Shogi silver general piece

A tile bearing the silver character.

Also known as: Ginsho piece, Silver piece shogi

In Japanese:: 銀将
In Japanese (Latin):: ginshō

CulturalSport & gamesQuiet profile

Meanings

The shogi silver general, moving one square in five directions and promoting to a gold general's movement.

Culturally establishedVerified fact
Moves one square in five directions, forward and on the four diagonals.
Contexts: History
Culturally establishedVerified fact
Promotes to the movement of a gold general, which is why an unpromoted silver is sometimes stronger than a promoted one and players decline the promotion.
Contexts: History

Visual description

A five-sided pointed shape carrying two glyphs on its front and a cursive gold glyph on its reverse.

A fuller structured visual breakdown is not yet documented for this symbol.

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Shogi: rules, pieces and notation
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-25
Tertiary reference, used for the names, characters and movement of shogi pieces and for the promotion system. Cited for identity and role. Not cited for opening theory or for competitive practice.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26

Help improve this page

Meanings

The shogi silver general, moving one square in five directions and promoting to a gold general's movement.

Culturally establishedVerified fact

Moves one square in five directions, forward and on the four diagonals.

Contexts: History

Culturally establishedVerified fact

Promotes to the movement of a gold general, which is why an unpromoted silver is sometimes stronger than a promoted one and players decline the promotion.

Contexts: History

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.