＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
In the world of shogi, Yoshiharu Habu (1970- ) received the People’s Honor Award in February 2018. Following this, high school shogi player Sota Fujii (2002- ) became the youngest player ever to win the title of Kisei (Kisei) yesterday (July 16, 2020) at age 17 years and 11 months. He is also working towards becoming the youngest player ever to win the O-i title.
<Update: August 20, 2020> Sota Fujii Wins the O-i Title and Also Promoted to 8-dan
After winning the fourth game of the O-i title match held from August 19 to 20, 2020, he achieved four consecutive wins to claim the O-i title, becoming the youngest player ever to hold two titles and also the youngest player ever to be promoted to 8-dan. Congratulations!!
By the way, there are many interesting words in Japanese that originate from shogi.
1. Checkmate (Oute：王手)
“Checkmate” means “one step away from achieving final victory,” “a decisive move that threatens the opponent’s life or death,” or “a situation where the opponent has been cornered or is being cornered.”
In shogi, a move that directly attacks the king is called “checkmate.”
“Reverse checkmate（Gyaku-Oute：逆王手）” refers to a situation in sports league matches, such as the Japan Series in professional baseball, where a player who is initially at a disadvantage due to a losing streak and is in checkmate goes on to win consecutive games and then checkmates the opponent. It also refers to a situation where a lower-ranked player catches up with a player considered a favorite to win, creating the possibility of a comeback victory.
2. Nouveau riche (Narikin：成金)
“Nouveau riche” refers to “someone who becomes rich in a short period of time, or the person who made it.”
In shogi, it refers to a piece that has entered the enemy camp and been promoted to a gold general, and thus has the same function as a gold general. It specifically refers to the pawn.
Around the end of the Edo period, the word “narikin” began to be used to mean someone who suddenly became rich. It came to refer to stock trader Suzuki Kyugoro, who made a fortune in stocks immediately after the Russo-Japanese War, and shipbuilders and shipping companies who made a fortune during World War I, and its current usage spread.
“Narikin tastes（Narikin syumi：成金趣味）” refer to “a vulgar way of spending and using money that flaunts one’s wealth and pursues flashiness and luxury without any understanding of overall balance, aesthetic sense, or functionality.”
3. Arrogant（Takabisha：高飛車）
“Takabisha” means “the act of intimidating an opponent with a bluff; an overbearing attitude.”
In shogi, it refers to “a strategy of advancing the rook high in front of one’s own side.”
From around the end of the Edo period, it began to be used to mean “overbearing” in other contexts as well.
4. Pieces in Hand（Mochigoma ：持ち駒)
“Mochigoma” refers to “people or objects that are at hand and can be used whenever needed.”
In shogi, by moving one of your pieces into the position of an opponent’s piece, you can remove the opponent’s piece from the board and use it as your own. This is called a “mochigoma.”
5. Checkmate（Tsumi ：詰み)
“Tsumi” means “a hopeless situation,” “a state where there is absolutely no hope of escape,” or “a state where everything is already over.”
In shogi, “tsumi” refers to “a situation where the king has no way to escape” or “an unstoppable checkmate.”
6. Desperation（Hisshi ：必死)
“Hisshi” means “to be certain of death” or “to give one’s all with the resolve to die.”
In shogi, “hisshi” refers to a situation where “no matter how you defend, you will inevitably be checkmated.”
7. Sacrificing Pieces (Sutegoma：捨て駒)
“Sacrificing pieces” refers to “a human sacrifice made to achieve a certain goal” or “a sacrifice made now for a greater benefit later.”
In shogi, it refers to “a strategy of deliberately sacrificing a piece,” or “a strategy of allowing the opponent to take one of your pieces and then taking that piece yourself.”
It’s similar to the word “sacrifice stone,” which originates from Go.
8. Shogi Falls（Shogi-daoshi ：将棋倒し)
“Shogi-daoshi” refers to “when one person falls in a crowded space, the people next to them fall one after the other.”
While not “real shogi,” this is a style of playing shogi in which pieces are lined up with a small gap between them and then knocked down one by one by gently pushing the edges.
The “Taiheiki,” written during the Muromachi period, also uses this metaphorical description, suggesting it is an ancient game.
A similar game, “domino toppling,” exists in the West, and is used metaphorically to mean “causing a chain reaction.”
9. Double Reach (Ryodori：両取り)
“Ryodori” refers to a situation in which two things can be achieved at the same time. Unlike “killing two birds with one stone” or “killing two birds with one stone,” ultimately, one must choose one or the other.
In shogi, it refers to a move that targets two pieces at the same time, such as “checkmate and capture of the rook.”
10. To Take the First Move (Sente wo Utsu：先手を打つ)
“To take the first move” means “to attack or do something before the opponent,” “to anticipate a possible situation,” or “to seize the opportunity.”
“Sente” is used in Go and Shogi to refer to making a move or starting a play before the opponent. This term comes from the saying, “The first move wins,” which refers to the player who takes the initiative and gains an advantage.
11. Second mover (Goteni mawaru：後手に回る)
“Goteni mawaru” means to be overtaken by the opponent and be put on the defensive.
“Goteni mawaru” is used in Go and Shogi to refer to making a move or starting a play after the opponent, which puts the player on the defensive and at a disadvantage.