The Words of the Samurai - Episode 7

Shōgi and Strategy: The Art of Leadership According to Hosokawa Tadaoki

In the seventh episode of our series, we examine a reflection by Hosokawa Tadaoki, a feudal lord of the late 16th century, who used the game of shōgi to teach his son the essential principles of leadership. Through a simple yet powerful metaphor, Tadaoki offers a timeless lesson on the value of every member of an organization, from general to foot soldier.

A true leader’s strength lies in how he values the smallest parts of the whole

Hosokawa Tadaoki, born as the son of Hosokawa Yūsai, a retainer of the Muromachi shogunate, served Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu after the shogunate’s fall, and founded the Higo Hosokawa clan. The following words are said to have been spoken by Tadaoki to his son:

“Think of your subordinates as shōgi pieces. Brave generals with military merit are rooks and bishops. Vassals who support the domain’s administration are gold and silver generals. Those who manage the various operational fronts are lances and knights.

No matter how excellent the king may be, he cannot win a war without rooks and bishops to assist him. Even if there are excellent rooks and bishops, without gold and silver generals to support them, their power cannot be fully expressed. And even with rooks, bishops, golds, and silvers, without lances and knights, the organization does not move.”

Tadaoki used shōgi as a metaphor to teach the principles of leadership. And lastly, he added:

“You must take care of the pawns above all else. A lord who neglects the pawns will surely fall into peril.”

The Higo Hosokawa clan, with Tadaoki as its first head, still exists today. Perhaps many Sengoku daimyō houses vanished from history because they neglected their pawns.

In shōgi, the weakest piece, the fuhyō or pawn, is also the most numerous. But it is also the only one that, upon reaching the end of the board, can be promoted to a powerful attacking piece. Hosokawa Tadaoki understood this well. In an age where wars were won as much by strategy as by loyalty, the true value of a leader lay in recognizing the strength of the humble.