How to Read “桂馬の高上がり”
Keima no takaagari
Meaning of “桂馬の高上がり”
“Knight’s high rising” means getting carried away and taking rash actions, which instead leads to failure.
Even actions that appear vigorous and proactive on the surface are actually reckless acts done without considering the consequences, ultimately putting oneself in a disadvantageous situation. It is particularly often used to warn against situations where one becomes pleased with temporary success or advantage and makes judgments lacking in caution.
The reason this proverb is used is that it can clearly express the dangers of rash actions through the concrete image of the knight’s movement in shogi. Even today, it is understood as a lesson when evaluating the behavior of people who fail due to getting too carried away, or when reflecting on one’s own actions.
Origin and Etymology
“Knight’s high rising” is a proverb born from the movement of shogi pieces. The knight in shogi makes a unique movement of advancing two squares forward and then moving one square to either the left or right. When this knight advances to the upper part of the board (close to the opponent’s territory), it was called “high rising.”
In shogi, the knight’s high rising may appear to be an aggressive move approaching the opponent’s territory, but in reality, it is often considered an ineffective move. This is because the knight is a piece that cannot move backward, and when it rises to a high position, it becomes unable to move freely. It may also end up jumping into a dangerous position where it can easily be captured by the opponent’s pieces.
From such shogi tactics, it is thought that this proverb became established to refer to actions that look vigorous and promising on the surface but actually lead to poor results. It is said to have been used since the Edo period, and the historical background of shogi being widely enjoyed by common people greatly influenced the spread of this proverb.
Interesting Facts
The knight in shogi is also called “jumping horse” and is the only piece that can jump over other pieces. From this special movement, the tactic called “knight’s double attack” was also born, and it’s interesting that there are multiple proverbs related to the knight.
Also, when the knight is promoted, it becomes “promoted knight (narikei),” but since it can only move like a gold general, it is also a rare piece where sometimes it’s better not to promote it.
Usage Examples
- Getting carried away by success as a newcomer, I took on a big project, but it was Knight’s high rising and I failed miserably
- Investing a large sum of money just because you made a little profit in stocks is exactly Knight’s high rising
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, with the spread of social media, “Knight’s high rising” type failures have become more familiar and frequent. A typical example would be getting carried away because a post went viral and making extreme statements, only to face backlash and lose credibility.
In the business world, we frequently see the phenomenon where startup companies get intoxicated by initial success and take a rapid expansion route, ultimately leading to business failure. This may be an unchanging aspect of human nature, but in modern times, the scope and speed of its impact have become dramatically larger.
On the other hand, modern values also tend to emphasize “proactiveness” and “challenging spirit,” which sometimes creates a dilemma between the teachings of this proverb and the expectations of modern society. While being challenged to take on challenges without fearing failure, one must also avoid rash actions, requiring a delicate balance.
Particularly in IT industry and venture company cultures, while the “just try it” spirit is valued, the caution warned by this proverb is simultaneously required, creating a complex situation.
When AI Hears This
“Keima no takagari” (the knight’s high advance) represents a fascinating dual structure where shogi tactical theory and life wisdom perfectly overlap. On the shogi board, when a knight jumps to a high position in enemy territory, it loses escape routes and ultimately gets captured by the opponent. What’s intriguing is how this tactical failure functions directly as wisdom for navigating human society.
The shogi knight is a unique “jumping piece” with distinctive movement patterns, but once it advances forward, it cannot retreat. This bears a striking resemblance to “career advancement” and “attention-seeking behavior” in life. People who rapidly climb positions or try to stand out above others, like the knight, easily lose their “escape routes.” The higher the position, the more likely they become targets of attack from surroundings, and when they fail, the fall becomes more severe.
Particularly noteworthy is how this saying “resonates even with people who don’t know shogi.” Even without detailed knowledge of shogi rules, the term “takagari” (high advance) intuitively conveys the danger of getting carried away and climbing too high. As a cultural mechanism through which Japanese people have learned the subtleties of complex human relationships via the familiar game of shogi, this saying is designed with remarkable sophistication.
It represents a crystallization of uniquely Japanese wisdom where shogi tactics and life lessons are unified into one.
Lessons for Today
What “Knight’s high rising” teaches us today is that we should be most careful precisely in moments of success. The more things are going well, the more important it is to develop the habit of stopping and calmly reassessing the situation.
In modern society, information flows quickly and we tend to be pressured for immediate results, but that’s exactly why we want to maintain a long-term perspective. Even with something as simple as posting on social media, let’s have the composure to consider not just the momentum of the moment, but how it will look when we look back later.
This proverb is not recommending that we become passive. Rather, it gives us the wisdom to distinguish between truly valuable challenges and mere rash actions. Please use this ancient teaching as a guide to direct your passion and courage toward directions that will bear fruit more reliably. You should surely be able to achieve more fulfilling results.
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