The Master of Go
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The Master of Go is a novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Kawabata Yasunari, first published in serial form in 1951. Titled Meijin in its original Japanese, Kawabata considered it his finest work, although it is a severe contrast with his other works.
It is a semi-fictional chronicle of the lengthy 1938 "retirement game" of Go by the respected master Honinbo Shūsai, against the up-and-coming player Kitani Minoru (although the latter's name is changed to Otake in the book). It was the last game of the master Shūsai's career, a lengthy struggle which took almost six months to complete; he lost to his younger challenger, to die a little over a year thereafter.
Kawabata had actually reported on the match for the Mainichi newspaper chain, and some sections of the book are reworked versions of his original newspaper columns. The Japanese word used to describe the book is shōsetsu, which may be translated as "chronicle-novel", but it is mostly true to life.
The book has many layers of meaning, more so than Kawabata's other works. As well as simply describing the game, on the surface there are the inherent themes of the struggle between the older player whose powers are fading, and his younger challenger; and also the clash between the differing playing styles, and the personalities in which they are to some degree rooted. The book also reflects the tension between old traditions and new pragmatism - for example, commenting upon the rigid rules governing the contest, the author writes:
- From the way of Go, the beauty of Japan and the Orient had fled. Everything had become science and regulation.
Finally, as a retelling of a climactic struggle, some readers consider it a symbolic parallel to the defeat of Japan in World War II, an event which affected Kawabata deeply. Kawabata began work on the book during the war, but did not complete it until well after the end of it.
The game, as actually played in real life, lasted 237 moves, and is documented in the book by means of diagrams. Kitani Minoru, playing Black, won by 5 points. The game can be downloaded in SGF format. The book is frequently used by western Go players as a starting point to explore the place of Go in Japanese society and it is commonly recommended to younger players.
The book was translated into English (ISBN 0679761063) in 1972, by Edward G. Seidensticker. The original Japanese book version, published in 1954, was somewhat longer than the version translated by Seidensticker, which was Kawabata's later revision.