Oohashi Souei VI’s passing brought about a second gap in the succession of Meijin. During this interval there were several strong players, and one of the most notable and colourful figures was Oohashi Ryuusetsu (大橋柳雪, 1795-1839).
Born as Nakamura Kitajiro (中村喜多次郎), like other great players he was quickly discovered as a prodigy, and studied under Meijin Souei VI as Nakamura Eisetsu (中村英節). He rose to 6-dan by the age of 23 in 1818, and was named as the successor to the next head of the house, Oohashi Souyo VII, taking the name Oohashi Eishun (大橋英俊) and being accepted into the branch family. After Itou Soukan VI had been named as Meijin in 1825, Eishun was expected to become the next Meijin at some point, and deferentially he took on the name Oohashi Souei (the second) (大橋宗英). However in 1830, he was disinherited by the Oohashi branch family, reportedly after contracting syphilis and going completely deaf. He moved to Kyoto, and not being the heir, he changed his name one more time to Oohashi Ryuusetsu.
During this period, Ryuusetsu became known as an extremely strong independent shogi player. It was while in Kyoto that he would meet in 1834 a young Amano Souho (天野宗歩), who was then travelling as a disciple of the main Oohashi house. Ryuusetsu would be a mentor to Souho, who was on his way to becoming one of the best players in the Edo period.
In 1837, Ryuusetsu played another famous match, this time against the blind 6-dan Ishimoto Kenko (石本検校). In the 21-game match, Ryuusetsu would progress from even games to giving a lance every game, but in the end still winning by the amazing margin of 19-2. These games would be heavily studied by later players, and be an influential part of his legacy.
Ryuusetsu passed away in 1839. His main legacy is his role in the progression towards modern shogi, continuing the flow from ninth Meijin Oohashi Souei VI to the visionary Amano Souho. He also studied joseki in yokofudori, and published a number of shogi books, including the Shogi Kihan (将棋軌範), a game collection featuring a mix of games from the Oohashi family, himself, amateur players. The 41st game in the book is a famous game where he beat Souei VI while receiving a rook handicap when he was just 13, and the 42nd game is famous for featuring the first ever “women’s professional” player, where she beats a 7-dan player while receiving a rook handicap.