Overview: In this episode, we spend the day with Manao Kagawa, a young shogi professional player. Shogi, that we can simply describe as Japanese chess, is a Japanese board strategy game that shares the same roots as chess. Kagawa started playing in 3rd grade and turned pro when she was still 15 years old.
As it is a traditional game, players, especially professionals, wear a kimono when playing. Our first stop with Kagawa will be at Shirataki Gofukuten, a kimono shop that traditionally provides kimonos for shogi players since more than 150 years. It also organizes a yearly shogi tournament for women, where the winner is awarded with a kimono.
We will then head towards the Sendagaya area to the Hatonomori shrine, which is a shrine dedicated to shogi. Many shogi players gather here at the start of each year for a traditional ceremony where they pray to the shogi gods.
Close to the shrine lies the Shogi Kaikan, which are the headquarters of the Japan Shogi Association and the main practice center for most shogi players, including Kagawa. As a pro, she now plays on the upper floors of the building, where each of her game results is archived and contributes to her rank.
Our last stop will be at the Jinro room in Shibuya, one of the rare spaces in Tokyo dedicated to the Werewolf game, one of Kagawa’s passions. She will tell us more about her vision about games and the importance they play in her life.
