Professional
Go players
Players may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Players'' (1979 film), a film starring Ali MacGraw
* ''Players'' (2012 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Players'' (Dicks novel), a novel by Terrance Dicks, based on the television series ''Doc ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
are given the title of "Honorary" (or "Lifetime") title holder if they either win the title ten times in a row, or have won the title five times in a row or ten times in total and reach the age of 60 years or retire.
Below is a list of the honorary title holders and which title they are honored for.
Honorary Kiseis
*
Fujisawa Hideyuki
, also known as Shuko Fujisawa, was a Japanese professional Go player. A younger uncle of another professional, Hosai Fujisawa and grandfather of professional Go player Rina Fujisawa.
Biography
Hideyuki Fujisawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. ...
won the Kisei 6 times in a row from 1976 to 1982.
*
Kobayashi Koichi
is a Japanese Go player. He is one of the 'Six Supers' who championed Japanese Go in the last three decades of Japanese Go.
Biography
Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. In 1965, he came to Tokyo to be a disciple of Minoru Kitani. ...
won the Kisei 8 times in a row from 1986 to 1993.
*
Iyama Yuta
is a Japanese professional Go player. In April 2016, he became the first player in Japanese history to hold all seven major titles simultaneously. In January 2018, Iyama became the first professional Go player to be awarded Japan's People' ...
won the Kisei 9 times in a row 2013 to 2021.
Honorary
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 (t ...
s
*
Cho Chikun
Cho Chikun ''25th Honinbo'' ''Honorary Meijin'' ( ko, 조치훈; born June 20, 1956) is a professional Go player and a nephew of Cho Namchul. Born in Busan, South Korea, he is affiliated to Nihon Ki-in. His total title tally of 75 titles is th ...
won the Meijin 5 times in a row from 1980 to 1984.
*
Kobayashi Koichi
is a Japanese Go player. He is one of the 'Six Supers' who championed Japanese Go in the last three decades of Japanese Go.
Biography
Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. In 1965, he came to Tokyo to be a disciple of Minoru Kitani. ...
won the Meijin 7 times in a row from 1988 to 1994.
Honorary
Honinbo
In the history of Go in Japan, the four Go houses were four major schools of Go instituted, supported, and controlled by the state, at the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate. (There were also many minor houses.) At roughly the same time shogi w ...
s
*
Takagawa Kaku
, also known as , was one of the most successful professional Go players of the twentieth century.
Biography
Kaku Takagawa won the Honinbō title nine times in a row, from 1952 to 1960, and was subsequently awarded the permanent title of Ho ...
won the Honinbo 9 times in a row from 1952 to 1960.
*
Sakata Eio
was a 9-dan Japanese professional Go player.
Biography
Sakata became a professional Go player in 1935. His first title match was the Hon'inbō in 1951 when he challenged Hashimoto Utaro. More than usual was at stake in the match because Has ...
won the Honinbo 7 times in a row from 1961 to 1967.
*
Ishida Yoshio
is a professional Go player and author of several books on Go.
Biography
By the time he was 8, Ishida started learning Go. He was a student at the legendary Kitani Minoru go school. Famous along with his fellow students Cho Chikun, Kobayas ...
won the Honinbo 5 times in a row from 1971 to 1975.
*
Cho Chikun
Cho Chikun ''25th Honinbo'' ''Honorary Meijin'' ( ko, 조치훈; born June 20, 1956) is a professional Go player and a nephew of Cho Namchul. Born in Busan, South Korea, he is affiliated to Nihon Ki-in. His total title tally of 75 titles is th ...
won the Honinbo 10 times in a row from 1989 to 1998.
*
Iyama Yuta
is a Japanese professional Go player. In April 2016, he became the first player in Japanese history to hold all seven major titles simultaneously. In January 2018, Iyama became the first professional Go player to be awarded Japan's People' ...
won the Honinbo 11 times in a row from 2012 to 2022.
These players are called the 22nd / 23rd / 24th / 25th / 26th Honinbo, respectively.
Honorary Judans
* There have been no Honorary Judans.
Honorary Tengens
*
Rin Kaiho
Rin Kaihō or Lin Haifeng (; born May 6, 1942) is a professional Taiwanese Go player who made his name in Japan. He is, along with Cho Chikun, Kobayashi Koichi, Otake Hideo, Takemiya Masaki and Kato Masao, considered one of the 'Six Supers' tha ...
won the Tengen 5 times in a row from 1988 to 1993.
*
Iyama Yuta
is a Japanese professional Go player. In April 2016, he became the first player in Japanese history to hold all seven major titles simultaneously. In January 2018, Iyama became the first professional Go player to be awarded Japan's People' ...
won the Tengen 5 times in a row from 2015 to 2019.
Honorary Ozas
*
Kato Masao
Masao Kato Honorary Oza (加藤 正夫, ''Katō Masao'', March 15, 1947 – December 30, 2004), also known as Kato Kensei (加藤剱正 ''Katō Kensei''), was a Japanese professional go player. A late bloomer, Kato won 46 titles, including the ...
won the Oza 8 times in a row from 1982 to 1989.
Honorary Goseis
*
Otake Hideo
is a Japanese retired professional Go player.
Biography
Otake was born in Kitakyūshū City, Japan. He joined the legendary Kitani Minoru school when he was 9, and quickly rose up the ranks to turn professional in 1956, when he was 14. He p ...
won the Gosei 6 times in a row from 1980 to 1985.
*
Kobayashi Koichi
is a Japanese Go player. He is one of the 'Six Supers' who championed Japanese Go in the last three decades of Japanese Go.
Biography
Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. In 1965, he came to Tokyo to be a disciple of Minoru Kitani. ...
won the Gosei 6 times in a row from 1988 to 1993.
*
Iyama Yuta
is a Japanese professional Go player. In April 2016, he became the first player in Japanese history to hold all seven major titles simultaneously. In January 2018, Iyama became the first professional Go player to be awarded Japan's People' ...
won the Gosei 5 times in a row from 2012 to 2016.
See also
References
{{Go (game)
Go players
Go