Lot 1152: A Collection of Japanese Chu Shogi Game Pieces

A collection of pentagonal wooden game pieces for Chu Shogi (Middle Shogi), a historical variant of Japanese chess played on a 12×12 board. Each piece is crafted from a light-coloured hardwood with a fine grain, featuring hand-incised kanji characters filled with black lacquer in the horigoma style. The pieces represent various ranks unique to this larger version of the game, including the Lion (Shishi), Phoenix (Houou), Free King (Honnou), Drunken Elephant (Suizo), Blind Tiger (Moko), Ferocious Leopard (Mo-hyo), Copper General (Dosho), Reverse Chariot (Hancha), Horned Falcon (Kakuo), and Soaring Eagle (Hishu), alongside standard pieces such as the King (Gyokusho), Rook (Hisha), and Bishop (Kakugyo). One piece near the centre features characters filled with a silvery-blue metallic pigment. These pieces date to the 20th Century, likely the Showa Era. No maker marks, signatures, or workshop stamps are visible on the faces or edges of the pieces.