"Hikaru Shindo is like any sixth-grader in Japan: a pretty normal school boy with a two-tone head of hair and a penchant for antics. One day, he finds an old bloodstained Go board in his grandfather's attic-- and that's when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the Emperor of Japan many centuries ago."--Cover of v. 1.
An ancient ghost possesses Hikaru and unleashes his hidden genius! R to L (Japanese Style). After stumbling across a haunted Go board, irresponsible Hikaru Shindo discovers that the spirit of a master player has taken up residence in his consciousness. In his pursuit of the "Divine Move," Fujiwara-no-Sai awakens in Hikaru an untapped genius for the game, and soon the schoolboy is chasing his own dream--defeating the famed Go prodigy Akira Toya!Six Characters, Six StoriesThe main storyline takes a holiday, making way for six tales that offer fresh insight into the characters and lives of Akira Toya, Tetsuo Kaga, Asumi Nase, Yuki Mitani, Atsushi Kurata and Fujiwara-no-Sai. Hikaru Shindo figures in some of these but only takes center stage when, in the final tale, he challenges a crooked antique shop owner to a game of go in an attempt to restore an heirloom vase to its rightful owner. Six Characters, Six Stories The main storyline takes a holiday, making way for six tales that offer fresh insight into the characters and lives of Akira Toya, Tetsuo Kaga, Asumi Nase, Yuki Mitani, Atsushi Kurata and Fujiwara-no-Sai. Hikaru Shindo figures in some of these but only takes center stage when, in the final tale, he challenges a crooked antique shop owner to a game of go in an attempt to restore an heirloom vase to its rightful owner.
In this book, Otake presents 20 principles for opening play. You will find a discussion of the fundamentals of the opening and strategy. Almost a third of the book is devoted to the important topic of shape, a subject not well understood by most western go players. Otake explains sophisticated concepts in a simple and accessible way, making the book easy to digest regardless of your playing strength. By applying these principles when you make your strategic decisions, you will improve your game enormously. There are many things about the opening that are a bit difficult, but a little study of opening principles can pay big dividends in your win/loss record The book is divided into three parts: Chapter One: Fuseki Fundamentals Chapter Two: Shape Chapter Three: Strategy
A collection of best-selling artist Takeshi Obata’s work from 2001–2006, which contains definitive illustrations from popular series Death Note and Hikaru no Go. This gorgeous oversized art book is encased in a silver-stamped slipcase and is stuffed with 132 pages of full-color art, several massive foldout posters, special papers and 12 pages of artist commentary, including a “how to draw” section. It also includes three large double-sided laminated posters. This incredibly special art book is being offered as a limited edition print run of 10,000 copies.
Hikaru Shindo is like any sixth-grader in Japan: a pretty normal schoolboy with a two-tone head of hair and a penchant for antics. One day, he finds an old bloodstained Go board in his grandfather's attic--and that's when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the emperor of Japan many centuries ago. In one fateful moment, Sai becomes a part of Hikaru's consciousness and together, through thick and thin, they make an unstoppable Go-playing team. Will they be able to defeat Go players who have dedicated their lives to the game? Will Sai achieve the "Divine Move" so he'll finally be able to rest in peace? Begin your journey with Hikaru and Sai in this first volume of Hikaru no Go. -- VIZ Media
Akira is beginning a new school year at Kaio Middle School. With his daunting reputation as the Toya Meijin's son, Akira finds he must prove himself to more than a few mean and jealous classmates. And with the help of upperclassman Yuri Hidaka, Akira finds the confidence to persevere in his hunt to beat Hikaru. Meanwhile, Hikaru is having a hard enough time just trying to find a third teammate to play in the Haze Middle School Go Club. A possible teammate arrives in the form of Yuki Mitani--but will he join their club or continue to swindle old timers for their pocket change? -- VIZ Media
From the beginning, Go has been just fun and games for Hikaru. But now that Akira has turned pro, it's going to take everything in Hikaru's power to catch up to his old rival. Before Hikaru can even take the pro test, however, he must get into the insei school and defeat all the students. And by that time Akira may truly be out of reach! -- VIZ Media
Master the fascinating game of Go with this expert guidebook. Go is a two-player board game that first originated in ancient China but is also very popular in Japan and Korea. There is significant strategy and philosophy involved in the game, and the number of possible games is vast--even when compared to chess. Go has enthralled hundreds of millions of people in Asia, where it is an integral part of the culture. In the West, many have learned of its pleasures, especially after the game appeared in a number of hit movies, TV series, and books, and was included on major Internet game sites. By eliciting the highest powers of rational thought, the game draws players, not just for the thrills of competition, but because they feel it enhances their mental, artistic, and even spiritual lives. Go! More Than a Game is the guidebook that uses the most modern methods of teaching to learn Go, so that, in a few minutes, anyone can understand the two basic rules that generate the game. The object of Go is surrounding territory, but the problem is that while you are doing this, the opponent may be surrounding you! In a series of exciting teaching games, you will watch as Go's beautiful complexities begin to unfold in intertwining patterns of black and white stones. These games progress from small 9x9 boards to 13x13 and then to the traditional 19x19 size. Go! More Than a Game has been completely revised by the author based on new data about the history of early Go and the Confucians who wrote about it. This popular book includes updated information such as the impact of computer versions on the game, the mysterious new developments of Go combinatorics, advances in Combinatorial Game Theory and a look at the current international professional playing scene.
Asian Popular Culture: New, Hybrid, and Alternate Media, edited by John A. Lent and Lorna Fitzsimmons, is an interdisciplinary study of popular culture practices in Asia, including regional and national studies of Japan, China, South Korea, and Australia. The contributors explore the evolution and intersection of popular forms (gaming, manga, anime, film, music, fiction, YouTube videos) and explicate the changing cultural meanings of these media in historical and contemporary contexts. At this study's core are the roles popular culture plays in the construction of national and regional identity. Common themes in this text include the impact of new information technology, whether it be on gaming in East Asia, music in 1960s' Japan, or candlelight vigils in South Korea; hybridity, of old and new versions of the Chinese game Weiqi, of online and hand-held gaming in South Korea and Japan that developed localized expressions, or of United States culture transplanted to Japan in post-World War II, leading to the current otaku (fan boy) culture; and the roles that nationalism and grassroots and alternative media of expression play in contemporary Asian popular culture. This is an essential study in understanding the role of popular culture in Asia's national and regional identity.
Go (Weiqi in Chinese) is one of the most popular games in East Asia, with a steadily increasing fan base around the world. Like chess, Go is a logic game but it is much older, with written records mentioning the game that date back to the 4th century BC. As Chinese politics have changed over the last two millennia, so too has the imagery of the game. Today, it marks the reemergence of cultured gentlemen as an idealized model of manhood. Moskowitz uses this game to come to a better understanding of Chinese masculinity, nationalism, and class, as the PRC reconfigures its history and traditions to meet the future.
