Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama Sugoroku: Rules and How to Play
A sugoroku played on the real print Katsushika Hokusai drew: leave Nihonbashi, tour Kamakura, Enoshima and Mt. Oyama, and come home. 2–6 players, about 15 minutes, free in your browser, no sign-up.
Setup
- The board is the real print Kamakura Ejima Oyama Shinpan Orai Sugoroku, drawn by Katsushika Hokusai (signing as Zen Hokusai Iitsu), from the National Diet Library Digital Collections.
- 2–6 players. Playing alone, you face 3 CPUs.
- Everyone places a piece on the start, Nihonbashi (square 1). 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 in the order of the printed numbers (2, 3, 4 … 52).
- The road runs from Shinagawa, Kanagawa, Hodogaya and Totsuka to Kamakura (Engaku-ji, Kencho-ji, Tsurugaoka, Hase), along Shichirigahama to Enoshima, from Fujisawa to Mt. Oyama, then home through Atsugi, Nagatsuta, Mizonokuchi, Futago, Sangenjaya and Shibuya.
- Six squares carry an inn mark (泊): Hodogaya, Yukinoshita, Enoshima, Oyama, Tsuruma Post Town and Mizonokuchi. Stop on one and you miss your next turn.
Winning and scoring
- Complete the circuit in number order and get home to Nihonbashi with the exact roll. The first player home wins, as the printed preface says.
- Extra pips send you back as the preface says: 1 extra to Shibuya, 2 to Sangenjaya, 3 to Futago, 4 to Mizonokuchi, 5 to Nagatsuta. If that square is an inn, you miss a turn too.
- By default, the game ends when the first player gets home. Others are ranked by their current position along the route; pieces on the same square share a rank. Turn on “Rank everyone” to continue until only one player remains.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting home | "As printed", the default, needs the exact roll to reach Nihonbashi; extra pips send you back to Shibuya, Sangenjaya, Futago, Mizonokuchi or Nagatsuta as the preface says. "Bounce back" moves you back from Nihonbashi by the extra pips. "Over is fine" lets any roll that reaches Nihonbashi 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 Nihonbashi (square 1).
- Goal
- The finish. This is a round-trip (orai) sugoroku, so you finish by returning to Nihonbashi.
- Inn (泊)
- A square with the 泊 mark on its label. Stop there and you miss your next turn.
- Preface
- The printed text at the top right of the board. On this board it gives the finishing rule and where extra pips send you.
FAQ
What if I roll too high at the end?
As the preface says: 1 extra sends you to Shibuya, 2 to Sangenjaya, 3 to Futago, 4 to Mizonokuchi and 5 to Nagatsuta. House rules also offer "Bounce back" and "Over is fine".
Which squares are inns?
Hodogaya (8), Yukinoshita (20), Enoshima (31), Oyama (38), Tsuruma Post Town (44) and Mizonokuchi (49). Each has a round 泊 mark on its label.
Can I read the small text on a phone?
The board zooms in around the current piece so the place names and numbers on the labels are readable, with a map of the whole print and the current square's number and name spelled out beside it.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-24 · Run by Qdan, Inc.