Genan is arguably the biggest personality ever seen in go. His own preface to Igo Shukairoku is written in a hand, shown here, that is attractive and confident, perhaps even a little arrogant with its noticeably long strokes. At the end of the preface he signs himself as the 11th head of the Inoue family and daguoshou, or Meijin.

He wrote the preface in Chinese, which allowed him to get away with using the phrase daguoshou. He never actually became Meijin, but as he was regarded as of sufficient stature he at least had the bragging rights.

He had unilaterally changed the numbering of the Inoue family heads so that he was now No. 11. He had started as No. 10, but by interpolating Nakamura Doseki as No. 1, and shifting everyone else up by one, the Inoue family could then claim two previous Meijins. This was to boost his own application for the post of Meijin Godokoro. The ability to think laterally like this was typical of Genan, as was the audacity to implement his ideas. He once risked serious punishment by writing to the shogunate to complain about tax reform.

He was fond of military metaphors. The commentaries in his Igo Myoden are larded with quotations from Sun Zi's Art of War. Despite the fame of Sun Zi's work, it is very rare for it to be quoted in go books - another example of Genan's innovation. Genan was probably ramming home the fact that he was of samurai stock, whereas Jowa was from a mere merchant's family. In the preface to Igo Shukairoku he again uses a military analogy, describing how the early part of a battle is really just manoeuvring by two generals. The actual outcome is decided by the ability of the soldiers to finish off the job. So in go, a player, says Genan, is not really strong unless he knows how to resolve the many and various endgame situations.

<< Previous    Next >>