is a 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,

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� ...

, and Ōshō title holder.

Early life

Minami was born in

Kishiwada, Osaka is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,853 in 88598 households and a population density of 2600 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is well known for its Danjiri Matsu ...

on June 8, 1963. 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 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 Chi ...

in 1975 as a

protegee Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

of shogi professional . He obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in January 1981.

Shogi professional

Minami is a member of the so-called ''Shōwa 55'' group (55年組), a group of eight strong players that become professional in 1980–1981 (year 55 of the

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

) and won numerous shogi tournaments. Others in the group include

Osamu Nakamura is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He is a two-time winner of the Ōshō title, and the current president of the . Early life Osamu Nakamura was born in Machida, Tokyo on November 7, 1962. In 1976, he won the , and that same ...

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 ...

Akira Shima is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He was the first Ryūō title holder and is also a former managing director of the Japan Shogi Association. Shogi professional Shima is a member of the so-called ''Shōwa 55'' group (55� ...

Yasuaki Tsukada is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is a former Ōza title holder and the inventor of the influential Tsukada Special strategy, which he used to win numerous games in the 1980s, is named after him. Early life Tsukada was b ...

, Hiroshi Kamiya,

Masaki Izumi is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8- dan. Early life Izumi was born on January 11, 1961, in Nerima, Tokyo. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school under the guidance of shogi professional at the rank of 6-ky� ...

, and . In January 2018, Minami became the 20th shogi professional to win 800 official games and be awarded Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award by the JSA.

Playing style

Minami is known for his steady style of starting games slowly as for his quiet manner and strict

seiza ): "proper/correct sitting", seiza ( ja, , link=no): "quiet sitting" , Jing zuo '' Seiza '' ( or , literally "proper sitting") is the formal, traditional way of sitting in Japan. Form To sit ''seiza''-style, one must first be kneeling on the ...

posture during games. For these reasons, his style is often referred to as the after the Jizō statues common to

Japanese Buddhism Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had ...

Promotion history

The promotion history for Minami is as follows: * 5-

: 1977 * 1-dan: 1978 * 4-dan: January 19, 1981 * 5-dan: April 1, 1982 * 6-dan: April 1, 1983 * 7-dan: April 1, 1985 * 8-dan: April 1, 1986 * 9-dan: February 22, 1989

Titles and other championships

Minami has appeared in major title matches a total of sixteen times, and has won seven major titles. In addition to major titles, Minami has won six non-title championships during his career.

Major titles

Other championships

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

Awards and honors

Minami has received a number of awards and honors throughout his career for his accomplishments both on an off the shogi board. These include awards given out annually by the JSA for performance in official games as well as other JSA awards for career accomplishments, and awards received from governmental organizations, etc. for contributions made to Japanese society.

Annual shogi awards

*10th Annual Awards (April 1982March 1983): Best New Player, Best Winning Percentage, Most Consecutive Games Won *13th Annual Awards (April 1985March 1986): Most Consecutive Games Won *15th Annual Awards (April 1987March 1988): Distinguished Service Award *16th Annual Awards (April 1988March 1989): Fighting-spirit Award *17th Annual Awards (April 1989March 1990): Technique Award

Other awards

*1988, November: Kishiwada City Meritorious Citizen Award *2003: Shogi Honor Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional) *2005: 25 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years) *2018: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (Awarded by JSA in recognition of winning 800 official games as a professional)

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Minami, Yoshikazu
1963 births Japanese shogi players Living people Professional shogi players from Osaka Prefecture Kisei (shogi) Kiō Ōshō People from Kishiwada, Osaka Professional shogi players {{Shogi-stub