From: Hiroki Kawada <kawada <at> MERL <dot> HITACHI <dot> CO <dot> JP>
Date: 28 jan 1996
Subject: Re: notation

Hello, Sano-san,

Sorry for my late reply as I have not be able to open my mail box since the
last week.

>Then Kawada-san, I have to point out what I could not understand
>well in your last comments.
>
>1. >Even if you don't care about board and pieces, some other Japanese
>> people may require wooden board and pieces to foreign players because
>> those Japanese may think the instruments are essential in Japanese
>> culture.
>
>You and I agree upon on the idea that the "material" (not instrument)
>is not the part of the essence of Japanese culture.
>I don't think almost all the Japanese would make any complaint on this.
>.....

>JAPANESE ARE NOT SUCH NARROW HEARTED PEOPLE THAT YOU INSIST !!
>
>On the contrary.
>
>THUS THE COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDINGS AMONG PEOPLE OVER THE WORLD
>SHOULD PROCEED ON. That's what I want to say.


I completely agree with your statement.  I just wanted say that nobody,
including you and me, can determine what is esseneial in Japanese culture,
material of board, white Judo uniform and the way of notation.


>2. You wrote "some other Japanese people may require ..." in the above.
>We remember that you have once written words like "satisfy nationalism
>of Japanese..."
>It seems to mean "we are not the one to say such a thing. BUT there are
>some people who dare to say that." It automatically reminds us of people
>who cries over on the street or in the dark side of the town.
>When you write "nationalism", it relates nationalist, racist, patriot,
>you have everything.
>
>Do you want to mean that?
>Yes, it looks you you want to mean that.


If I find one forcing foreigners to use Japanese terms in shogi in the name
of keeping Japanese cultre, I think it is a kind of nationalism.  We have
to realize the most of foreign players prefer to using English terms in
notation.



>3. > A climber may not give up his plan to climb "Annapurna" for reason that
>   > "Annapurna" is hard to spell and remember.
>   > But in shogi, players have to remember the name of pieces when they read
>   > game scores.
>
>I don't think whole your descriptions here are supporting what you seem to
>insist on.


I am afraid that a beginner in shogi may quit learning shogi because
Japanese names of the pieces are hard to remember.
But a beginner in climbing never gives up climbing a mountain which has
unfamiliar name.  That is the point I wanted to say.

I wish we could discuss in the view of spreading shogi to the world.
I still don't believe Japanese culture would be misunderstood by foreigners
using King instead of Gyoku.  If so, most of the subscribers in shogi-L
would have already misunderstood shogi by using King.

With kind regards,

Hiroki kawada
Hiroki Kawada                     * "After the defeat
Mechanical Engineering Res. Lab., *   it is a valuable time."
Sec. 15, Hitachi, Ltd.,           * K. Yonenaga,
Kandatsu 502, Tsuchiura,          *  Shogi (Japanese chess) player
Ibaraki  300 Japan