perhaps he remembered rumors that he had devised the remarkable White
160 in the Master’s game with Wu.
On the morning of the sixth, through the good offices of the Nichinichi,
Dr. Kawashima came from Tokyo to examine the Master. The valve at the
aorta was not closing properly.
No sooner was the examination over than the Master, sitting up in bed,
was at chess again. Onoda was his partner, and he was using the
“unpromoted-silver” offensive.
Afterwards Onoda and Takagi, Master of
Renju, had a game by the Korean rules.
The Master, propped against an
armrest, looked on.
“Now we’ll have a game of mahjong,” he said, as if scarcely able to
await the outcome. Since I did not know mahjong, however, they were one
man short.
“Mr. Kumé?” said the Master.
“Mr. Kumé is seeing the doctor back to Tokyo.”
“Mr. Iwamoto?”
“He’s gone back too.”
“Gone back,” echoed the Master weakly. I found his disappointment
most touching.
I myself was going back to Karuizawa.
