Chica Umino's manga (2007-) and its Shaft anime (2016-2018): Rei Kiriyama, a 17-year-old shōgi prodigy, lives alone by the river until the three Kawamoto sisters adopt him for dinners. It unfolds among the Sumida bridges and the lanes of Tsukishima and Tsukuda, drawn with a fidelity that has turned the district into a pilgrimage.
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Tsukishima Monja Streetthe Kawamotos' neighbourhood
Nishinaka-dōri and its dozens of monjayaki restaurants are the Kawamoto sisters' neighbourhood: the warm world of lanterns and dinners Rei learns to come back to. (Approximate coordinate: street axis.)
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Tsukuda & Tsukuda-kobashi Bridgethe sisters' house
The old fishermen's quarter with its canal, little red bridge and Sumiyoshi shrine is the model for the corner where the Kawamoto house stands, low houses against a backdrop of towers. (Approximate coordinate.)
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Chūō-Ōhashi BridgeRei's bridge
The cable-stayed bridge over the Sumida that Rei crosses again and again between his flat and the Kawamoto house: the back-and-forth over the river sets the series' emotional pulse. (Approximate coordinate: mid-bridge.)
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Sendagaya Shōgi Hall (Shōgi Kaikan)Rei's matches
The historic seat of the Japan Shōgi Association, where Rei plays his official matches. Its playing rooms, corridors and shop are portrayed with documentary detail.
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Hatonomori Hachiman Shrinethe players' prayers
The shrine next door to the Shōgi Kaikan, whose Shōgi-dō hall guards a giant votive piece: a stop for players in the series and in real life, in the shadow of its miniature Mt. Fuji.