Original title：趙治勲 私の履歴書（17）交通事故
Original article: The Nikkei
Author: Cho Chikun, Honorary Meijin
After I earned the title of Honorary Meijin, Koichi Kobayashi quickly rose to prominence starting in 1984. Although I entered the Go world before him, he became a professional earlier than I did. We experienced a period of intense rivalry, where we were constantly challenging each other. In terms of winning titles, I advanced much faster. However, after Koichi Kobayashi won the Tengen title in 1984, his momentum became unstoppable, and by 1985, he finally became the challenger in the Meijin title match.
My first reaction was, "A troublesome opponent has arrived." This wasn't just because I disliked his overly serious personality, but also because his playing style was defensive and non-aggressive, which was a type I struggled to deal with.
In the seven-game match, I fell behind with 1 win and 3 losses. Despite my efforts to catch up and tie the match at 3 wins each, I was swiftly defeated in the deciding game, failing to achieve my sixth consecutive Meijin title. His momentum was undeniably strong.
Next, in the Kisei title match held at the beginning of the year, the challenger was once again Koichi Kobayashi. This time, I absolutely couldn't afford to lose. On January 6th, just ten days before the match, I was preparing in my apartment in Meguro, Tokyo. This apartment had been purchased when I was living in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture.
Late at night, I felt a bit hungry and decided to drive out to get some soba noodles. As I was driving out of the apartment parking lot, a motorcycle approached from the right and fell over while trying to avoid me. The motorcycle seemed undamaged, and the rider wasn't hurt, but I couldn't just leave. When I got out to help the rider lift the motorcycle, a minivan coming from behind hit us both, sending me and the motorcycle flying.
I suffered fractures in both legs and my left hand, with some bones even exposed. The injuries were severe. Fortunately, if I hadn't been holding onto the motorcycle, I would have likely died on the spot. The motorcycle acted as a cushion, saving my life. It could be called a "fortunate accident."
During my hospitalization, many people came to visit me. Takeo Shigemitsu, the president of LOTTE, who had long supported me, proactively offered to be my guarantor for a three-month stay at Keio Hospital. Go legend Go Seigen, who had himself experienced a traffic accident during his peak years, might have thought, "Cho Chikun has finally faced a major trial."
Some weekly magazines reported on my accident. One article claimed, "Cho Chikun, worried about how the Kisei match would be affected, requested no anesthesia during surgery." This shocked me. I'm actually very afraid of pain, so there's no way I could have made such a calm request.
Later, I heard that this rumor might have originated from Kunio Yonenaga, an Eternal Kisei in Shogi. While I didn't confirm this with him directly, I'm almost certain it was him.
Kunio Yonenaga once served as the president of the Japan Shogi Association and was an amateur 8-dan in Go. We once played a Go guidance game together, and he had a good impression of me. Yonenaga was very clever, and it’s possible he created this story to quickly build a heroic legend. Although the story was somewhat exaggerated, it was cool, so I didn't deny it for a while.
However, the immediate issue was the upcoming Kisei title match. I really wanted to participate. Although there was a rule that the match couldn't be postponed, I believed there were only two choices: either play the match or forfeit. My head and my right hand, which held the stones, were fine, and I wanted to play Go. This is the conviction of a Go player.
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