exist and become paralyzed.

Respect does not mean believing your opponent is perfect. It means recognizing that your opponent is also searching for the best move, and once considering the most serious move they might make. At the same time, remember that your opponent is human — they can hesitate, use time, and make mistakes.

Essence of this Section: Respect your opponent’s best play, while not assuming they are perfect.

The Strength to Say “I Lost”

Giving up is not a denial of your value. It is a moment when you separate your game result from your personal evaluation — a necessary step to move forward.

Immediately after losing, do not fix a single reason. It could be one move, the way you used time, a shape you didn’t know, or a panicked mind. Before analyzing the cause of loss, first offer a sincere apology to the opponent who played the game to the end. Only when this moment of closure can you transform the game into a lesson.

Essence of this Section: Accepting defeat is not the end of growth.

Takeaway from Volume VII

Battle spirit is not about eliminating emotions. It is the ability to recognize optimism, anxiety, fear, and regret, and to return to the board with questions before making the next move.

Volume VIII: Creating Your Own Shogi — Style and Growth

As you grow stronger, you learn established patterns, memorize tactics, and imitate strong players. Still, the final decision of which move to play is yours.

Style is not just the name of a favorite strategy. It is the accumulation of choices — what positions you believe in, what you fear, and how you want to win.

Begin by Imitating

Imitating a strong player’s moves does not mean losing your own identity. It is simply borrowing a new way of thinking that you don’t have.

However, imitating a sequence of moves does not tell you why a player made a particular choice. Why did they keep a piece? Why did they not rush? Why did they accept risk? Only by understanding the values behind the move can imitation become understanding.

Essence of this Section: Don’t imitate a strong player’s moves — imitate the standards behind their decisions.

Develop Your Strengths, Know Your Weaknesses

Trying to eliminate weaknesses alone can cause your own game to lose its weapons. If you are good at attack, deepen your attack. If you are good at defense, refine the transition from defense to counterattack. Your strengths become the foundation for your confidence in battle.

On the other hand, if you ignore your weaknesses, you will be led there by your opponent. You don’t need to turn weaknesses into strengths, but you should know how they break and have a minimum level of preparation. Aim to win with your strengths and lose only when you are in your weaknesses.

Essence of this Section: Don’t treat everything equally — extend your weapons and build a foundation for your weaknesses.

Beautiful Moves and Winning Moves

Shogi has beautiful sacrifices, quiet defenses, and moments when a long plan finally comes to life. The desire for beautiful moves keeps you learning.

However, in real play, focusing too much on beauty can distance you from a certain victory. While you value beautiful moves, you must also take responsibility for the result and your opponent’s result. Beauty and victory do not have to be mutually exclusive — they can coexist under tension.

Essence of this Section: Before seeking a beautiful move, ask whether that beauty supports the game.

Beyond Proverbs, Create Your Own Words

Proverbs are concise wisdom that applies in many situations. However, because they are short, exceptions and conditions are often omitted. Growing stronger is not about following proverbs blindly, but about understanding why a proverb was created and when it might fail.

As you play more games, your own words will emerge. “When I’m nervous, I look at my king,” “Before attacking, I bring out a piece,” “When I’m ahead, I pay more attention to my opponent’s intentions.” These may not be famous proverbs, but they are the essence born from your own failures and successes.

Essence of this Section: Test borrowed words in real play, and eventually grow them into your own personal judgment.

Continue Playing for a Long Time

Progress comes in waves. There are times when you suddenly win, and times when you are learning but results are poor. Trying a new approach may even temporarily increase confusion.

Don’t judge growth by immediate win rate. Instead, look at whether you noticed a previously unseen risk, whether you returned to the board after a loss, and whether you could articulate your own strategy. Strength is not just rank or result — it is also reflected in your relationship with the game.

Essence of this Section: More than the result of each game, it is about building a relationship with the game that continues into the next.

Takeaway from Volume VIII

Style does not exist from the beginning. It forms through learning, imitation, trying, failure, and reevaluation. The final purpose of inheriting the essence is not to play the same game as someone else, but to create your own game through your own judgment.