Yamakuzushi is a Japanese children game by using shogi board and pieces often before they learn shogi. Children can get familiar with shogi pieces through this game. Habu mentioned to this game in the interview linked below;
Yoshiharu Habu in conversation with Fumio Yamada, shogi journalist and
broadcaster (April 2002)Habu: Yes, a friend in the same class who lived nearby taught me.
It was just one of the many games we played. We started with "mawari shogi"
and "yamakuzushi,"* then advanced to shogi proper. At first I was around the
same strength as my classmates, but then I got stronger and started going to
a shogi club so I could play against adults.
* Mawarishogi: The players race their golds around the shogi board from the
outside to the center, throwing dice to decide the number of squares they
move.
Yamakuzushi: The pieces are spilled onto the shogi board from the box,
forming a "mountain." The players have to move each piece from the mountain
to the edge of the board with their forefinger without making a noise. A
player who makes a noise must leave the game.
The remark of Yamakuzushi above is a little obscure. Yamakuzushi is to be played plural players. The "Noise" means the sound generated from the "mountain" only and does not include the sound generated by slipping a shogi piece on the board and by getting a piece out of bounds. When one player makes a "noise", then his/her turn is over and another player's turn comes. This circulation is to continue until the final piece is got out. Here is an example of Yamakuzushi. It is played by three players in the video. The video was taken on March 22 2008 on the opportunity of Kids School event hold in Tokyo by LPSA(The Ladies Professional Shogi -players' Association of Japan)
Comments