The Dedication Embodied in a 40-Piece Set: Nakajima Seikichi Shoten's Enduring Craft of Shogi Pieces

2026.01.28

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#Yamagata

#Tendo Shogi Pieces

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#History

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#Traditional Crafts

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Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture. Nearly 150 years have passed since the sound of shogi pieces became an integral part of this town's daily life.

Founded in 1880, Nakajima Seikichi Shoten is a long-established business that has walked alongside the history of Tendo shogi pieces. More than just tools for a game, shogi pieces are works of art, meant to be touched by players' fingers, their luster deepening over the years.

A set consists of 40 pieces. To give every single one the same character, the artisans select materials, take their time, and pour all their skill into the craft. What this shop has upheld is the very 'dedication' that is the antithesis of efficiency.

PROFILE

Masaharu Nakajima

Born in 1961.
After graduating from university, he joined the family business, Nakajima Seikichi Shoten, and began his apprenticeship in shogi piece manufacturing.

In 2017, he took over the family business, becoming the fourth-generation owner.

Since 2021, he has served as the chairman of the Yamagata Prefecture Shogi Piece Cooperative Association.

Tendo, the Town of Shogi, and the Dawn of Piece Making

The story of how Tendo became the "town of shogi" is rooted in the domain's administration during the Edo period.
This area was the territory of the Oda clan, descendants of Oda Nobunaga, but they were in constant financial difficulty.

Lower-ranking samurai, who did not receive sufficient stipends, were encouraged to make shogi pieces as a side business.
When the samurai class was abolished with the Meiji Restoration, this side business became a full-fledged "profession," and the craft of shogi piece making took root in Tendo.

The founding of Nakajima Seikichi Shoten was part of this trend.
The first-generation owner, Tamesaburo, began making shogi pieces in 1880.
While there wasn't what you would call a "shogi boom" at the time, the game was popular among the common people, and there was certainly enough demand that "if you made them, they would sell."