Kuniyasu's Four Seasons of Edo Sugoroku: Rules and How to Play
A sugoroku on the real print by Utagawa Kuniyasu: from New Year at Nihonbashi, tour Edo's sights through the four seasons to the year-end market in Asakusa. 2–6 players, about 15 min, free.
Setup
- The board is the real print Edo Meisho Shiki Yusan Sugoroku, drawn by Utagawa Kuniyasu, from the National Diet Library Digital Collections.
- 2–6 players. Playing alone, you face 3 CPUs.
- Everyone places a piece on the start, First Fuji from Nihonbashi (bottom right). Each piece has its own shape, so you can tell them apart even on a shared square. Pieces never block or capture each other.
How to play
- Take turns rolling one die and move that many squares. The route goes clockwise round the outside from Nihonbashi, then round the inside once more to the Asakusa market in the centre. The squares are not numbered on the print, so BGJ numbers them 1 to 37.
- The road follows the seasons: the bottom row and left column are spring, the top row summer, the right column and the inner bottom row and left column autumn, and the inner top row onward winter, ending at the year-end market in Asakusa.
- Five squares carry an inn mark (泊): Clamming at Shinagawa, Peonies at Tomigaoka, Niwaka Festival at Yoshiwara, Insects at Higurashi and Passing Shower at Sekiya. Stop on one and you miss your next turn.
- Beside Evening Cool at Ryogoku (top left) the print says "roll a one here and you go through to Yoshiwara". If you roll a 1 while standing there, you skip straight to Yoshiwara (square 18) — and since Yoshiwara is an inn, you miss a turn there.
Winning and scoring
- The first player to reach the Asakusa market in the centre with the exact roll wins.
- Extra pips send you back as the yellow panel beside the market says: 1 extra to Komagata Hall, 2 to Snow at Massaki, 3 to Winter Wind at Matsuchiyama, 4 to Passing Shower at Sekiya and 5 to Night Rain at Azuma Woods. Sekiya is an inn, so you miss a turn too.
- By default the game ends when the first player finishes; the others are ranked by how far they got. A house rule lets you play on until everyone is ranked.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–6 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finishing | "As printed", the default, needs the exact roll to reach the Asakusa market; extra pips send you back to Komagata Hall, Massaki, Matsuchiyama, Sekiya or Azuma Woods as the board says. "Bounce back" moves you back from the market by the extra pips. "Over is fine" lets any roll that reaches the market win. | As printed | Can be changed |
| Rank everyone | When on, play continues after the first player gets home until only one is left. Off by default (the game ends when one player gets home). | Off | Can be changed |
| Rotate first player on Again | Pressing Again passes the first turn of the next game to the next player. | On | Can be changed |
Terms
- Start
- The first square. On this board it is First Fuji from Nihonbashi, bottom right.
- Goal
- The finish: the Asakusa Year-End Market in the centre of the board.
- Inn (泊)
- A square with the 泊 mark beside its label. Stop there and you miss your next turn.
- Shortcut
- The rule printed beside Evening Cool at Ryogoku: roll a 1 there and you go through to Yoshiwara.
FAQ
What if I roll too high at the end?
As the board says: 1 extra sends you to Komagata Hall, 2 to Massaki, 3 to Matsuchiyama, 4 to Sekiya and 5 to Azuma Woods. House rules also offer "Bounce back" and "Over is fine".
Which squares are inns?
Clamming at Shinagawa (10), Peonies at Tomigaoka (14), Niwaka Festival at Yoshiwara (18), Insects at Higurashi (26) and Passing Shower at Sekiya (31). Each has a round 泊 mark beside its label.
Some labels are upside down — can I read them?
The print was made to be played from all four sides, so the top row is upside down and the side columns are sideways. BGJ spells out the current square's number, name and reading in the label box under the board.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-24 · Run by Qdan, Inc.