is a Japanese

professional shogi player A professional shogi player (将棋棋士 ''shōgi kishi'' or プロ棋士 ''puro kishi'' "professional player") is a shogi player who is usually a member of a professional guild of shogi players. There are two categories of professional player ...

ranked 9-

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

. He is a former and Ōza major title holder.

Early life

Fukusaki was born on December 6, 1959, in

Moriguchi, Osaka is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 142,655 in 73353 households and a population density of 11,000 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Moriguchi borders the northeaster ...

. He entered 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 materia ...

's apprentice school under the guidance of shogi professional at the rank of 5-

kyū is a Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in tea ceremony, flower arranging, Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, levels or degrees of proficiency or experience. In Mandarin Chin ...

in 1975. He was promoted to 1-dan in 1976 and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 1978.

Shogi professional

In 1979, Fukusaki won the 3rd tournament for his first championship as a professional. Fukusaki first appearance in a major title match came in 1986 when he challenged

Kunio Yonenaga was a Japanese professional shogi player and president of Japan Shogi Association (May, 2005 - December 18, 2012). He received an honorary title Lifetime Kisei due to his remarkable results in the Kisei title tournament. He is a former Meijin ...

for the 25th title. Fukusaki won the match 4 games to 2 for his first major title. The following year, however, he was unsuccessful in his first title match defense, losing to

Michio Takahashi is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is a former holder of the Tenth Dan, Ōi, and Kiō titles. Takahashi is a member of the so-called ''Shōwa 55'' group (55年組), a group of eight strong players that become professiona ...

4 games to none. Fukusaki's next appearance in a major title match came in 1991 when he challenged

Kōji Tanigawa is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is the 17th Lifetime Meijin and also a former president of the Japan Shogi Association (JSA). Early life Kōji Tanigawa was born in Kobe on April 6, 1962. He entered the Japan Shogi Associ ...

for the 39th Ōza title. Fukusaki defeated Tanigawa 3 games to 2, but once again was unable to defend his title the following year, this time losing to

Yoshiharu Habu is a professional shogi player and a chess FIDE Master. His master is Tatsuya Futakami. He is the only person to simultaneously hold seven major professional shogi titles at the same time and is also the only person to qualify as a lifetime tit ...

. On March 8, 2012, Fukusaki defeated

Kenji Kobayashi is a retired Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9- dan. He is a former director of the Japanese Shogi Association. Early life Kobayashi was born in Takamatsu, Kagawa on March 31, 1957. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice ...

in a Ryūō Class 4 game to become the 44th professional to win 600 official games.

Promotion history

Fukusaki's promotion history is as follows: * 5-

: 1975 * 1-dan: 1976 * 4-dan: October 11, 1978 * 5-dan: April 1, 1980 * 6-dan: April 1, 1981 * 7-dan: April 1, 1982 * 8-dan: May 26, 1990 * 9-dan: October 28, 2005

Titles and other championships

Fukusaki has appeared in major title matches a total of four times and has won two titles. In addition to major titles, Fukusaki has won one other shogi championship during his career.

Awards and honors

Fukusaki received the Japan Shogi Association

Annual Shogi Awards The Annual Shogi Awards (将棋大賞 ''shōgi taishō'') are a number of prizes awarded yearly by the Japan Shogi Association to professional and amateur shogi players who have achieved particular success. The first Annual Shogi Awards were pre ...

for "Best New Player" and "Best Winning Percentage" in 1979, and for "Distinguished Service" in 1986. He also received the association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2003 in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years, and the "Shogi Honor Award" in 2008 in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional.

Personal life

Fukusaki is married to former female shogi professional .

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Fukuzaki, Bungo
'sic'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fukusaki, Bungo Japanese shogi players Living people Professional shogi players from Osaka Prefecture Tenth Dan Ōza (shogi) 1959 births People from Moriguchi, Osaka