Cosmological Origins of Go
Perhaps the most seductive theory about the origin of go is that it was based on ancient astronomical theories. These ideas probably originated with the star-worshiping Tang dynasty (ca. 700), which coincides with the time that go was introduced into Japan. They were eventually codified in The Classic of Go (published in China around 1050). Below is the first paragraph of this work.
"Generally speaking, when counting all things, one begins with the number one. There are, on the go board, 360 intersections plus one. The number one is supreme and gives rise to the other numbers because it occupies the ultimate position and governs the four quarters. 360 represents the number of days in the lunar year. The division of the go board into four quarters symbolizes the four seasons. The seventy-two points on the circumference represents the weeks of the calendar. The balance of yin and yang is the model for the equal division of the 360 stones into black and white."
This paradigm was further popularized in Japan by the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon in his play The Battles of Coxinga where he expands on these analogies by comparing the center point to the Polar star. Furthermore, the nine points on the go board, called "star points," were compared to the seven planets plus the sun and the moon.
www.socialfiction.org/?tag=games
Perhaps the most seductive theory about the origin of go is that it was based on ancient astronomical theories. These ideas probably originated with the star-worshiping Tang dynasty (ca. 700), which coincides with the time that go was introduced into Japan. They were eventually codified in The Classic of Go (published in China around 1050). Below is the first paragraph of this work.
"Generally speaking, when counting all things, one begins with the number one. There are, on the go board, 360 intersections plus one. The number one is supreme and gives rise to the other numbers because it occupies the ultimate position and governs the four quarters. 360 represents the number of days in the lunar year. The division of the go board into four quarters symbolizes the four seasons. The seventy-two points on the circumference represents the weeks of the calendar. The balance of yin and yang is the model for the equal division of the 360 stones into black and white."
This paradigm was further popularized in Japan by the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon in his play The Battles of Coxinga where he expands on these analogies by comparing the center point to the Polar star. Furthermore, the nine points on the go board, called "star points," were compared to the seven planets plus the sun and the moon.
www.socialfiction.org/?tag=games
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