is a retired Japanese professional shogi 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'Ivoi ...

. He is a former Kisei and

Kiō is one of the eight major title tournaments in professional shogi. The word means the 'king of shogi' (棋 ''ki'' 'shogi' + 王 ''ō'' 'king'). Overview The tournament started in 1974 as a continuation of the Saikyōshakettei tournament (最強� ...

major title holder as well as a former

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of 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 ...

Early life

Kiriyama was born on October 17, 1947, in

Shimoichi, Nara is a town in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the town has an estimated population of 5,378 and a population density of 86.8 persons per km². The total area is 61.99 km². The town is perhaps most famous for the Tsurube sushi ...

. He learned how to play shogi when he was about five years old, and as a young boy played some instructional games against

Kōzō Masuda was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. He is a former Meijin who was known for playing very creative shogi. For instance, top player Yoshiharu Habu considered Masuda's playing style to be 30 years ahead of its t ...

during Masuda's frequent visits to the Nara area. In 1957, at the age of nine, Kiriyama moved to Tokyo to study shogi under Masuda as an

uchi-deshi is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in ''kabuki'', ''rakugo'', ''shogi'', '' igo'', ''aikido'', ''sumo'', ''karate'' and other modern Japanese martial ...

(a "live-in apprentice"), but became homesick and returned home after only a few months. Kiriyama never lost his passion for shogi, however, and the following year he entered the Kansai branch of the

's apprentice school at the rank of 7-

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 Chi ...

under the guidance of shogi professional . He was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1963,and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in April 1966.

Shogi professional

Promotion history

Kiriyama's promotion history is as follows: * 7-

: 1958 * 1-dan: 1963 * 4-dan: April 1, 1966 * 5-dan: April 1, 1969 * 6-dan: April 1, 1960 * 7-dan: April 1, 1973 * 8-dan: April 1, 1975 * 9-dan: October 9, 1984 * Retired: April 27, 2022

Titles and other championships

Kiriyama has appeared in major title matches a total of ten times and has won four titles. In addition to major titles, he has won seven other shogi championships during his career.

Major titles

Other championships

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

Awards and honors

Kiriyama 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 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

*2nd Annual Awards (April 1974March 1975): Best Winning Percentage *3rd Annual Awards (April 1975March 1976): Distinguished Service Award *8th Annual Awards (April 1980March 1981): Fighting-spirit *10th Annual Awards (April 1982March 1983): Fighting-spirit *11th Annual Awards (April 1983March 1984): Most Games Won, Technique Award *12th Annual Awards (April 1984March 1985): Distinguished Service Award

Other awards

*1988: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (Awarded by JSA in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional) *1990: 25 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years) *2000: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (Awarded by JSA in recognition of winning 800 official games as a professional) *2005: 40 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for forty years)

Retirement

Kiriyama retired on April 27, 2022, at age 74. He finished with a career record of 996 wins and 958 losses.

JSA director

Kiriyama served on the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors as a

from 1976 until 1978.

Notes

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Kiriyama, Kiyosumi
'sic'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiriyama, Kiyozumi Japanese shogi players Living people Professional shogi players Professional shogi players from Nara Prefecture Kisei (shogi) Kiō 1947 births Retired professional shogi players