Tendo Shogi Town: Human Shogi Chess and Japan's No.1 Shogi Piece Production Area

Tendo City in Yamagata Prefecture is the "Village of Shogi," producing about 90% of Japan's shogi pieces. It is said to have begun in the Edo period when the financially hard-pressed Tendo domain encouraged piece making as a side occupation for its retainers, and town planning themed on shogi continues to this day. Walk the streets and objects shaped like shogi boards and monuments of giant pieces catch the eye — a unique destination that even those who are not shogi fans can enjoy.

Tendo Shogi Culture

Tendo, Yamagata, is the "Shogi Hometown" producing about 90% of Japan's shogi pieces. The tradition reportedly began when Tendo domain samurai made pieces as a side job in the Edo period.

Highlights

• Human Shogi: Held each April during the Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival; people dressed as samurai and princesses walk across a giant shogi board
• Tendo Shogi Museum: Museum to learn about shogi history and piece-making processes
• Shogi Piece Calligraphy Experience: Craft experience learning craftspeople's techniques
• Tendo Onsen: Hot spring district flowing through the city

The Springtime Specialty: "Human Shogi"

The greatest attraction of Tendo is "Human Shogi," held at the "Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival" every April. A giant shogi board is drawn on the lawn plaza of Maizuruyama (Tendo Park), and people costumed as armor-clad warriors and princesses line up on the board as the "pieces." Watching the human pieces move in step with the progress of a game played by professional shogi players is thoroughly impressive. The scene, like a battle scroll set against cherry trees in full bloom, is a spring tradition you can see nowhere else.

The Shogi Museum and the Piece-Making Experience

At the "Tendo City Shogi Museum" you can learn about the history of shogi and the process of making pieces in an easy-to-follow way. You can also try the "handwriting experience for shogi pieces," inscribing characters onto a piece under the guidance of a craftsman, and make a one-of-a-kind piece to take home. It is a precious experience that lets you feel the delicacy of the craftsman's skill firsthand.

Tendo Onsen and Fruit

"Tendo Onsen," which springs within the city, is a hot spring town perfectly suited as a base for touring the world of shogi. The water is soft and lets you relax at leisure. Tendo is also a major producing area for La France (European pears) and cherries, so you can enjoy cherry picking in early summer and pear picking in autumn.

About Human Shogi

• Timing: Held in April within the Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival
• Venue: Lawn plaza at Maizuruyama (Tendo Park)
• Content: Pro shogi players compete while human "pieces" move according to the game

Tips and Access

Human Shogi coincides with the peak of the cherry blossoms and draws a great many spectators, so arrive early to secure a spot. The standard course is to soothe your fatigue at the hot spring and then choose shogi piece souvenirs. Access is by getting off at "Tendo Station" on the JR Yamagata Shinkansen (about 15 minutes from Yamagata Station).

Practical Information on the Festival (based on the 2026 event)

• Dates: Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, 2026 = the 71st Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival "Human Shogi"
• Venue: The summit plaza of Maizuruyama (Tendo Park). In case of severe weather it moves to the Tendo City Citizens' Culture Hall
• Day 1, Saturday, April 11: 10:00 Shogi Memorial Service / 10:20 Opening Ceremony / 10:40 Nyaa Shogi Ondo / 10:50 Tendo Nambu Elementary School Restoration Military Band / 11:10 Denou-te "Public Match against Sakurasho" / 12:30 Human Shogi (entry, martial demonstration, and the game) / 14:30 Victory Cry and Withdrawal (the climax) / 15:00 Instructional Games / 16:00 Close
• Day 2, Sunday, April 12: 10:30 Opening Ceremony / 10:40 Tendo Hanakoma Odori / 10:50 Tenseikai Kiyari Song / 11:10 Japan Shogi Association Player Event / 12:30 Human Shogi (entry, martial demonstration, and the game) / 14:30 Victory Cry and Withdrawal / 14:45 Tendo Fifty-Board Simultaneous Play / 16:00 Close
• When to see the highlight: Human Shogi itself runs for the two hours from 12:30 to 14:30. If you arrive to match this window, you can see the whole sweep of armored warriors moving as pieces
• Food stalls: A stall village runs from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, 10:00–21:00 (until 18:00 on the 12th), set up along the Kuratsugawa River
• Illuminations to enjoy alongside: The bonbori lantern illumination on Maizuruyama (April 4 to May 6, from the Atagonuma waterside space to the Maizuruyama summit plaza), and the weeping cherry illumination along the Kuratsugawa River (April 4 to May 6)
• Traffic restrictions: In connection with the related event "Evening of the Weeping Cherries," roads around the Kuratsugawa River are under traffic restrictions from 17:00 to 21:00 on April 10 and 11
• Inquiries: Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival Executive Committee (within the Tendo City Tourism and Products Association) TEL 023-653-1680 / Tendo City Commerce, Industry and Tourism Division TEL 023-654-1111

*The viewing fee for Human Shogi and details of parking and shuttle buses are not published officially. The dates of the 72nd edition (2027) have not been announced either.*

(Sources: Tendo City official website, "Travel to Yamagata" (Yamagata Prefecture Tourism and Products Association))