Connections written in the stars
A single game, played across a board that is its own small universe, can tie two strangers together for good. That thought is where this company started.
Our Name
What “Seien” means
The name is written with two Japanese characters. The first, 星 (sei), means star. The second, 縁 (en), is harder to translate: it is the word Japanese uses for a connection between people that feels as though it was meant to happen — not quite fate, not quite luck, somewhere in between.
Together they read Seien: a connection written in the stars.
There is a second layer to it. On a go board, the nine marked points are called hoshi — stars. Every game begins from them. A name that means both a bond guided by the stars and the stars on the board seemed like the right one for a company built on the idea that a game can introduce two people to each other.
Why both
Why we run a tournament and a salon
Because a tournament on its own does not build anything lasting. It is a very good way to meet people, and a very poor way to stay in touch with them. Everyone goes home.
A salon is the other half. Somewhere to come back to on an ordinary evening, sit down with whoever is there, and carry on the conversation that started over a board three months ago. People who meet at the tournament turn up at the salon; people who talk at the salon enter the next tournament together.
Neither half works as well alone. That is the whole business, and it is the reason there are two of them.
Founder
Hibiki Mishima
Hibiki Mishima passed the professional examination of the Kansai Ki-in in 2021 and is currently 2-dan. Alongside playing, he has spent the years since running go events in Osaka and Tokyo, which is where the idea for this company came from.
- Passed the Kansai Ki-in professional examination
- Began running go events in Osaka and Tokyo
- Appeared on NHK’s New Year Go Special
- Promoted to 2-dan
- Held the Tsumego Championship
- Featured on TV Osaka’s “Yasashii News”
Our Vision
Giving something back to the go world
We want the company to be useful to go itself, not only to us. The plan is to put part of our operating profit into a fund supporting young professional players.
What we have in mind is help with travel costs for exchange games, the cost of running new tournaments, and part of the cost of events that pass the culture on. If the business grows, that support grows with it. That is the shape we are aiming for.
For people who play, and people who watch
A stage where people meet, and a room where they talk. Between those two, we would like go to become a closer, richer part of more people’s lives.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce “Seien”?
Say-en — two syllables, as in “say” and “end” without the d. It is written 星縁 in Japanese and means “a connection written in the stars”. The registered English name of the company is SEIEN CO., LTD.
Why does one company run both a tournament and a salon?
So that meeting someone does not have to be a one-off. A tournament is where people meet; a salon is where they see each other again. Each one makes the other work better.
What do you want to give back to the go world?
We plan to direct part of our operating profit into a fund supporting young professional players — travel costs for exchange games, the cost of running new tournaments, and events that help pass the culture on.
Contact
Get in touch
Questions about the salon, our tournaments, press or sponsorship are all welcome. English is fine.