is a retired 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 ...

who achieved the rank of 9- dan. He is a former

Meijin is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ''meijin'' (名 ''mei'' "excellent, artful", 人 ''jin'' "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field ( ...

, Tenth Dan, Ōi, Kiō and Ōshō major title holder. He has the nicknames ''123'', is composed of the characters ja, 一, translit=hi, label=none, ja, 二, translit=fu, label=none, and ja, 三, translit=mi, label=none, the ja,

kun'yomi are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subseq ...

, label=none readings for 'one', 'two', and 'three' respectively. and ひふみん ''Hifumin'' given by his fans. Katō had the record for the youngest professional player who went pro at 14 years and 7 months old until

Sōta Fujii is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9- dan. He is the current holder of the Eiō, Kisei, Ōi, Ōshō and Ryūō titles. He is the youngest person to be awarded professional status by the Japan Shogi Association and one of only fi ...

became professional in 2016 at age 14 years and 2 months.

Shogi professional

Playing style

Katō is known for playing aggressive Climbing Silver strategies. He received a Masuda Special Award in 2017 for his innovations to this strategy over his career. Additionally, the Katō variation (加藤流 ''katō-ryū'') of the Double Fortress opening is named after him.

Personal life

Katō was baptized as a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

in 1970, and his

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian nam ...

is Paul. He was made a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

of the

Order of St. Sylvester Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr ( la, Ordo Sancti Silvestri Papae, it, Ordine di San Silvestro Papa), sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five o ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1986.

Promotion history

Katō's promotion history is as follows: * 1951: 3-

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 Ch ...

* 1953: 1-dan * 1954, August 1: 4-dan * 1955, April 1: 5-dan * 1956, April 1: 6-dan * 1957, April 1: 7-dan * 1958, April 1: 8-dan * 1973, November 3: 9-dan *2017, June 20: Retired

Titles and other championships

Katō appeared in major title matches a total of twenty-four times, and won a total of eight titles. In addition to major titles, Katō won twenty-three other shogi championships during his career.

Major titles

Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held.

Other championships

Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held.

Awards and honors

Katō has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career for his accomplishments in both on an off the shogi board. These include the

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 ...

given out by the JSA for performance in official games and other awards given out by governmental organizations, etc. for contributions made to Japanese society.

Annual shogi awards

*4th Annual Awards (April 1976March 1977): Most Games Won, Most Consecutive Games Won, Technique Award *5th Annual Awards (April 1977March 1978): Distinguished Service Award *6th Annual Awards (April 1978March 1979): Distinguished Service Award *8th Annual Awards (April 1980March 1981): Distinguished Service Award *9th Annual Awards (April 1981March 1982): Player of the Year, Most Consecutive Games Won *12th Annual Awards (April 1984March 1985): Most Games Won, Most Games Played *29th Annual Awards (April 2001March 2002): Tokyo Press Club Award *44th Annual Awards (April 2016March 2017): Special Award, Kōzō Masuda Award Special Prize

Other awards

*1977: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (Awarded by JSA in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional) *1978: 25 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years) *1982: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (Awarded by JSA in recognition of winning 800 official games as a professional) *1986: Knight of the

*1989: Special Shogi Honor Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of winning 1,000 official games as a professional) *1993: 40 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for forty years) *2000: Medal with Purple Ribbon *2001: 1200 Wins Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of winning 1,200 official games as a professional) *2003: 50 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for fifty years) *2022:

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

Notes

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Kato, Hifumi
*Shogi Fan
Kato Hifumi becomes the oldest shogi player
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kato, Hifumi Japanese shogi players Living people Retired professional shogi players Japanese television personalities Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Japanese Roman Catholics Professional shogi players from Fukuoka Prefecture People from Kama, Fukuoka Meijin (shogi) Tenth Dan Ōi (shogi) Kiō Ōshō Recipients of the Kōzō Masuda Award 1940 births Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Knights of the Order of St. Sylvester Persons of Cultural Merit