said he was in the middle of a series of games with Shusaku, tied at 3 a piece. Akai Gorosaku, who was a famous sponsor of go competitions during the time, had heard this and decided to sponsor an unheard of sanjubango between Ota and Shusaku. The series had begun in 1853, when Ota was 46 and a 7 dan, while Shusaku was now 24 years old and a 6 dan. The games were played once a week, faster than a usual jubango. Yuzo was doing well until the 11th game, when Shusaku started to fight back. Ota was behind by 4 games after the 17th game. The 21st game was played in July, but the 22nd game was not played until October of that year, a reason of which is not known. The 22nd game was played in Ota's house, which was different than the others, considering they were played in more neutral venues. Ota had lost once more, and the venue was changed to a more neutral one. Ota's lifetime masterpiece It is believed, however, the 23rd game, was fixed. It had lasted almost 24 straight hours, and had resulted in a tie. It saved Ota from embarrassment. It was thought as a great achievement, having a tie after taking white, so much that it was used, along with Shusaku's calling up for the castle games, as an excuse to adjourn the match. Ota's fame came from just this one match of the large sanjubango. A short 2 years after the sanjubango, Ota had died. Before his death, he had called the tie against Shusaku "Ota's Lifetime Masterpiece". 1807 births 1856 deaths Japanese Go players 19th-century Go players