The Nihon Ki-in (), also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go 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 n ...

, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is

Kansai Ki-in The Kansai Ki-in (), i.e., Kansai Go Association, is an organizational body for the game of Go in Japan, which was founded by Hashimoto Utaro in 1950. Though it is not as large as its chief rival, the Nihon Ki-in, it also issues diplomas to stron ...

. Its innovations include the Oteai system of promotion, time limits in professional games, and the introduction of issuing diplomas to strong amateur players, to affirm their ranks.

History

The Nihon Ki-in was established in July 1924. The first president of the Nihon Ki-in was

Makino Nobuaki Count was a Japanese politician and imperial court official. As Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan, Makino served as Emperor Hirohito’s chief counselor on the monarch’s position in Japanese society and policymaking. In this capacity, he ...

, a great Go patron himself, with Okura Kishichiro serving as vice president. The vast majority of pros at the time joined the fledgling organization, excepting the Inoue faction in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

and Nozawa Chikucho. A brief splinter group called Kiseisha was created soon after the Nihon Ki-in was formed, but most of the players involved had returned to the Nihon Ki-in within a couple of years. Then in 1950, its western branch split away to form the

Tournaments

The Nihon Ki-in organizes many tournaments for professional players. The major title tournaments include the Kisei,

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 ...

, Honinbo, Judan, Tengen, Gosei, and the Oza. There are also separate Honinbo, Meijin, and Kisei titles for women.

Major title winners by year

(*):

player

Organization

* Tokyo Headquarters (Ichigaya): 7-2 Goban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo * Tokyo Yurakucho Igo Center: 9F Tokyo Kotsu-Kaikan, 2-10-1 Yuraku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo * Osaka Headquarters: 10F Applause Tower, 19-19 Sayamachi, Osaka * Osaka Umeda Igo Salon: 6F Hankyu Five Annex Building, 1-23 Sumidacho, Kita-ku, Osaka * Chubu Headquarters: 1-19 Syumoku-cho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya * The Nihon Ki-in European Go Cultural Centre: Schokland14,1181 HV Amstelveen, Netherlands * Nihon Ki-in Do Brasil: R. Dr Fabricio Vampre No116, Ana Rosa - São Paulo - Brazil * Nihon Ki-in Go Institute of The West U.S.A.: 700 N.E., 45th Street, Seattle WA

References

External links