‘Go, history and modern art’ at European Go Journal
Go, history and modern art by Joan Lluís i Rabassó has been published in March-April issue of the European Go Journal.
On September 11, 1846, one of the most famous go games of all time took place in Edo. It has gone down in history as the Ear-reddening Game. The game was played between two players of theoretically very different levels: Genan Inseki, a 48-year-old 8-dan master and head of the Inoue school, and Kuwahara Shusaku, a young 4-dan player from the Honinbo school, who was only 17 years old and was, in theory, much weaker than his rival. The game developed as expected until move 126, with the old master Inseki taking the lead. Then, suddenly, the young Shusaku placed a stone on an unexpected point on the board.
A doctor who was watching the game commented, ‘the master has just lost.’ The other spectators, surprised and annoyed, asked him about his comment. ‘It is clear that the one who dominates the current position on the board is our master, so you don’t know what you are talking about. You don’t understand the game of go,’ they argued. ‘Well, you are right,’ said the doctor. ‘I am not an expert in the game of go, I am just a simple amateur. But when the young Shusaku placed that stone on the board, the master Genan Inseki maintained, as always, an imperturbable expression, but he could not help but for his ears to turn terribly red, which indicates to what extent he was upset by the move of his young rival.’
And the doctor was right, indeed. Shusaku’s move was a masterpiece that no other spectator had realised, but the old master did.
Despite his youth, Shusaku ended up winning the game, which would be recorded in the annals of go history. The Ear-reddening Game is an example of how intuition, creativity and the ability to read the game can overcome experience and conventional wisdom. It is a story that reminds us that greatness can arise in the most unexpected places and that age is not always a determining factor in success.
This game is perhaps one of the most iconic go games in history. Throughout the opening and early middle game, Shusaku made some seemingly good moves, but also some that appeared to be mistakes, allowing Inseki to take the lead. However, in the middle-game, Shusaku countered with a move that transformed the entire state of the game. This single move revealed the true purpose behind his earlier “bad” moves, turning them into strategic advantages. Its impact resonated across the board, and go historians and commentators have revered it as a move one makes only once in a lifetime. In Japanese go terminology, this type of move is called – Shin no Itte, which literally translates to ‘God’s move.’ Making a Divine Move is a lifelong aspiration for all go players, similar to an artist striving for perfection. Shusaku’s victory in this game marked the beginning of his outstanding go career.
Michal Martychowiec’s Project Reading History
The game of go transcends the board, representing themes relevant to art and history. It symbolises the ongoing process of tradition giving way to innovation, which then becomes part of the new tradition itself.
This game suggests that certain historical events or artistic movements may not be fully understood until much later, when the bigger picture becomes clearer. The act of interpretation and reinterpretation is not passive; it’s an ongoing process as crucial as the creation itself, with each new ‘stone’ placed on the board adding a layer of meaning. Of course, deeper understanding becomes apparent to those who hone their skills in “reading” the game. As for those who choose to ignore these subtle clues, history continues its inevitable march, leaving them behind.
Contemporary artist Michal Martychowiec’s project, Reading History uses the ancient game of go as a metaphor to explore the structures of history, artistic practices, and even individual lives. The similarities between the game’s structure and the flow of history create a fascinating parallel. For those unfamiliar with go, the large format photographs of chosen historical game moments might appear simply as geometric compositions. However, for those who understand the game, and especially the masters, these compositions reveal a wealth of information. They may be able to estimate the placement of the game within the historical timeline, infer the emotions or strategies of the players, reconstruct the order of moves (with some margin for error) and even make educated guesses about the game’s outcome. This ability to ‘read’ beyond the surface is similar to the skills of historians and those who have learned to interpret cultural symbols and relics. The historical value of go is unparalleled. While many historical documents in China have not been preserved, kifu records have been meticulously kept. The oldest documented games we have access to date back as early as 196 AD.
As the title suggests, the project focuses on the re-enactment of historical go games rather than the creation of new game arrangements. It is divided into several key elements, including:
• Full Reenactments: these are actual, live re-creations of historical games played on a
wooden board throughout the duration of exhibitions. They actively influence the
context, meaning and framework of the surrounding artwork;
• Large-Format Photographs of Game Moments: these photographs depict chosen
moments from significant games in go history;
• Large-Format Photographs Notes from the Board: these photographs document
notes, images and objects placed within the context of historical games;
• Historical Stones Naming History: these are actual go stones presented as framed
relics, each titled to reference a specific historical event.
In the series of exhibitions presented at the Signum Foundation in 2018, the only element that persisted throughout all four presentations, or rather, developed and reached completion in the final one, was a wooden board re-enacting a game played in Japan in 1846 between the established master Genan Inseki and then 17-year-old Kuwahara Shusaku. The game held historical significance for two reasons. Firstly, it features one of the most famous moves in Japanese go history. Secondly, it embodies the struggle between youth and experience, showcasing a changing of the guard. The game highlights the brilliance of a young player, a brilliance that would never be replicated and a single move that transformed what were perceived as weak moves into strategic advantages. In the creation of an idea, whether within a game, artistic practice or even historical events, its meaning or significance may not be immediately clear to the spectator or even the creator. Sometimes, understanding a gesture’s true meaning requires observing its impact on what follows. Of course, there are groundbreaking moves in games, artistic gestures or historical events that fundamentally alter the course of history and time. These events can shed light on the past, shape the future and redefine the meaning of everything the artist or society has accomplished up to that point.
The Naming History works function similarly to framed relics, with each historical stone serving as a tangible representation. This approach aligns with Martychowiec’s initial statement: ‘The stone itself is nothing, but when placed on the board, it becomes the representation of an idea.’
Each physical stone carries within it a potential history of ideas, representing countless games played throughout its existence. While the specific games remain unknown, the stones can be imbued with a sense of mythos. This process of mythologisation individualises each stone and assigns meaning in two ways: historical context, by placing the stone within a specific historical game, attributing it to a particular player and time as well as its historical significance, by associating the stone with a significant historical event. This ‘two-fold contextualisation’ can be determined either by artistic choice or through a system devised by the artist. Ultimately, both methods contribute to the aesthetic transformation of the object. Interpreting history through an artistic lens allows for a mythological approach, resulting in objects that are neither purely archival nor archaeological. These stones become everyday objects transformed into art, imbued with a ‘relic-like aura.’ This aura is created not only by the stone’s pre-artistic past but also by the specific role it plays within the exhibition context (as a work of art). The history surrounding the stone grows, even if the foundation might be an artistic creation. This is the essence of myth-making in art.
