'Verbalization' is Key to Conveying the Appeal of Go: A High School Student Hoping to Popularize Go Interviews a Go Book Editor
On March 31, 2026, Mizuki Kitamoto, a high school student aiming to popularize Go, interviewed Daichi Morishita, an editor of Go books at Mynavi Publishing. They discussed that 'verbalization' and a casual approach are essential for spreading the game to beginners.
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- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 12:30
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On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, an interview project was conducted by Mizuki Kitamoto, a second-year high school student at Osaka Kokusai Junior and Senior High School, with Daichi Morishita, an editor in charge of Go books. Kitamoto, who has experience participating in the National High School Go Championship, is interested in popularizing the Go community. The project materialized after she made an offer to Morishita, the editor of Go books. They discussed what he keeps in mind when producing Go books and what elements are necessary to popularize the Go industry.
## The Path to Go Popularization Taken by a High School Student with National Tournament Experience
Kitamoto achieved 2nd place at the 49th Osaka Prefectural High School Go Championship, participated in the 49th National High School Go Championship, and took 4th place at the 14th Kinki High School Go Championship during her first year of high school. She is also scheduled to participate in the Go division of the 50th National High School Comprehensive Cultural Festival to be held in Akita Prefecture in July 2026.
Kitamoto says she started playing Go only two years ago after taking an elective class in junior high school. At Osaka Kokusai Junior and Senior High School, they have invited Masahiro Furuya, 5-dan, who is energetic in student guidance, to conduct classes. As she received instruction from Mr. Furuya, Kitamoto said she began to feel, "I want more people to know about this incredibly interesting game of Go." Currently, she is apparently considering regional revitalization initiatives to help young children and the younger generation understand the appeal of Go.
Therefore, she reached out from the perspective of an editor who delivers Go books to many people, asking to be taught "what kind of contrivances in regional revitalization efforts can effectively convey the appeal of Go," which led to the realization of this project.
## 'Verbalization' That Reaches People Outside the Industry is the First Step to Popularization
During the interview, Kitamoto asked questions such as, "What contrivances are there to keep Go beginners engaged in the game?" and "What should we do to get participants of Go events to come back again?"
Morishita, who handles Go books, answered, "To have beginners casually continue playing Go, it is important to have casual, unpretentious elements. In our books, we make an effort to insert photos and illustrations to make them easier to read." Kitamoto, who serves as the president of the Go club, says that when instructing club members, she makes an effort to communicate by comparing Go rules to familiar traffic lights, such as, "This state is a yellow light because it is surrounded by two stones."
Furthermore, in recent years, entertainment media dealing with the Go world has increased, including "Hikaru no Go" (Manga: Takeshi Obata, Original Story: Yumi Hotta / Shueisha) and "Go and Go" (Manga: Haruna Nakazato, Original Story: Touto Hasuo / Kodansha). Thus, an idea came up that it would be good to explain from the unique perspective of a Go player, "Why was the protagonist surprised in this scene?" or "What is amazing about this scene?"
For people who do not play Go, the greatness of the dan/kyu ranking system and title matches can be hard to convey. Therefore, he mentioned wanting to strive for contrivances that accurately convey "This dan holder is amazing" even to non-players.
## Aiming for Victory in the National Tournament! High Expectations for Activity Beyond School Boundaries
Currently, Kitamoto holds an amateur 6-dan ranking. Although she is studying for her next promotion, she was struggling with not making smooth progress. Therefore, Morishita advised, "To improve overarching strategy for high-dan players, replaying classic Go records (Kogo) is effective. To become stronger in local battles, reading books on tactical moves (Tesuji) is recommended..."
## The Path to Go Popularization Taken by a High School Student with National Tournament Experience
Kitamoto achieved 2nd place at the 49th Osaka Prefectural High School Go Championship, participated in the 49th National High School Go Championship, and took 4th place at the 14th Kinki High School Go Championship during her first year of high school. She is also scheduled to participate in the Go division of the 50th National High School Comprehensive Cultural Festival to be held in Akita Prefecture in July 2026.
Kitamoto says she started playing Go only two years ago after taking an elective class in junior high school. At Osaka Kokusai Junior and Senior High School, they have invited Masahiro Furuya, 5-dan, who is energetic in student guidance, to conduct classes. As she received instruction from Mr. Furuya, Kitamoto said she began to feel, "I want more people to know about this incredibly interesting game of Go." Currently, she is apparently considering regional revitalization initiatives to help young children and the younger generation understand the appeal of Go.
Therefore, she reached out from the perspective of an editor who delivers Go books to many people, asking to be taught "what kind of contrivances in regional revitalization efforts can effectively convey the appeal of Go," which led to the realization of this project.
## 'Verbalization' That Reaches People Outside the Industry is the First Step to Popularization
During the interview, Kitamoto asked questions such as, "What contrivances are there to keep Go beginners engaged in the game?" and "What should we do to get participants of Go events to come back again?"
Morishita, who handles Go books, answered, "To have beginners casually continue playing Go, it is important to have casual, unpretentious elements. In our books, we make an effort to insert photos and illustrations to make them easier to read." Kitamoto, who serves as the president of the Go club, says that when instructing club members, she makes an effort to communicate by comparing Go rules to familiar traffic lights, such as, "This state is a yellow light because it is surrounded by two stones."
Furthermore, in recent years, entertainment media dealing with the Go world has increased, including "Hikaru no Go" (Manga: Takeshi Obata, Original Story: Yumi Hotta / Shueisha) and "Go and Go" (Manga: Haruna Nakazato, Original Story: Touto Hasuo / Kodansha). Thus, an idea came up that it would be good to explain from the unique perspective of a Go player, "Why was the protagonist surprised in this scene?" or "What is amazing about this scene?"
For people who do not play Go, the greatness of the dan/kyu ranking system and title matches can be hard to convey. Therefore, he mentioned wanting to strive for contrivances that accurately convey "This dan holder is amazing" even to non-players.
## Aiming for Victory in the National Tournament! High Expectations for Activity Beyond School Boundaries
Currently, Kitamoto holds an amateur 6-dan ranking. Although she is studying for her next promotion, she was struggling with not making smooth progress. Therefore, Morishita advised, "To improve overarching strategy for high-dan players, replaying classic Go records (Kogo) is effective. To become stronger in local battles, reading books on tactical moves (Tesuji) is recommended..."