ToriShogi vs Ban

■ What is Tori Shogi? Tori Shogi ("bird shogi") is a Japanese chess variant born in the Edo period, traditionally attributed to Ōhashi Sōei, the ninth hereditary shogi Meijin. It is played on a compact 7×7 board with 16 pieces per side — and every piece is named after a bird. Guard your Phoenix, attack with a flock of Swallows, and promote your Falcon into the mighty Eagle. Unusually for an old shogi variant, captured pieces return to your hand and can be dropped back into play, just like in modern shogi. A small board with surprisingly deep tactics. New to the game? The app is built to teach you as you play. Choose Japanese or English at first launch — you can switch any time. ■ Learn as you play - Illustrated guide to all nine pieces: names, movements and promotions - Press and hold any piece during a game to see how it moves - The Swallow rules (the "three Swallows" and drop-mate prohibitions) and the mirrored left/right Quails, all explained ■ Game modes - Two Players: take turns on one iPhone or iPad - vs Computer: Beginner, Easy and Normal levels — a perfect sparring partner while you learn ■ Complete rules, faithfully implemented - Mandatory promotion: Falcon → Eagle, Swallow → Goose - Piece drops, the "three Swallows" rule, the swallow-drop-mate prohibition - Check and checkmate detection, repetition draws ■ Game records - Finished games are saved automatically; save mid-game any time - Replay your games move by move ■ Perfect for… - Shogi and chess players curious about variants - Quick but thoughtful games on a small board - Fans of Japanese tradition, birds and beautiful woodcraft - Playing with kids as a gateway into shogi Everything runs on your device — play offline, on a plane, anywhere. No ads, no in-app purchases, completely free. Enjoy the elegant bird chess of Edo Japan.

Discover Ban-sugoroku, a historic Japanese board game from the same broad family of games as modern backgammon. Once played in Japan for centuries, Ban-sugoroku survives today through historical research, museum collections, reconstructions, enthusiasts, and appearances in period dramas and anime. This app lets you experience several ways Ban-sugoroku has been played and reconstructed. Features: • Hon-sugoroku The classic form. Capture opposing pieces, return captured pieces to play, and bring all of your pieces into your home area. • Yanagi A pure race with no direct interaction between opposing pieces. • Oimawashi – 6 Pieces Roll two dice and advance the rearmost piece whenever a 1 or 6 appears. Capture all opposing pieces to win. • Oimawashi – 11 Pieces A larger version of Oimawashi with eleven pieces per player. • Yamato Reconstruction 1 & 2 Historical sources leave some details of Yamato uncertain. Rather than presenting one interpretation as definitive, this app includes two reconstructed starting arrangements so you can compare them for yourself. • Four CPU difficulty levels Easy, Normal, Hard, and Expert. • Three ways to play Play against the computer, pass the device between two players, or place the device between you for Face-to-Face play. • Historical board designs Choose from several boards and backgrounds, including designs inspired by historical Japanese game boards. • Beginner-friendly guidance Tap the lightbulb during a game for hints, or open How to Play for detailed rules. • English and Japanese Switch languages at any time. Ban-sugoroku is not simply “Japanese backgammon.” The games share historical roots and similar board-game traditions, but developed different rules and styles of play over time. History does not always leave us one clear answer. Where historical sources differ, this app tries to make those differences visible — and playable. Try all features during the free trial, then unlock the full version with a one-time purchase.