From: Gregory nyc rr com> Date: 22 aug 2004 Subject: Kanji-Less Shogi Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Amazing Diet Patch The fastest - Easiest way to lose weight! Try it now FREE! http://click.topica.com/= caacvgta2i6YsbnuqMaa/MyDietPatches ------------------------------------------------------------------- These discussions center around substituting one kanji for another, in this= case directional arrows versus characters, all the time imprinted on flat tiles. Why not introduce three-dimensional shapes, as in western chess? That would make for a more universal language, less bound to any individual= culture. That said, as a reformed chess player who recently went over to shogi, reaching the 2 dan level in 18 months, I adjusted to kanji fairly rapidly, though I still make mortal blunders, for instance, stupidly losing games by= confusing silver for gold generals. I empathize with those who argue that kanji do repel the casual player or the neophyte. The kanji pay homage to the Japanese roots of this magnificent game, and to the aesthetic and competitve culture that has sustained it across the centuries. However, they remain arbitrary, extraneous to the play of the game as such, and in that sense somewhat vestigal to the project, if such exists, of establishin= g shogi as a universal game. In any event, the chief problem is not the kanji, but finding players equally afflicted by the passion for shogi. My heartfelt thanks to the creators and managers of shogi dojo. Greg D'ELIA, New York ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "E R" webtv net> To: topica com> Sent: Friday, August 13, 2004 9:29 PM Subject: Re: Kanji-Less Shogi Sets =3D International Sets ? Where Available= ? Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Need cash fast? Get a $500 CASH ADVANCE overnight! Let YourCashCentral get you the cash you need. http://click.topica.com/caacxyca2i6Ysbndxj3a/MyOnlinePayday ------------------------------------------------------------------- Maybe I should agree if there were only one kind of kanji used. Why should I learn two? The former Marine did not recognize the one I had and told me that he could not play me with them. Do the Japanese want to keep the game Japanese? Why not have a set with lines showing the direction the piece moves or one with pictures. I was able to figure out what some of the pieces had to be but not all of them. You don't need to be able to read to recognize chess pieces. You should not need to be able to read hieroglyphics to play Shogi. If someone came up with a nice design carved into the wood as Shogi sets are (that is how it's done, right?) easily recognizable by folks who don't know kanji, do you think that it would catch on? Maybe replace or co-exist with the old Kanji-based sets? I have seen the Leggett book, btw. Am I the only one who feels this way? Thanks for the international set images, but IMO if one wants to replace the kanji then one ought to replace it with something better looking. Would that make it more acceptable? I suppose there is some culture clash here. The players who know much more than you--are they Japanese unwilling to have their game tampered with? Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get a Great Credit Card for You Today You can find a credit card to fit your credit needs. All types of credit cards -- 0% APRs, Rewards, & Bad Credit. http://click.topica.com/caacvgua2i6Ysbndxj3f/411Web ------------------------------------------------------------------- Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Save up to 67% on Omaha Steaks + Get 6 FREE Burgers and a=20 FREE Cutlery Set + Cutting Board! http://click.topica.com/= caacvgpa2i6YsbnuqMaf/OmahaSteaks ------------------------------------------------------------------- --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: = shogi-l shogi net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a2i6Ys.= bnuqMa.= c2hvZ2kt Or send an email to: shogi-unsubscribe topica com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=3DTEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------