The Annual Shogi Awards (将棋大賞 ''shōgi taishō'') are a number of prizes awarded yearly by the

Japan Shogi Association The , or JSA, is the primary organizing body for professional shogi in Japan. The JSA sets the professional calendar, negotiates sponsorship and media promotion deals, helps organize tournaments and title matches, publishes shogi-related materi ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

and amateur

shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as Western chess, '' chaturanga, Xiangqi'', Indian chess, and '' janggi''. ''Shōg ...

players who have achieved particular success. The first Annual Shogi Awards were presented in 1974.

Winners

Below is a table of the awards given and the award winners for each year.

Kōzō Masuda Awards

The Kōzō Masuda Award (升田幸三賞 ''Masuda Kōzō shō'') and the Kōzō Masuda Special Prize (升田幸三賞特別賞 ''Masuda Kōzō shō takubetsu shō'') are two prizes awarded to professional or amateur players who have made an outstanding contribution to the development and evolution of shogi openings by way of innovation or excellence in shogi theory or tactics. The awards are named after the innovative player, Kōzō Masuda. The Masuda Award is given out yearly since 1995 while the Masuda Special Prize is awarded infrequently.

Winners

Masuda Award

* 1995 (22nd Annual Shogi Awards) Kunio Naitō for the

Side Pawn Capture, Bishop-33 In shogi, Side Pawn Capture Bishop-33 (横歩取り3三角 or 横歩取り☖3三角 ''yokofudori san-san kaku'') is a set of variations stemming from the Side Pawn Capture opening, in which White first trades pawns on the eighth file and then bl ...

variations. * 1996 (23rd Annual Shogi Awards) Makoto Nakahara for the Nakahara variation of Side Pawn Capture and the Nakahara castle. * 1997 (24th Annual Shogi Awards) Takeshi Fujii for the Fujii System. * 1998 (25th Annual Shogi Awards)

Teruichi Aono Teruichi Aono (青野照市 ''Aono Teruichi,'' born January 1, 1953) is a 9-dan professional shogi player from Yaizu, Shizuoka. Shogi professional Promotion history The promotion history of Aono is as follows: * 4-kyū: 1968 * 1-dan: 1970 ...

for the

Saginomiya joseki In shogi, the Saginomiya joseki (鷺宮定跡 ''saginomiya jōseki'') is a joseki for a Left Silver-5g Rapid Attack (Static Rook) vs Fourth File Rook (Ranging Rook) opening. It was originally conceived by Teruichi Aono between 1975 and 1985, and ...

. * 1999 (26th Annual Shogi Awards) Makoto Chūza for the

Side Pawn Capture, Chūza's Rook In shogi, Side Pawn Capture Bishop-33 (横歩取り3三角 or 横歩取り☖3三角 ''yokofudori san-san kaku'') is a set of variations stemming from the Side Pawn Capture opening, in which White first trades pawns on the eighth file and then bl ...

. * 2000 (27th Annual Shogi Awards) Kunio Yonenaga for the Yonenaga King. * 2001 (28th Annual Shogi Awards) Hiroyuki Miura for the Millenium castle. * 2002 (29th Annual Shogi Awards)

Masakazu Kondō is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. He is known for developing the set of Cheerful Central Rook openings. Early life Kondō was born on May 31, 1971, in Kashiwazaki, Niigata. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice ...

for the Cheerful Central Rook. * 2003 (30th Annual Shogi Awards)

Kōichi Kodama is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 8-dan. Early life Kōichi Kodama was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture on February 21, 1951. As a high school student, he was a member of a team that won the team com ...

for the

Crab Silvers The Crab Silvers (カニカニ銀 ''kani kani gin'') is a shogi opening. It is a type of Rapid Attack Fortress opening, used mostly when playing Black (sente). It is often classified as a trap opening. It was created by professional shogi player ...

. * 2004 (31st Annual Shogi Awards) Kōji Tanigawa for his ...S-77+ move in his A-class Ranking Match against Akira Shima. * 2005 (32nd Annual Shogi Awards) Daisuke Suzuki for the New Quick Ishida (4. P-7d). * 2006 (33rd Annual Shogi Awards) Hitoshige Awaji for the

Tempo Loss Bishop Exchange In shogi, Tempo Loss Bishop Exchange or One-Move-Loss Bishop Exchange or Bishop Exchange With Tempo Loss (一手損角換わり ''ittezon kakugawari'') is a Bishop Exchange (Static Rook) opening that has White trading the bishops very early in t ...

. * 2007 (34th Annual Shogi Awards)

Yasumitsu Satō is a Japanese professional shogi player from Yawata City in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. He is currently the president of the Japan Shogi Association. He became a professional in 1987 and is ranked 9- dan. He has won 13 major titles, is a former ...

for the ambition and variety of moves in

Direct Opposing Rook Direct Opposing Rook (ダイレクト向かい飛車 ''dairekuto mukai hisha'') is an Opposing Rook (Ranging Rook) opening in which the player's bishop diagonal remains open allowing for a bishop trade early in the opening. Although it's classifi ...

. * 2008 (35th Annual Shogi Awards) Kenji Imaizumi for the 1... R-32 opening. * 2009 (36th Annual Shogi Awards) Toshiaki Kubo for his 6. R-7e move in the 2nd. match against

for the 34th Kiō title. * 2010 (37th Annual Shogi Awards) Eiji Iijima for the

Iijima Bishop Pullback In shogi, Iijima Bishop Pullback or Iijima's Back Bishop (飯島流引き角 ''Iijima-ryuu hiki kaku'') is a less common defensive Static Rook opening used against a Ranging Rook opponent. It has been used in both Black and White positions b ...

. * 2011 (38th Annual Shogi Awards) Yoshitaka Hoshino for the Super High Speed Silver-37 strategy. * 2012 (39th Annual Shogi Awards)

for the move 13. K-57 in his first game against Toshiaki Kubo for the Ōshō title. * 2013 (40th Annual Shogi Awards) Takeshi Fujii for the Bishop Exchange Fourth File Rook. * 2014 (41st Annual Shogi Awards)

Ayumu Matsuo is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8-dan. Early life Matsuo was born on March 29, 1980, in Nisshin, Aichi. His father, a professor at Nagoya University, taught him how to play shogi when he was a third-grade elementary school stude ...

for the ...K-52 variation of Side Pawn Capture. * 2015 (42nd Annual Shogi Awards) Tatsuya Sugai for his many tactical variations against

Central Rook Anaguma Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known ...

, Cheerful Central Rook,

Quick Ishida In shogi, Quick Ishida, Rapid Ishida or Ishida Quick Attack (早石田 ''haya ishida'') is an Ishida variation of the Third File Rook class of openings characterized by an open bishop diagonal. Like all Ishida variations, it has an early advan ...

and others. * 2016 (43rd Annual Shogi Awards)

Eisaku Tomioka is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8- dan. Early life Eisaku Tomioka was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture on May 19, 1964. He learned how to play shogi as a kindergartener from his father, and was the best player in his class ...

for the Tomioka variation of

Bishop Exchange, Reclining Silver In shogi, Bishop Exchange Reclining Silver or Reclining Silver With Bishops Off or Bishop Exchange Sitting Silver (角換わり腰掛け銀 ''kakugawari koshikakegin'') is a Bishop Exchange (Double Static Rook) opening that uses a Reclining Silver ...

. * 2017 (44th Annual Shogi Awards) Shōta Chida for the

variations K-42/G-62/R-81. * 2018 (45th Annual Shogi Awards)

for the Aono Side Pawn Capture, and Yūki Sasaki for the Yūki Side Pawn Capture . *2019 (46th Annual Shogi Awards) Sōta Fujii for the move 38. ... Rx7g+ in the final match of the 5th class of the 31st Ryūō Ranking tournament against

Naohiro Ishida is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 5-dan. Early life and education Ishida was born in Nayoro, Hokkaido on December 5, 1988. He learned how to play shogi at school with friends, and entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice ...

on June 5, 2018. *2020 (47th Annual Shogi Awards) The shogi engine elmo for developing the " elmo castle". *2021 (48th Annual Shogi Awards) Takahiro Ōhashi for the

Yōryū Fourth File Rook In shogi, Yōryū Fourth File Rook (耀龍四間飛車 ''yōryū shikenbisha'') is a Fourth File Rook (Ranging Rook) opening. This strategy was developed by Takahiro Ōhashi, who published a systematic study of it in a book of the same name in 20 ...

*2022 (49th Annual Shogi Awards) Shōta Chida for the Bishop Exchange Gold-33 Quick Silver Attack

Masuda Special Prize

* 2003 Katsumi Tateishi for the

Tateishi Fourth File Rook Tateishi Fourth File Rook (立石流四間飛車 ''tateishi-ryū shikenbisha'') is a Fourth File Rook strategy that incorporates characteristics of the Ishida (a variation of Third File Rook) opening. It was named after an amateur player named ...

. * 2005 Taku Morishita for the Morishita System. * 2007

Kazuo Manabe was a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. Promotion history Manabe's promotion history is as follows: * 1967: 6- kyū * April 1, 1973: 4-dan * April 1, 1976: 5-dan * April 1, 1978: 6-dan * April 1, 1980: 7-dan * April 1, 1988: 8- ...

for his splendid, phantom ...*B-42 move in his (last) match against Masayuki Toyoshima. * 2011

Takayuki Yamasaki is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8-dan. Early life Yamasaki was born in Hiroshima, Japan on February 14, 1981. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school in 1992 at the rank 6- kyū as a student of shogi professi ...

for the New Yamasaki variation of Side Pawn Capture. * 2014 Yasuaki Tsukada for the Tsukada Special developed in the mid 1980s. * 2016 Hifumi Katō for his developments and many novel contributions for Climbing Silver over his 62-year career. * 2017 Nobuyuki Ōuchi for his many developments in the strategy for Bear-in-the-hole Ranging Rook. *2018 Tadahisa Maruyama for his research on Bishop Exchange opening including

. *2019

Kenji Waki is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is also currently the senior managing director of the Japan Shogi Association. Early life Waki was born on August 10, 1960, in Osaka, Japan. He learned shogi at a shogi class taught by sh ...

for the Waki System. *2020 Sōta Fujii for the move 58...S*31 in Game 2 of the 91st Kisei title match. *2022 Torahiko Tanaka for his developments in opening strategy for

Static Rook Anaguma In shogi, Bear-in-the-hole Static Rook or Anaguma Static Rook (居飛車穴熊 ''ibisha anaguma'') is a Static Rook opening that utilizes a Bear-in-the-hole castle. It is typically played against Ranging Rook opponents. vs Fourth File Rook, ...

and Yagura Without Pushing the Rook Pawn among others.

References

{{Reflist 1974 establishments in Japan Shogi Japanese awards