The Way Of Tori Shogi

Miyamoto Musashi's Approach

Tori Shogi Game Board and Pieces

It would be cruel to publish recipes to people who have no access to the ingredients or tools to create those dishes. We want you to be able to play right away, either with a friend or to working through the notated games in the book. Below you will find all the pieces and a diagram of a board that you can create in about an hour. Please click on the images below in order to print out the board and pieces.

  1. Purchase full-size, self-adhesive shipping labels (8-1/2″ x 11″) and print the three pages onto them.
  2. Adhere the printed labels to cardboard and trim the Board, being careful to keep the rows and columns identifiers.
  3. Cut out the Pieces.
  4. Cut out the Promoted Pieces (Eagles and Geese) and attach them to the opposite sides of the Falcons and Swallows.

A Pocket Tori Shogi Set

Because we don’t carry a set around with us, we developed a way to play games that costs no more than pocket change, specifically three dollars and sixty-six cents ($3.66 U.S.). It’s both playable and practical.

Tori Shogi Piece
U.S. Coin [# needed]
Phoenix$1.00 presidential coin [2]
Falcon/Eagle$0.25 FDR quarter [2]
– FalconObverse (FDR’s profile)
– EagleReverse (Eagle)
Crane$.05 Jefferson nickel [4]
Pheasant$.10 FDR dime Obverse [4]
Quail$.10 FDR dime Reverse [4]
Swallow/Goose$.01 Lincoln penny [16]
– SwallowObverse (Lincoln’s profile)
– GooseReverse (all matching)

Modify the pieces, depending on the change available in your location. Always orient the pieces so you can tell which direction is forward. Each player should see their own pieces upright and see their opponent’s pieces upside down.
A 7×7 board can be easily imagined, especially when it requires no color differentiation between the different spaces.

Tori Shogi
Piece Movement

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