Hall of Fame 2018

[John Fairbairn]

Readers of my books on Go Seigen's 10-game matches will have often encountered the name Shoriki Matsutaro. As head of the Yomiuri Newspaper he provided the funding for the matches, but was deeply involved in go in other ways.

However, he was at least as deeply involved in baseball. He founded the Yomiuri Giants and has long been in the Japan's baseball Hall of Fame (which is in the Giants' stadium, as it happens).

Shoriki beat Sakata, Takagawa and Cho Nam-ch'eol, Rigenbo and the Meijin Inseki. That's some measure of his stature!!!