Sasaki Tadashi 8 Dan Visits LA for Go and Baseball

In January, Los Angeles was the host for the North American Oza Tournament, sponsored by Toyota. Jiang Mingju 8 dan, a professional go player based in the San Jose area, won the tournament, but one of the big hits of the event was the appearance of Sasaki Tadashi 8 dan, a professional go player sent by the Nihon Ki-in, the Japanese Go Association, to be their representative. Sasaki was indefatigable in his efforts to engage with any and all comers to explain as much as he could about the game of go. Whether he was answering the questions of high ranking dan players or the lowliest beginners, Sasaki was the perfect image of grace and patience.

However, it was perhaps Sasaki himself who enjoyed the time in Los Angeles most of all! Besides spending several days on the UCLA campus, where the tournament was held, and taking in the ambience of Westwood, Sasaki was treated to having a number of people acting as guides to show him the sights all over Los Angeles and he even attended a basketball game at Staples Center!

In fact, Sasaki enjoyed his stay in Los Angeles so much that he almost immediately made plans to return. Starting on May 9th, Sasaki will be in Los Angeles for a return visit of almost one week. During that time, he will be staying at the New Gardena Hotel, 1641 W. Redondo Beach Boulevard, Gardena, CA 90247, Telephone: (310) 327-5757. The South Bay Ki-in Go Club is located in the hotel and Sasaki will give lessons there on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday May 11. The fee for participating in this two day event is $50. (Sasaki did not demand this fee. Organizers who are arranging the details of his visit decided to assess that charge. It is hoped that collecting a substantial amount of money will pave the way for more events of this nature in the future. Sasaki himself is paying for his own airfare from Japan.)

Sasaki’s lessons will follow the format he uses at the Yaesu Go Center in Tokyo. At that club, which is located in a skyscraper right beside Tokyo Train Station, Sasaki welcomes around thirty youngsters every Saturday for an afternoon of go playing. The lessons hark back to Sasaki’s own experiences learning how to play go. He was born in Tokyo (and therefore is known as a “kissui no Edokko” or “genuine child of Old Edo,” the olden name for Tokyo) and learned how to play go when he was four years old. At the age of seven he started going to the Yaesu Go Center to play and met his Sensei, Sakata Eio, one of the greatest go players in history. He played a seven stone handicap game against Sakata Sensei, the only game he ever played against him. (The January issue of Gekkan Go Waarudo – Go World Monthly – presented a feature story on the 88 year old Sakata and his students, the most prominent of which is Sasaki. There was a lively discussion with Sakata Sensei taking the leading role and Sasaki and one of Sakata Sensei’s other students, the lovely 25 year old Manami Kana 4 dan, a former Women’s Kisei joining in, along with Sakata Sensei’s wife, Sakata Tetsue.) Sasaki used to go to the Yaesu Go Club every Saturday to play go and attend go lessons. The lessons that he gives today at the Yaesu Go Center, which is a branch of the Nihon Ki-in, carry on the tradition of teaching young people about go. Now Sasaki is hoping to extend that reach to amateur go players in Los Angeles.

Many go fans in Los Angeles are stepping up to help make Sasaki’s return visit to Los Angeles an enjoyable one. This time, he will be taken to a baseball game! Sasaki is looking forward to going to Dodgers Stadium and watching one of the two Japanese pitchers on the team, Kuroda Hiroki or Saito Takashi, perform their roles there. Kuroda is a starting pitcher and Saito is a veteran closer. One of them, if not both, will probably make an appearance in the ballgame, which will be played against the Houston Astros.

Sasaki is looking forward to making the most of his stay in Los Angeles. He is hoping to see fans from all over the city and if possible, welcoming players from all over the county of Los Angeles and perhaps those from even farther away. His gentle but sure touch will be certain to enhance everyone’s understanding of the game of go. All amateur go players are invited to attend this event. No matter what one’s level of play, one will undoubtedly come away with a richer appreciation of the game.


Newly appointed Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles
Junichi Ihara has been newly appointed Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles. Prior to this appointment, he served as Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. His recent positions include Minister at the Embassy of Japan in the United States (2004-2006), Director of Financial Affairs Division (2002-2004), Director of the First International Organization Division (1999-2002), Director of the First Southeast Asia Division (1997-1999), and Senior Assistant for Policy Coordination (1995-1997). Mr. Ihara was born on April 18, 1956. He graduated from Kyoto University in 1979.


A Golden Celebration for Rafu Bussan, Inc.
The landmark Japanese import gift and china store…Rafu Bussan, Inc. reaching 50 golden years of business serving the Little Tokyo community and the surrounding neighborhoods. The 50th anniversary ceremony was held on Saturday, March 1st. This 7,000 square foot showroom features the latest temptations from Japan – beautiful vases, metal artwork, fine tabletop, cookware and kitchenware, lacquer ware, dolls galore, and beautiful earthen and porcelain serving ware. The large orange marquee that stands outside of the store welcomes visitors to come in, with anyone rarely leaving empty handed. The large display window entices customers with exciting things to behold and tempts everyone to come in.







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