Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama Sugoroku Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Hokusai's Kamakura–Enoshima–Oyama 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.

Sights on the road: Kamakura's temples and the Great Buddha

Lesson 1

Leaving Nihonbashi, the road passes Shinagawa, Kanagawa, Hodogaya and Totsuka, then enters Kamakura at Yamanouchi (15). Square 16 is Engaku-ji, 17 Kencho-ji, 18 Kobukurozaka, 19 Tsurugaoka and 20 Yukinoshita (an inn).

Fukasawa (23) shows the Great Buddha's face, and its label gives the statue's height (3 jo 5 shaku). The label of Hase (24) names Hase-dera.

Because the board is Hokusai's own print, zooming in on each square lets you follow the famous sights along the way.

In Kamakura the squares 15 to 19 run left to right and 20 to 24 run right to left. The arrow in the zoomed view and the numbered dots (1 to 6) on the squares each roll would reach show which way to go.

Inn squares: six places to miss a turn

Lesson 2

The inns are Hodogaya (8), Yukinoshita (20), Enoshima (31), Oyama (38), Tsuruma Post Town (44) and Mizonokuchi (49). Each label has a round 泊 mark printed on top.

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

You cannot choose your roll, so you cannot avoid them — but knowing where they are makes the lead changes easy to follow.

Four inns lie on the way out (Hodogaya, Yukinoshita, Enoshima, Oyama) and two on the way home (Tsuruma Post Town, Mizonokuchi). A resting piece is shown greyed out, and the map of the whole print shows where it is waiting.

Sights on the road: from Enoshima to Mt. Oyama

Lesson 3

After Hase in Kamakura the road passes Hoshizukiyo Well (25), Gokuraku-ji (26), Harisuri Bridge (27) and Inamura (28) and comes out at Shichirigahama (29). Past Koshigoe (30) comes Enoshima (31), whose label carries the inn mark.

From Katase (32) and Fujisawa (33) the road heads for Mt. Oyama. The picture for Yotsuya (34) shows a stone signpost carved with the words for the Oyama road, and the label of Isehara (37) gives the distance to Oyama Fudo. Oyama (38) is an inn too.

From Oyama the way home begins with Kasuya (39), Aiko (40) and Atsugi (41). You cross the top row left to right, then come down the right-hand columns back to Nihonbashi.

Getting home: the printed rule for extra pips

Lesson 4

The preface at the top right says that getting back to Nihonbashi is the win, and where extra pips send you: 1 extra to Shibuya, 2 to Sangenjaya, 3 to Futago, 4 to Mizonokuchi and 5 all the way back to Nagatsuta.

Mizonokuchi, where 4 extra sends you, is an inn — so you also miss a turn. 5 extra is the big setback to Nagatsuta.

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

To count how far you are from home, look at the numbered dots (1 to 6) in the zoomed view: the dot on Nihonbashi 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

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