Castles · 壁囲い
Wall.
Three moves: the king walks to 3h, one square short of the Mino, and the right silver steps up beside him. Quick, and thin.
How it goes together
The king walks two squares, to 3h, and stops one short of the Mino’s 2h. The right silver steps up to 4h beside him, and the right gold stays on 4i. The knight and lance stay in the corner, behind the pawns on 4g, 3g, 2g and 1g. Only two generals: the king, the 4i gold and the rook guard the silver, and only the king guards the gold, because a silver cannot step straight back. On his right, nothing but the king covers 2h and 2g. Its other names, 早囲い and 三手囲い, mean the quick castle and the three-move castle.
Move by move
Black only, from the start, in the order of the Japan Shogi Association’s castle column: a Central Rook opening first, then two king moves and one silver move.
Step through the moves, or press play.
Tap a move to jump to it. Arrow keys work once the board has focus.
Three castle moves. This is also how players drift into it: the king heads for the Mino’s corner, stops a square early, and the silver comes up. Two more moves, the king on to 2h and the gold up to 3h, make it a Gold Mino, and the JSA column takes it on from there into a Kimura Mino.
What it is good against
Speed. Three moves of king and silver, with no gold move, so a ranging rook can be ready in time when the static rook starts a rapid attack early (ja.wikipedia, the JSA column, shougi.jp). The 4h silver also supports the centre, which suits a Central Rook (shougi.jp). The JSA column shows Ōyama Yasuharu building it to meet a Right Fourth File Rook.
Where it breaks
It is thin, with two generals: ja.wikipedia calls it weaker than a Mino and even than a Boat castle. With the silver and gold on 4h and 4i the king has no room on his left, and an attack on the second file or the edge lands right beside him (shougi.jp). The JSA column says it does not suit a double ranging rook game, where the second file is too thin and the silver is better left on 3i so it can go to 2h. As it stands it is not hard enough for a slow game against a Static Rook Anaguma.
When to build it
A ranging rook against a static rook’s rapid attack (ja.wikipedia: 急戦で用いる). The JSA column builds it behind a Central Rook and says it works as well with the Fourth File, Third File and Opposing Rook. en.wikipedia notes that it is common in Edo-period games and still appears now and then in professional play.
Build it at the board.
The app’s lesson walks the king into a Mino one step at a time, and its review names the castle you were building when a game turned.