influence Shūsai was a naturally slow and deep-thinking player. The fashion for relatively slow play in Japan has been traced back to his influence. Innovations such as time limits and clocks were introduced during his lifetime, much to the ire of Shūsai. Shusai pushed the strategy of the Meiji period – as famously outlined by Hon'inbō Shūho's book Hoen Shinpo – to further efficiency. This was done by playing farther and sometimes higher extensions, with the intention of providing better global protection to weak points. This method – then new – has been referred to as "harmony breaking". Be that as it may, his opening style was unable to deeply influence many others as the culmination of his style was soon cut short by the arrival of the shinfuseki openings revolution. He rarely innovated in joseki, preferring the admonition "do not seek out novelty". Before the Nihon Ki-in was set up, there was no codified set of rules available at all. Shūsai handed down judgements on controversies in the first days, for example on mannenko. Under the Nihon Ki-in The 1924 foundation of the Nihon Ki-in was the most significant moment in the organisational history of Japanese go in the twentieth century. It was mediated through Shusai, whose prestige was required as a minimum condition to unify the various groups. Shusai was backed by Baron Kishichiro Okura, an influential business magnate. The process was started in 1923 with the foundation of the Hiseikai group by Karigane, Tamejiro Suzuki, Dohei Takabe, and Segoe Kensaku. This prompted the amalgamation of the Honinbo school and the Hoensha, in January 1923, in the Chūō Kiin. This arrangement was however temporary, and the two constituent organizations split three months later. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake brought hardship to a number of Go organizations, and many of them faced closure. Under the guidance of Baron Kishichiro Okura, the Nihon Ki-in was founded in May 1924 to merge existing organizations into a single entity. Shusai was an important member of this new organization. Important matches The match with Kiseisha Karigane, in the meantime, had set up his rival Kiseisha organisation (1924). The Yomiuri Shimbun planned a challenge match between the two camps. This was the setting for the 1926 showdown with Karigane (the "group-capturing masterpiece"), perhaps the most anthologised game of modern times. Edward Lasker in his book Go and Go Moku wrote: ... probably one of