Every April since 1956, the city of Ììͯ (°Õ±ð²Ô»å¨, Tendo), in Yamagata Prefecture ¡ª one of Japan¡¯s so-called ½«Æå¤Î¤Þ¤Á (sh¨gi no machi, shogi cities) ¡ª hosts an event known as ÈËég½«Æå (ningen sh¨gi, human shogi) as the centerpiece of its —@¼À¤ê (sakura matsuri, cherry blossom festival). Ììͯ is known as a ½«Æå¤Î¤Þ¤Á because it produces 90% of pieces used for the game.
Locals don samurai æz (yoroi, armor) and ×ÅÎï (kimono, kimonos) to represent the ñx (koma, shogi pieces) on a giant outdoor ½«Æå±P (²õ³ó¨²µ¾±-²ú²¹²Ô, shogi board). Professional players engage in matches with these human figures atop Mount Maizuru, surrounded by the —@ (sakura, cherry blossoms) of around 2,000 trees.
½«Æå, often described as a Japanese version of chess, isn¡¯t just responsible for contributing to the fun we have during —@ season, though. It¡¯s also responsible for several turns of phrase that have made it into other parts of the language. The most popular of these might be ÍõÊÖ (¨³Ù±ð, checkmate), which you may have seen in sports articles that opt for phrases such as ƒž„Ù¤ËÍõÊÖ¤ò¤«¤±¤ë (y¨±sh¨ ni ¨³Ù±ð o kakeru, to make a bid for victory).
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.