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Types of Sugoroku and How to Play
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Last updated 2026-10-19 · Run by Qdan, Inc.
Compare movement and finishing rules, from choosing stones in ban-sugoroku to following pictures on printed boards and racing pieces in related dice games.
Explore historical prints, modern BGJ boards and a Chinese paper board while distinguishing source instructions from BGJ additions and object dates from invention dates.
Three Games to Try First
- Sugoroku
Try the basic flow of rolling a die and following a single path.
- Ban-sugoroku
Choose which stones to move with two dice.
- Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama Sugoroku
Travel through named places and return to the start with an exact roll.
Choose Sugoroku by How It Plays
Try Ban-sugoroku for decisions about moving stones, Hokusai’s print for a return journey, the Edo print for seasonal landmarks and shortcuts, or the armour print for its sequence of equipment. The modern Sugoroku offers a single path with effects; Leifeng Pagoda pairs matching pictures on a spiral. For races with several pieces, compare bearing off in Backgammon, reaching the centre in Ludo and using rosettes in the Royal Game of Ur.
Compare Movement and Finishing Rules
Player counts and time estimates describe BGJ. The table shows default rules; each card distinguishes source instructions from additions. The order is thematic, rather than chronological.
2–6 players
10–20 min
- Quick to learn6 games
- Learn step by step3 games
- More to learn0 games
- Mostly skill0 games
- Luck and skill3 games
- Mostly luck6 games
Player counts and times span the smallest to largest values in this group. Learning and luck describe each game, rather than a quality score.
| Game | Players / time | Board / print | Dice | How to finish | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ban-sugoroku | 2 players, About 15 min | Board: 2 × 12 points | 2 dice; doubles give 2 moves | Gather 15 stones in your home | Stone positions and routes |
| Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama Sugoroku | 2–6 players, About 15 min | Print: numbered circuit | 1 die | Return exactly to Nihonbashi | Kamakura, Enoshima and Oyama |
| Kuniyasu's Four Seasons of Edo Sugoroku | 2–6 players, About 15 min | Print: outer route to centre | 1 die | Reach Asakusa exactly | Edo landmarks in four seasons |
| Yoshikazu's Samurai Armour Sugoroku | 2–6 players, About 15 min | Print: equipment route to centre | 1 die | Reach the return to camp exactly | Armour and military preparations |
| Sugoroku | 2–6 players, About 10 min | Modern picture-race type: one path | 1 die | Reach or pass; exact-roll option | Seasons, walks and treasure |
| Leifeng Pagoda Sugoroku | 2–6 players, About 15 min | Chinese print: spiral | 1 die; BGJ adaptation | Reach the tower; BGJ addition | White Snake figures and scenes |
| Backgammon | 2 players, About 15 min | Board: choose among 15 checkers | 2 dice; doubles give 4 moves | Gather home, then bear off all 15 | Race to bear off checkers |
| Ludo | 2–4 players, About 20 min | Board: choose among 4 pieces on a circuit | 1 die; a 6 leaves the yard | Bring all 4 to the centre exactly | Race to bring pieces home |
| Royal Game of Ur | 2 players, About 15 min | Board: choose among 7 pieces; shared lane | 4 tetrahedral dice; 0–4 white tips | Bear off all 7 with exact throws | Race with rosettes and a shared lane |
Ban-sugoroku: Choose a Stone to Move
Two players face each other and decide which stones to move with each die. Its board and objective differ from following an illustrated route with one piece.
Ban-sugoroku
A board with two rows of twelve points holds fifteen black and fifteen white stones. In BGJ, use two dice separately and hit an opposing stone that stands alone, sending it off the board for re-entry. Doubles still give only two moves. The default finish is to gather all fifteen stones in your home area; a setting also lets you play until all are borne off. This is a recreated board, rather than an image of a museum object. The rule reference is page 3 of Jun Kusaba’s Ban-sugoroku pamphlet; BGJ’s rules page documents the settings. No founding date is assigned here. [1]
- Board / print
- Board: 2 × 12 points
- Dice
- 2 dice; doubles give 2 moves
- How to finish
- Gather 15 stones in your home
Orai Sugoroku: Travel Back to the Start
On a travel print, the route through named places is part of the appeal. Compare its return to the starting point with the finishes of other picture sugoroku games.
Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama Sugoroku
Hokusai’s pictures take you through Kamakura, Enoshima and Oyama, then back to Nihonbashi. NDL 1307090, bibliographic record 024019194, is catalogued as late Edo, without a specific year. Roll one die, follow the printed numbers and miss a turn at any of six lodging spaces. Finish by returning to Nihonbashi exactly. The printed instructions send excess rolls of 1–5 to Shibuya, Sangenjaya, Futako, Mizonokuchi and Nagatsuta, rather than simply counting that many spaces backwards. BGJ supports 2–6 players and ends at the first finisher by default. [2] [5]
- Board / print
- Print: numbered circuit
- Dice
- 1 die
- How to finish
- Return exactly to Nihonbashi
Edo Landmark Sugoroku: Visit Famous Places
Tour the seasonal landmarks of Edo and aim for the market at the centre. Compare this finish with the travel game that returns to its starting point.
Kuniyasu's Four Seasons of Edo Sugoroku
Utagawa Kuniyasu’s seasonal views lead from New Year at Nihonbashi to the Asakusa market in the centre. The source is NDL 1310735, whose record gives no publication year. Use one die; five spaces make you miss a turn. A printed shortcut takes you from Ryogoku to Yoshiwara on a roll of one. Reach Asakusa exactly to finish; excess rolls of 1–5 send you to Komagatado, Masaki, Matsuchiyama, Sekiya or Azuma no Mori as printed. BGJ adds route numbers 1–37 and tentative display names for two unreadable place names, with 2–6 players. [3]
- Board / print
- Print: outer route to centre
- Dice
- 1 die
- How to finish
- Reach Asakusa exactly
Armour Sugoroku: Equip Yourself and Return
The sequence of pictures shows clothing, armour and preparations for battle. Compare its route from equipment to a return from battle with the travel and landmark prints.
Yoshikazu's Samurai Armour Sugoroku
Isshusai Yoshikazu’s pictures move from clothing and armour through military preparations and achievements to a victorious return to camp in the centre. NDL 1310599 is dated Ansei 5 (1858). Move by one die, with no lodging spaces or jumps. Finish on an exact roll; the yellow panel sends excess rolls of 1–5 to the five preceding equipment spaces. Here those destinations coincide with counting backwards by the excess. BGJ adds route numbers 1–41 for navigation and supports 2–6 players. [4]
- Board / print
- Print: equipment route to centre
- Dice
- 1 die
- How to finish
- Reach the return to camp exactly
Modern Sugoroku: Choose from Three Boards
Compare the historical prints with a modern single-path game made for BGJ. Try its three boards and their effects, with a default finish that allows an excess roll.
Sugoroku
Choose between Round the Seasons, A Short Walk and Treasure Hunt, three boards made for BGJ. They do not reproduce a historical print. For 2–6 players, one die moves a piece along a single path with instructions to advance, retreat, rest or roll again. By default, effects can continue at the destination, up to five effects in one move. Reaching or passing the finish is enough; a setting instead requires an exact roll and bounces back the excess. BGJ’s board data and rules are the source for this modern version.
- Board / print
- Modern picture-race type: one path
- Dice
- 1 die
- How to finish
- Reach or pass; exact-roll option
BGJ rules [11]
Leifeng Pagoda: Play on a Chinese Paper Board
This Chinese collection object forms a separate comparison group. It is not presented as evidence for the origin of Japanese sugoroku.
Leifeng Pagoda Sugoroku
Twenty pairs of figures and scenes from the White Snake story form a spiral towards the central pagoda. The Cleveland Museum of Art dates object 2025.105, Leifeng Pagoda Board Game, to the Qianlong period, 1736–95. Neither the print nor the museum description provides confirmed play instructions. BGJ uses a conjectural adaptation informed by the hulu wen type: roll one die, then jump once to the matching picture. For 2–6 players, reaching or passing the central pagoda wins. Route numbers and this finishing rule are also BGJ additions. [6]
- Board / print
- Chinese print: spiral
- Dice
- 1 die; BGJ adaptation
- How to finish
- Reach the tower; BGJ addition
Games Like Sugoroku: Race Pieces with Dice
Choose which pieces to move with the dice and race to bring them all home. Compare the ways they play with sugoroku, including differences in piece counts, dice and finishing rules.
Backgammon
Race to gather fifteen checkers home, then use the dice to take them all off the board. Like Ban-sugoroku, this two-player game lets you choose checkers to move with two dice; gathering them home is only the first step here. In BGJ, doubles give four moves, and landing on a lone opposing checker sends it to the central bar.
- Board / print
- Board: choose among 15 checkers
- Dice
- 2 dice; doubles give 4 moves
- How to finish
- Gather home, then bear off all 15
BGJ rules [13]
Ludo
Race four pieces round the board and bring them all into the central goal along your own home lane. Like modern Sugoroku, you advance by the roll of one die, but here you choose which piece moves. BGJ uses a cross-shaped board by default, and a 6 lets a piece leave its yard. Unlike modern Sugoroku’s default finish, Ludo requires an exact roll.
- Board / print
- Board: choose among 4 pieces on a circuit
- Dice
- 1 die; a 6 leaves the yard
- How to finish
- Bring all 4 to the centre exactly
BGJ rules [14]
Royal Game of Ur
Race seven pieces from reserve along a route with a shared lane, bearing every piece off with an exact throw. As in sugoroku, the dice decide how far you move. BGJ uses four tetrahedral dice: count the white tips facing up for a result from 0 to 4. Landing on a rosette earns another throw, and the central rosette protects a piece from capture.
- Board / print
- Board: choose among 7 pieces; shared lane
- Dice
- 4 tetrahedral dice; 0–4 white tips
- How to finish
- Bear off all 7 with exact throws
BGJ rules [15]
Frequently Asked Questions
How do board and picture sugoroku differ?
In the board game shown here, two players each have fifteen stones and choose which stones to move with the dice. Picture sugoroku follows an illustrated sheet. It may use a counted route or jumps to named destinations; similar themes do not guarantee the same finishing rules.
How are instructions on the original prints used?
The travel, Edo and armour games follow verified printed instructions for lodging spaces, shortcuts and excess rolls. Added route numbers, tentative place names and the conjectural Leifeng rules are identified as BGJ choices. Each game’s rules page explains its settings.
When exploring sugoroku history, do object dates show when the game was invented?
A publication date or museum date identifies an object, rather than the invention of a game. No founding date is supplied without evidence. The Chinese Leifeng print is compared separately and is not evidence for the origin of Japanese sugoroku.
Is an exact roll always needed to finish?
The travel, Edo and armour prints require an exact roll and specify where excess rolls send you. Modern Sugoroku and BGJ’s Leifeng game allow reaching or passing the finish by default. Ban-sugoroku instead gathers every stone into a home area.
Are there other boards for racing with dice?
You can also play Backgammon, Ludo and the Royal Game of Ur here. All three let you choose which piece to move with a throw. Backgammon bears off fifteen checkers, Ludo brings four pieces to the centre, and Ur uses results from 0 to 4 to bring seven pieces home. Compare their shared mechanics and differences with sugoroku.
Sources and How BGJ Plays
- Japan Backgammon League / Jun Kusaba — Ban-sugorokuPage 3, Rules: setup, two moves on doubles, gathering stones into home and blocking bonuses; not evidence for a founding date / 草場純 / Jun Kusaba, p.3 / Checked: ↩
- National Diet Library — Kamakura Ejima Oyama Shinpan Orai SugorokuImage 1: upper-right instructions, printed numbers and lodging marks / NDL 1307090 / Checked: ↩
- National Diet Library — Edo Meisho Shiki Yusan SugorokuImage 1: Ryogoku shortcut, yellow finishing panel and lodging marks; no publication year / NDL 1310735 / Checked: ↩
- National Diet Library — Katchu Chakuyo Sonae SugorokuImage 1: start and yellow finishing panel; catalogued publication date Ansei 5 (1858) / NDL 1310599 / Checked: ↩
- National Diet Library — Bibliographic record for the travel printPublication date: late Edo period; not a specific year or the invention of the game / NDL 024019194 / Checked: ↩
- The Cleveland Museum of Art — Leifeng Pagoda Board GameObject date 1736–95 and original print; no confirmed play instructions / 2025.105 / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Ban-sugorokuImplemented players, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their board/rule data / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama SugorokuImplemented players, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their board/rule data / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Kuniyasu's Four Seasons of Edo SugorokuImplemented players, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their board/rule data / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Yoshikazu's Samurai Armour SugorokuImplemented players, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their board/rule data / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — SugorokuImplemented players, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their board/rule data / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Leifeng Pagoda SugorokuImplemented players, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their board/rule data / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — BackgammonImplemented players, dice, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their rule modules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — LudoImplemented players, dice, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their rule modules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Royal Game of UrImplemented players, dice, movement and finish; checked meta.json, slot.mjs, tutorial.json and their rule modules / Checked: ↩