Photo retrieved from: © フリー写真素材ぱくたそ

In shogi, bishop (角行) moves any step of movement in a diagonal direction and it can’t move orthogonally. Basically, bishop (角行) can reach only half of the board of the shogi, unless the bishop (角行) is captured and then dropped as piece in hand which known as (持ち駒) mochigoma or (手駒) tegoma.

Photo retrieved from: Ancient Chess. Com

Promoted bishop (“dragon horse”, 龍馬 Ryūma),

For the promoted bishop (龍馬), the bishop keeps its own original movement and obtains the ability to move one step in any direction, orthogonal or diagonal just like a king (玉/王). The promoted bishop is able to reach any square of the board.

Photo retrieved from: Ancient Chess. Com

Basically, bishop (角行) is a piece which show us that there will be a potential inside every one of us just like how bishop (角行) that just can reach only half of the board make it to able to reach any square of the board when it became promoted bishop (龍馬).

In human life, we tend to be look like bishop (角行) which unable to reach all the square in the board. Those blind spot that we cannot reach serve as our weakness or unknown that we unable to do anything on it. Just like how the bishop (角行) unable to reach those square. However, human being always focus on the things that we unable to obtain instead of focus on the things that we can make it done and do it well. We always look on the weakness of self and the other instead of looking on the strength of us and the other. Do you know why bishop (角行) is just able to move diagonally? And why bishop (角行) need to get promoted for obtains the new ability? If we think critically, this is actually how our society and our life works nowadays. At the beginning, we are giving the responsibility to be care about and we have to struggle and perform well before we get promoted and obtain a new ability. Same happen to shogi that bishop (角行) need to reach the promotion area to get promoted and gains new competence in the particular game. The very common example we can see in human life is that an employee need to take care on his/her tasks and perform well to enable him/her to get promoted and obtains his/her new power, status and other benefits.

In addition, we can also learn from bishop (角行) that we should never forget about ourselves when we get ourselves new ability or new status. In shogi, when the bishop (角行) have been promoted, it still maintain the original movement instead of just have the new ability. It tell us indirectly that we should remember who we are at the beginning when we are success. Remember how we went through the obstacles with the struggling and the helps from the other. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people unable to learn it. We can see the rich man who was a poor guy long time ago act ego and forget about who he was and how he can become this successful with the hand from the other. And we can also observe there were a children who claims that he /her success by his/her own effort without recognize his/her parent. In simply word which very famous in mandarin since long time ago, it known as ungrateful (忘恩负义). Therefore, there is an advice that remember your original self and how other help you to obtain successful at the beginning just like bishop (角行) in a shogi that never forget about its original movement when get promoted.

References

Ancient Chess. Com. (n.d.). How to play Japanese Chess Shogi. Retreived from: http://ancientchess.com/page/play-shogi.htm

—とくかつ—