Kumonshuppan New Study Shogi Japanese Chess Set and Pieces

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1. J. Schonbok Verified Buyer – 2 January 2025

   Comes all the way from Japan, so be prepared to wait – but it is worth it! It is a very thoughtful kit for learning Shogi – a nice board, wooden koma with movement markings, and a wooden box for them that fits inside the folded board. The wooden koma box top and bottom can be used for the platform for captured pieces. The instructions are in Japanese so you may need to get the rules somewhere else, but the illustrations are hilariously fantastic.

   I wish the kanji was a little easier to read – the characters are small to accommodate the movement diagrams, but that is a minor quibble. My 6 year old can sit down and figure it out very quickly. A great set for teaching and learning.
   

2. Friday the Thirteenth Verified Buyer – 10 January 2025

   A wonderful product that makes me wish they sold more over here. The ONLY complaint I have is that EVERYTHING is in Japanese, but as this is a Japanese game made by a Japanese company marketed towards Japanese children it’s really not worth getting riled up at – ESPECIALLY since the pictures are detailed enough that I can at the very least get a good understanding of the basic rules and initial setup. The board is sturdy – including the lock – and everything is in general quite well made. If you’re looking for a chess variant to learn/teach to your kids, I thoroughly recommend getting this set to start with. And I wish that Kumon had more of a presence in the States now.
   

3. Joshua Verified Buyer – 14 March 2025

   Shogi is incredibly intimidating to the beginning player: all the pieces with unfamiliar writing, and most of them are double sided, and each side moves differently. Even with a reference sheet it’s hard to learn.

   This set makes it super easy to learn by printing the moves directly on the pieces, so there is never any confusion. The rules are in Japanese, but you can find the rules online anywhere. In fact, if you’re familiar with any games in the chess family you could probably look at the box for the initial setup and then figure out the rest on your own.

   The set itself is wonderful to touch and use. The pieces are thick but light, and they make a pleasant CLACK when placed on the board. You get a container for all the pieces which doubles as a place to put captured pieces, and the whole thing folds into a case.

   My 9 year old and I play this all the time, and thanks to the moves printed on the pieces he’s been able to teach a number of people how to play on his own.
   

4. DIY Monkey Verified Buyer – 17 March 2025

   Love this game. Very good quality. Nice product.