![Oyama vs Tsukada 1948](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Oyama_vs_Tsukada_1948.JPG)
is one of the eight titles in Japanese
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 skil ...
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''. ''Shōgi'' ...
, and is the most prestigious title, along with
Ryūō
Ryūō (also Ryu-O, Ryu-oh, Ryuuou; in Japanese 龍王, 竜王, lit. "Dragon King") is an annual Japanese professional shogi tournament and the title of its winner. The current Ryūō title holder is Sōta Fujii.
The Ryūō Tournament (''Ryūō-s ...
. The word ''meijin'' (名 ''mei'' "excellent, artful", 人 ''jin'' "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field (the various arts found in traditional Japanese
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
, such as the
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...
,
go,
competitive karuta
is an official Japanese card game that uses a deck of ''uta-garuta'' cards to play karuta, within the format and rules set by the All Japan Karuta Association.
Overview
Competitive karuta has been around since the start of the 19th century be ...
,
rakugo
is a form of ''yose'', which is itself a form of Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on a raised platform, a . Using only a and a as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long ...
,
budō
is a Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. Literally translated it means the "Martial Way", and may be thought of as the "Way of War" or the "Way of Martial Arts".
Etymology
Budō is a compound of the root ''bu'' ( 武:ぶ), m ...
).
History
![将棋名人退就位式MeijinResignationCeremony1938](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B%E5%90%8D%E4%BA%BA%E9%80%80%E5%B0%B1%E4%BD%8D%E5%BC%8FMeijinResignationCeremony1938.jpg)
The Meijin institution started in the 17th century (
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
), and for around 300 years (1612–1937) was a
hereditary title
Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families.
Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...
that was passed from the reigning Meijin upon his retirement or death to another selected from
three families
''Three Families'' is a British two-part television drama developed by Studio Lambert for BBC One. It is directed by Alex Kalymnios from a script by Gwyneth Hughes. Set in Northern Ireland between 2013 and 2019 when abortion was de-facto decrimin ...
, as deemed to be worthy.
This is known as the Lifetime Meijin system (終生名人制). In 1935, however, 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 ...
, or JSA, announced that it was abolishing the existing system of succession in favor of something more short-term and reflective of actual playing strength, known as the Real Strength Meijin system (実力名人制). In 1937, the reigning 13th Meijin , who had received his title under the old system and was 70 years old at the time, voluntarily gave up his title so that a new Meijin could be decided through actual tournament play. Later that year
Yoshio Kimura, who was a student of Sekine, became the first Meijin to gain the title based upon actual performance by winning a tournament which included eight other top players. From 1937 to 1947, the challenger for the Meijin title was determined through tournaments involving a select number of players. Finally, in 1947, the JSA officially established the preliminary round of that it currently uses.
Qualifying
The Meijin title is only open to professional shogi players that are members of the Meijin tournament system. This means that unlike some other tournaments amateur players, women's professional players, and regular professionals outside of the Meijin tournament system are not allowed to compete in the tournament.
The Meijin ranking tournaments are divided into five classes (A, B1, B2, C1, C2) and players compete against others within their class in a
round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...
throughout the year. Players who perform well during their class tournament may be promoted to the next highest class while those who perform poorly may be relegated to the next lowest one.
[
] New professionals are placed at the bottom of Class C2, and the top three players of Class C2 are promoted to Class C1 for the next year. Similarly, the top two players of Classes C1, B2, B1 are promoted to the B2, B1, and A, respectively, for the next year.
A new professional, therefore, needs at least five years experience (five successive promotions) after their debut before they can qualify to challenge for the title of Meijin.
Lifetime Meijin
![関根金次郎KinjirōSekine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/%E9%96%A2%E6%A0%B9%E9%87%91%E6%AC%A1%E9%83%8EKinjir%C5%8DSekine.jpg)
The first thirteen were determined through succession. The Lifetime Meijin as a competitive title, , was established by the JSA in 1952. Players who capture the Meijin title five times (does not have to be consecutive) qualify to receive this title, but are only officially awarded it upon their retirement or death (with exceptions).
* 1st:
* 2nd:
* 3rd:
* 4th:
* 5th:
* 6th:
* 7th:
* 8th:
* 9th:
* 10th:
* 11th:
* 12th:
* 13th: (last name spelled: 關根 or 関根)
*14th Lifetime Meijin: Yoshio Kimura (Qualified for title in 1946 at age 41. Awarded in 1952 upon retirement)
*15th Lifetime Meijin:
Yasuharu Ōyama
Yasuharu Ōyama (大山 康晴 Ōyama Yasuharu, March 13, 1923 - July 26, 1992) was a professional shogi player, 15th Lifetime Meijin and president of Japan Shogi Association (1976 - 1989). He studied shogi under . He won 80 titles (2nd on record ...
(Qualified for title at age 33 in 1956. Awarded in 1976)
*16th Lifetime Meijin:
Makoto Nakahara
is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. He is one of the strongest shogi players of the Shōwa period (1926–1989) and holds the titles of Lifetime Kisei, Lifetime Meijin, , Lifetime Ōi, and Lifetime ...
(Qualified for title at age 29 in 1976. Awarded in 2007, prior to his retirement in 2009 )
*17th Lifetime Meijin:
Koji Tanigawa
Koji, Kōji, Kohji or Kouji may refer to:
*Kōji (given name), a masculine Japanese given name
*Kōji (Heian period) (康治), Japanese era, 1142–1144
*Kōji (Muromachi period) (弘治), Japanese era, 1555–1558
*Koji orange, a Japanese citrus ...
(Qualified for title at age 35 in 1997. Still active)
*18th Lifetime Meijin:
Toshiyuki Moriuchi
is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He is a Lifetime Meijin who won the title eight times, and also a former Ryūō, Kiō and Ōshō title holder. He is also a former senior managing director of the Japan Shogi Association.
...
(Qualified for title in 2007 at age 36. Still active)
*19th Lifetime Meijin:
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 ...
(Qualified for title in 2008 at age 37. Still active)
Honorary Meijin
The is another Mejin-related title. Only two have received this title,
Kensosuke Kosuke in 1936 and
Ichitarō Doi
was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 8-dan (the highest rank at the time), and was the first president of the Japan Shogi Association.
Doi was a student of , the thirteenth Lifetime Meijin, along with contemporary ...
in 1954.
Posthumous Meijin
![Sakata Sankichi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Sakata_Sankichi.JPG)
A special title was given to
Sankichi Sakata
Sankichi (written: 三吉) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese photographer
*, Japanese surgeon
*, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral
*, Japanese poet and activist
{{given name
Japanese masculine gi ...
in 1955 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 materia ...
after his death in 1945.
Sakata, a folk hero for the Osaka area, was known during his heyday for his brilliant, inventive playing but was prevented from becoming a normal Meijin by circumstances. Sakata is the only person to receive this title.
Past winners
Below is a list of past Meijin title holders from 1937 when the new tournament method for determining the title holder was established. The number in parenthesis represents the cumulative times the player had won the title to date.
Records
* Most titles overall: Yasuharu Ōyama, 18
* Most consecutive titles: Yasuharu Ōyama, 13 in a row (1959-1971).
* Oldest player to win title: Kunio Yonenaga, 49 years 11 months (1993)
* Youngest player to win title: Koji Tanigawa, 21 years old (1983)
* Oldest player to challenge for title: Yasuharu Ōyama, 63 years old (1986)
* Youngest player to challenge for title: Hifumi Katoh, 20 years old (1960)
* Most times recapturing title: Yoshiharu Habu, 3
* Longest period between titles: Yoshiharu Habu, 6 years (1997-2002)
Players by Meijin class
Below is a list of professional players grouped by their class for the 81st Meijin league including their rank in
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 ...
. The current Meijin title holder is
Akira Watanabe.
Other professional players not listed here do not participate in the Meijin league and are known as ''Free Class'' (フリークラス ''furii kurasu'') players.
There were 32 such players .
See also
*
Meijin (Go)
Notes
References
External links
*JSA page
名人戦・順位戦* I-tsu-tsu Blog:
*
Let’s Learn More About The Meijin Title Match!*
Behind the Scenes on the Previous Day of the Meijin Title Match
{{Shogi title tournaments
Shogi tournaments