Takatsuki City First in the nation, Takatsuki City enacts “Shogi Town Promotion Ordinance”

Takatsuki City
Takatsuki City is the first in the country to enact the “Shogi Town Promotion Ordinance”
Aiming to further promote shogi with the relocation of Kansai Shogi Hall to Takatsuki
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In order to use the opening of the New Kansai Shogi Hall this fall as an opportunity to further promote shogi in the city, Takatsuki City has adopted the nation’s first ordinance, “Takatsuki City,” which aims to promote culture through shogi and form a spiritually enriching local community. The Shogi Town Promotion Ordinance will be enacted and will come into effect from November 17, 2020, when the Shogi Hall will be completed.
Takatsuki City has had a deep connection with shogi since ancient times, with many small and medium shogi pieces from the Edo period excavated from the Sannomaru ruins of Takatsuki Castle, where samurai residences once existed. In September 2018, we became the first local government in the nation to conclude a comprehensive partnership agreement with the Japan Shogi Federation. A number of initiatives have been taken to promote shogi, including the relocation of the Kansai Shogi Hall to the city, inviting title tournaments,
distributing shogi pieces made from locally produced wood to first-year elementary school students, providing on-site lessons by shogi players, and holding the Takatsuki Shogi Festival. We have expanded our efforts.
This ordinance aims to actively promote initiatives related to the promotion of shogi, a Japanese culture that the city should be proud of to the world, to realize a city full of charm and liveliness as “Shogi Town Takatsuki,” and to develop sustainably into the future. In addition to the basic philosophy, it also stipulates the city’s responsibilities and the role of the Japan Shogi Federation. There is no other example of an ordinance with this kind of content being enacted, and this is the first such initiative in the nation. The enforcement date of the ordinance, November 17, 2020, is also the Shogi Day designated by the federation, and is the date of the ceremony to commemorate the completion of the New Kansai Shogi Hall. On this memorable milestone day, we will enforce this ordinance and aim to further promote “Takatsuki, the town of shogi.”