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Kuniyasu's Four Seasons of Edo Sugoroku Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Kuniyasu's Four Seasons of Edo Sugoroku, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

The four seasons: from New Year at Nihonbashi to the year-end market

Lesson 1

As the title says, the board lays out the famous places of Edo in the order of the seasons. The start, First Fuji from Nihonbashi (1), is a New Year view.

The bottom row and left column are spring: plum blossoms at Umeyashiki (2), wisteria at Kameido (3), cherry blossoms at Ueno (6), the bush warbler at Negishi (8) and clamming at Shinagawa (10). The top row is summer: evening cool at Ryogoku (12), a shower at Mimeguri (16) and lotus at Shinobazu (17).

The right column and the inner bottom row and left column are autumn: the moon over the Sumida (22), Sugamo chrysanthemums (23), first geese at Komatsugawa (25) and autumn leaves at Kaianji (28). The inner top row onward is winter — plovers at Susaki (30), snow at Massaki (35) — ending at the Asakusa market (37) in the centre.

Because the board is Kuniyasu's own print, zooming in on each square shows you Edo in that season. The name is also spelled out in the label box under the board.

Inn squares: five places to miss a turn

Lesson 2

The inns are 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 printed beside its label.

Stop on an inn and your next turn is skipped once. While you rest, your seat shows 'Inn' and your piece is greyed out.

You can also reach Yoshiwara by the shortcut from Ryogoku on a roll of 1, and Sekiya — where 4 extra pips at the end send you — is an inn too.

You cannot choose your roll, so you cannot avoid them — but knowing where they are makes the lead changes easy to follow. The map of the whole print shows where each resting piece waits.

The shortcut: a 1 at Ryogoku takes you to Yoshiwara

Lesson 3

Evening Cool at Ryogoku (12) is the left end of the outer top row. The small box to its left says a one rolled here takes you through to Yoshiwara (our reading; the first characters are uncertain).

If you roll a 1 while on Ryogoku, you skip squares 13 to 17 and go straight to the Niwaka Festival at Yoshiwara (18) at the right end of the top row — six squares for a roll of one.

Yoshiwara is an inn, so you miss a turn after the jump. A 2 to 6 moves you normally. So on Ryogoku a 1 means six squares forward, paid for with a missed turn.

While you are on Ryogoku, the "1" dot in the zoomed view sits on Yoshiwara, so the numbered dots (1 to 6) always show where each roll will take you.

Finishing: the printed rule for extra pips

Lesson 4

The yellow panel beside the Asakusa market lists where extra pips send you. It begins "one extra, back to Komagata", then 2 to Massaki, 3 to Matsuchiyama, 4 to Sekiya and 5 to Azuma Woods (lines 2 to 5 use a ditto mark for "extra").

Komagata Hall (36), where 1 extra sends you, is right before the goal; Night Rain at Azuma Woods (29), for 5 extra, is eight squares back. Sekiya (31), for 4 extra, is an inn, so you also miss a turn.

House rules also offer "Bounce back" (move back by the extra pips) and "Over is fine" (any roll that reaches the market wins).

To count how far you are from the goal, look at the numbered dots (1 to 6) in the zoomed view: the dot on the Asakusa market is the exact roll you need.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

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Last updated 2026-09-24 · Run by Qdan, Inc.