On the bright and sunny afternoon of the 13th of September, a Shogi workshop was held at JCC. The workshop was conducted by Ms Madoka Kitao who is a professional Shogi player. Ms Kitao, dressed in an intricate hakama, first gave a presentation to those in attendance about the history of Shogi and its evolutions. Many were surprised and impressed at Ms Kitao’s efforts to share her knowledge of Shogi with the rest of the world. Ms Kitao has been to various countries to share her shogi knowledge and has also conducted workshops.
Taking into account the fact that many in attendance may not be able to read Japanese, Ms Kitao introduced “Let’s catch the lion” which is her own original creation. “Let’s catch the lion” is a fun and simple way to understand the concepts of shogi without having to know Japanese characters written on the original shogi pieces.
After a few demonstrations by Ms Kitao, audience members were paired off and given the opportunity to actually play “let’s catch the lion” using the sets that Ms Kitao had brought along with her. After getting the hang of the game, attendees to the event began to get competitive and it wasn’t long before excited shouts of triumph or groans of defeat echoed through the hall.
Ms Kitao also explained various strategies on how to win the game prompting guests to try out those strategies for themselves. After learning how to play “let’s catch the lion”, Ms Kitao brought out the original shogi sets and taught those present how to play the game. Unlike “let’s catch the lion”, the original Japanese Shogi proved to be more challenging and many were seen thinking deeply about their next movies and concocting strategies to beat their opponents.
Ms Madoka Kitao’s Shogi Workshop received many positive reviews and most had enquired where they could purchase a set of Ms Kitao’s “let’s catch the lion”. Fortunately, “let’s catch the lion” is available for sale at Kinokuniya and can be bought for a reasonable amount. Some audience members liked the game so much that they expressed their wish to buy the game as soon as they left JCC.
 
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