Moments in Go History

THE TWO FUJISAWAS, PART 2
April 19, 2004
By William Cobb

The younger Fujisawa, Shuko or Hideyuki (the pronunciation of his given name that he prefers) is more famous than his relative Hosai. Born in 1925, Shuko (as he is almost universally known, especially in the West) has had a splendid, though at times controversial, career. He has won many titles, most famously the first six Kisei (1977-82), the most prestigious of the Japanese titles. Shuko was named permanent Honorary Kisei for this feat. He also won the Meijin the first time it was awarded on the basis of competition, in 1962, beating out Sakata Eio and Go Seigen.

Shuko won the Oza in 1991 at the age of 66 and successfully defended it the next year against Kobayashi Koichi. Kobayashi was at the peak of his career at the time, and nearly thirty years younger than Shuko. No other pro has had such success that late in life. There have been numerous other titles and awards, and there probably would have been many more if not for his love of alcohol. He was notorious for sobering up for the Kisei title match each year, pointing out that he only had to win four games a year to remain at the top of the go world.

In 1999, a year after his retirement, Shuko had a falling out with the Nihon Kiin over the price the Kiin charges for dan diplomas, which is a major source of income for the Kiin. Shuko began issuing diplomas himself for a smaller fee and was summarily dismissed from the Nihon Kiin as a result. This made him persona non grata for several years, but in early 2004, he was reinstated in the Kiin. A happy consequence of his reinstatement is that the Nihon Kiin has allowed his famous Dictionary of Basic Tesuji to be reprinted. Now in his late seventies, Shuko continues to be active. His picture and an analysis of one of his amazing moves can be found in the current issue of Go World. We've attached a record of that game for your amusement; the remarkable move is Black 13.

2004.04.19 SHUKO ORIGINAL MOVE.SGF

Sources: The Go Player's Almanac 2001, Sensei's Library, http://gobase.org, Go World #100. For a sketch of Hosai, see Part One of this essay in the April 5th E-Journal.

Back to Columns