# Shikoku 1889

Shikoku 1889 is a board game for 2–6 players. It plays in 180–240 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 8 out of 10 by 17 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $57.09 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–6 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 180–240 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2004
- **Categories:** Transportation, Economic, Trains
- **Mechanics:** Ownership, Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, Victory Points as a Resource, Tile Placement, Auction / Bidding, Stock Holding, Market
- **Ludoya rating:** 8 out of 10, from 17 reviews
- **Owned by:** 41 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 118
- **Unique players:** 130

**Designers:** Yasutaka Ikeda

**Artists:** Erik Frobom, Karim Chakroun

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alphaspel | 999 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/217887-shikoku-1889 |

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## Rules questions

### How does the private-company reserve-bid auction work — what happens when I place a reservation on a company that isn’t the topmost?

Reservation bids mark your right to buy a non-top Private Company later; when that company becomes topmost a single reservation bidder buys it for their reserved price, while multiple reservation bidders resolve it in a closed auction among only those reservers (bids must increase by at least ¥5). (Rulebook pp.14–16).

### On my Stock Round turn can I sell and buy shares in any order, and can I sell in the first Stock Round?

On your stock action you may sell one or more shares and/or purchase one certificate, and you may do both in either order (but not sell–buy–sell). However, no shares may be sold in the first Stock Round. (Rulebook pp.17–18).

### When does a corporation ‘float’ and when does it start operating?

A corporation floats when only five shares remain in its Initial Offering; the president then places the charter, pays capital equal to 10× par to the Bank, and places station tokens, and only floated corporations take turns in Operating Rounds (unfloated companies are skipped). (Rulebook p.18).

### What triggers trains to rust and what happens to rusted trains?

Phase changes caused by the first purchase of a new train rank trigger rusting events (rusting occurs at the start of Phases 4, 6, and D as noted), and when a train rank rusts all trains of that rank are immediately removed from play without compensation. (Rulebook pp.23, 25).

### My corporation has a station with connectivity but no train — am I forced to buy one, and what if we can’t afford it?

If a corporation has a station token with connectivity to another revenue center it must own a train by the end of its train‑purchase step and is forced to buy one; it may buy from another corporation or the Train Yard/Open Market, the president may contribute cash and must sell legally allowable shares, and failure to raise required funds forces the president into bankruptcy and ends the game. (Rulebook p.24).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/shikoku-1889)
- [Shikoku 1889 in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/shikoku-1889)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/23540)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._