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EVENT REPORT: DOBUTSU SHOGIMAY, 2013: BREEZE ISSUE #67
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF JAPANESEDOBUTSU SHOGI (LET’SCATCH THE LION!) SCHOOLPROGRAM FOR VERDUGOWOODLAND ELEMENTARYSCHOOL FIRST GRADERS
by Alexander Michaelson (JFLA Program Coordinator)
In full hakama regalia, the proud garb of a true Japanese
master, Madoka Kitao Sensei visited the JapanFoundation, Los Angeles (JFLA), on April 16, to share her devoted love for shogi in a special workshop forlocal children, using the bestselling simplified version of the game that she created called D ō butsu Sh ō gi .
In the world of shogi, the beloved Japanese board game similar to chess, only some two hundredindividuals can be called true professionals, and among these, a mere fifty people are women, according
to Ms. Kitao.
A member of this elite group, she been a regular contributor to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)and the author of multiple shogi books, as well as an active promoter of the game all around the world. To
that end, she created D ō butsu Sh ō gi (known in English as Let’s Catch the Lion! ), an animal-themed versionof the game that everyone can enjoy, including children such as the first-graders from Verdugo Woodland
Elementary School that came to her workshop at JFLA.
The principles of shogi go beyond the game board, said Ms. Kitao. As these children from Verdugo
Woodland’s special Japanese-language immersion program learned how to move their pieces, theyexperienced the satisfaction of cooperation, the power of strategic thinking, and the excitement ofcompetition, as well as the promising usefulness of their Japanese language skill.
Ms. Kitao asked the students to make three promises: first, to always give your opponent a polite greeting
before and after the game; second, to think for yourself and make your own moves without consultation;and third, that there are no take-backs—mistakes are opportunities to do better next time. At the end of
the workshop, these three golden rules came full circle, as she taught the students that in daily life aswell, one should be kind to others, think independently, and learn from mistakes.

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In all, 45 students from Verdugo Woodland visited JFLA, filling the auditorium with happy voices. Thestudents all had the chance to participate in the competition and use their Japanese language skills, andthey all received JFLA goody bags as well as D ō butsu Sh ō gi souvenirs. Yet after two hours of displaying
powers of concentration and sportsmanship that could rival students twice their age, the first-graders
boarded their bus with far more than goodies—they held a newfound appreciation for the universal
lessons of shogi, gained from personal experience with a real master.

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