Salarymen and Homeless Shogi Players in Ikebukuro

I was in Ikebukuro yesterday and saw a group of men gathered in the open square below Tobu Department Store. As I got closer, it seemed to be a group of homeless men playing chess. They were sitting on plastic stools with a box or crate holding the game for each pair. I've seen groups of men playing chess in Central Park, and it was a similar (though smaller) scene. I could see folded cardboard shelters and other signs of homelessness. But it wasn't that simple. First, they were playing Shogi, a.k.a. Japanese chess. Second, some of the men appeared to be salarymen, clean cut and wearing nice suits, while others were obviously a mix of homeless men and (possibly) retirees. Like the chess players in Central Park, they all knew what they were doing, and there was plenty of attitude to go around. The man in the top two pictures periodically cracked a huge smile, all gums and gasping for air. The player on the left in the two bottom pictures would wait a few seconds after moving and then start yelling: "Faster, faster! What are you doing?! Move it!" The large faced man at his shoulder tracked every move with a fixed gaze and leaned in as the intensity grew. They made an amusing pair. Clearly, playing street shogi with that crowd is not for the faint of heart or mind. Someday I want to go back and talk to a few of these guys and get their stories. Maybe even sit down and play a game of shogi with them, if I can figure it out. Posted by jw at March 11, 2004 09:52 PM