He learned Go at about the age of 4 from his father who liked Go, improved his skills by playing Go with visitors; he secretly brushed up his skills by learning from 'Honinbo Jowa Chosaku' and so on in spite of the order from his father not to play Go for the sake of his studies, and at about the age of 12 to 13 after receiving his father's permission at last, he had no rivals in his neighborhood.
4歳頃に碁好きの父より碁を学び、来客との対局などで大いに腕を上げ、学業のために父からは碁を禁じられるが秘かに「本因坊丈和著作」などで研鑽して遂に父から許しを得、12、3歳頃には近隣では敵無しとなる。