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The Ten Most Important Events in 20th Century Baduk


5. The Founding of the Japanese Baduk Association (Nihon Ki-in)

	In the last three decades of the 19th century Japan, the feudal regime dominated by the Tokugawa Shogunate was undermined by a political revolution called the Meiji Restoration, which reunified the nation under the direct control of the emperor. The happy days that Japanese Baduk had enjoyed under the protection of the Tokugawa clan were over. The Meiji government abolished the Kisho system, which had guaranteed the financial security of Baduk professionals, and sought to replace the four Baduk Houses, which had sustained the Japanese Baduk community since 1700, by an organization named Houensha.


Celebrating 60th anniversary of Japanese Baduk Association foundation. Left is Cho Chi-hoon 9-dan who was Japan's best at that time.

The four Houses closed, one by one: first Hayashi; then Inoue, after it was moved to Kansai prefecture; then Yasui. The last one left was Honinbo, which contested the new sovereignty of Houensha over the Baduk community. ※ The central role of the Nihon Ki-in in the 20th century The movement to unify the Japanese Baduk world started four decades later, with the establishment of the Japanese Baduk Association (Nihon Ki-in) in 1921. But four young 6-dan players, Karikane, Suzuki, Takabe, and Segoe, raised the standard of revolt by leaving Houensha and forming a new organization, Shinseikai. In the ensuing upheaval, Honinbo and Houensha formed a secret alliance. They established the Central Baduk Association in 1923, and gave it a monopoly on the issuance of professional licenses. The secret alliance lasted only three months, however. So Houensha split off again, leaving the Central Go Association in the hands of House Honinbo. Three organizations now headed the Japanese Baduk community: the Central Go Association, Houensha, and Shinseikai. The Baduk community was devastated by the great Kantou earthquake in September, 1923, however, leaving no room for the luxury of three organizations competing with each other for sovereignty. -- by Lee Gwang-goo, Baduk critic

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