tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714063.post3591641626429423031..comments2023-10-09T00:45:55.603+09:00Comments on Shisaku: Beware the Idle Boasts of AugustMTChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04626942240117432624noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714063.post-17059369437477691512007-11-02T01:15:00.000+09:002007-11-02T01:15:00.000+09:00If Mr. Yosano had earned the 7th dan the hard way ...If Mr. Yosano had earned the 7th <I>dan</I> the hard way thirty years ago, he would have been one of the five or so strongest amateurs in Japan, which I think would have been the equivalent of being a weak chess grandmaster. Today, my guess is he would still be in the top 30. I assume that Mr. Yosano was really a strong 5th <I>dan</I>, in which case his <I>go</I> master would have seconded his advancement to 6th <I>dan</I>, other things being equal. But some are more equal than other, so he got promoted to 7th <I>dan</I>. <BR/><BR/>It's possible though, that Mr. Ozawa really has 5th <I>dan</I> skills, but purposely understates his rank as 5th <I>dan</I> (are you following me here?) and enjoys beating people up based on that handicap. Alternatively, maybe he is 5th <I>dan</I> in rank only, which means that Mr. Ozawa would have been hard put to win without a handicap. In which case Mr. Yosano was the real winner, if you catch my drift.Jun Okumurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00291478225274759649noreply@blogger.com