Suchergebnisse

Japanese chess, Japanese corporate practices and international diplomacy, and an adumbration of national character.
During World War II, a number of social scientists, especially anthropologists, studied Japanese national character without the aid of field research. One aspect of Japanese life which they should have investigated in order to gain an understanding of national character is the board game of shōgi, which is a derivative of chess. Aside from the playing style used in shoqi , even the structure of the shōgi board, the pieces, and the kinds of moves exhibit an underlying philosophy of Japanese character, that is to say, a Zen philosophy and a situation ethics. An analysis of the tactics and strategies used in playing shōgi reveals a consistency with those employed by Japanese in their business and corporate practices and in the conduct of international relations and diplomacy. This article is an empirical study of shoqi that attempts to relate the analysis to practices by Japanese corporations and businesses and in the conduct of foreign affairs.