日本将棋連盟
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The , or JSA, is the primary organizing body for
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a Strategy game, 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 chess, Western chess, chaturanga, xiangqi, Indian chess, and janggi. ...
in Japan. The JSA sets the professional calendar, negotiates sponsorship and media promotion deals, helps organize tournaments and title matches, publishes shogi-related materials, supervises and trains apprentice professionals as well as many other activities.


History

For much of its early history, shogi followed an iemoto system centered around three families (schools): the , the and the . The
Meijin is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi player, professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ( "excellent, artful", "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field (the ...
title was hereditary and could only be held by members of these three families. These three schools were supported by the
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
and thus controlled the professional shogi world up until 1868 when the
Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
began. By the time , the eighth and last head of the Itō school and the 11th Hereditary Meijin, had died in 1893, the influence of the families had decreased to such an extent that they had no real power at all. In 1921, there were three groups of professional players in the Tokyo area: the 東京将棊倶楽部 led by (the thirteen
Lifetime Meijin is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi player, professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ( "excellent, artful", "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field (the ...
), the 東京将棊同盟社 led by
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 contempor ...
, and the 東京将棊研究會 led by Kumao Ōsaki. Additionally, western Japan had its own separate organizations. On September 8, 1924, the Tokyo players united together to found the , the earliest form of the JSA, with Doi as president and Sekine as honorary president. The Tokyo Shogi Federation changed its name to ''Nihon Shōgi Renmei'' (日本将棋連盟) in 1927 with Sekine as president. In 1932, the president changed back to Doi with Sekine again as honorary president. replaced Doi as president in 1934. However, the shogi world was split again in 1935 when a western guild of players called with Chōtarō Hanada as its president separated from the eastern ''Nihon Shōgi Renmei'' due to a controversy over the 8-dan promotion of
Tatsunosuke Kanda was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 8- dan (the highest dan at the time) and also 9-dan, which was an honorary rank, after death. Kanda's son, Shizuo Kanda (神田鎮雄), also became a professional player. Early ...
. In 1936, the two sections along with a western third sect (Tatsunosuke Kanda's 十一日会 group) merged to form the with Sekine as its president. With this merger, it became possible to hold the first Real Strength (nonhereditary) Meijin tournament. Yoshio Kimura, who became the first nonhereditary Meijin in 1937, replaced Sekine as president in 1938. In 1947, it officially changed its name back to ''Nihon Shōgi Renmei'' with Kimura still as president. In 1949, it became a legal entity (社団法人 ''shadan hōjin'' 'corporate person') for the first time. The JSA celebrated its 81st anniversary in November 2005, which was significant because a shogi board consists of 81 squares. In 2025, the association elected
Ichiyo Shimizu is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 7- dan. In May 2017, Shimizu became the first woman to be elected as an executive director to the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors. In June 2025, she became the first woman to b ...
as its first woman president.


Organization


Purpose

On its official website, the JSA states that its aims are "to contribute to the development of Japanese traditional culture, to help increase shogi's popularity and development as an art form, to contribute to spread an increased understanding of Japanese culture and traditions and to establish friendly exchanges with people of other countries through shogi".


Activities

Both the JSA's official homepage and by-laws list the official activities of the association as follows: * Negotiate contracts with all domestic media (newspapers, magazines, TV, etc.) organizations regarding the provision of game scores for matches or tournaments sponsored by the association. This includes providing comments and analysis as needed. * Issue a monthly magazine as well as publish game scores as necessary. * Organize tournaments, meetings, or seminars as needed as well as establish branch offices or shogi "classrooms" wherever and whenever deemed appropriate. * Foster the spread and instruction of shogi domestically through the training of certified teaching professionals. * Increase the popularity of shogi internationally by holding and sponsoring international matches and supporting international tournaments. * Foster the development of "Shogi-dō" or "The Art of Shogi" through the establishment of shogi clubs or through the lease of facilities to the general public for seminars and training, etc. * Dispatch shogi professionals, etc. to various locations both domestically and internationally to increase shogi's popularity and to offer guidance and instruction. * Enter into arrangements with various cultural organizations and promote cultural activities. * Perform any activities other than those listed above which are deemed essential to achieving the association's objectives.


Status

The JSA officially registered as a under Japanese law on April 1, 2011. Prior to that, the JSA had been officially registered as since July 29, 1949.


Headquarters and other offices

The of the JSA is located in the
Sendagaya is an area within Shibuya ward, one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. Introduction Sendagaya is nestled in an urban green area in Shibuya ward between Shinjuku ward and Shinjuku Gyo-en (Shinjuku Imperial Gardens) to the north (an area in Send ...
area of Tokyo's
Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
, while the main office for western Japan is the Kansai Shogi Kaikan located in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture and the main office for northern Japan is in
Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...
,
Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...
. In addition to the three main offices, there is also a promotion office located in the Sakae area of Naka Ward,
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
for the
Tōkai region The is a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region in Japan that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the Tōkaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes. Because Tōkai is a sub-region and is not officially classified, there is ...
. In June 2019, the JSA announced that it would be moving its headquarters from its current location to a
commercial property Commercial property, also called commercial real estate, investment property or income property, is real estate (buildings or land) intended to generate a Profit (economics), profit, either from capital gains or Renting, rental income. Commercial ...
close to Sendagaya Station. The current JSA headquarters was built in 1976, and forty years of aging needed to be addressed. A committee set up in June 2018 led by
Yoshiharu Habu is a professional shogi player and a chess FIDE Master. He is a former holder of the Ryūō, Meijin, Ōi, Ōza, Kiō, Ōshō and Kisei major titles. He was the first person to simultaneously hold seven major professional shogi titles ...
discussed options and presented them at the JSA's June 2019 General Meeting, where the members voted to move to a new location. JSA president Satō stated that he would continue negotiations either to purchase or lease a new location with the goal of completing the relocation sometime around the year 2024. On September 8, 2024, JSA president Habu presided over a unveiling ceremony for the media to celebrate the completion of the new headquarters as part of the JSA's celebration of its 100th anniversary. The grand opening of the new headquarters to the public was held on October 1, 2024, and included several events such as a memorial tournament. In February 2021, the JSA announced that it would also be moving its Kansai office from Osaka to neighboring Takatsuki on property owned by the Takatsuki City government. The move is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2023. The current office will be demolished and the land sold to help offset the cost of the move. There was a proposal to rebuild at the existing location, but the cost of a temporary location was deemed prohibitive. The new office will have improved playing conditions, a TV studio and other new features. It will provide a major upgrade over the current facilities and also allow the JSA to better take advantage of the increase in shogi's popularity due to the impact of professional shogi player
Sōta Fujii is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9- dan. He is the current holder of the Kiō, Kisei, Meijin, Ōi, Ōshō, Ōza and Ryūō titles, and a former holder of the Eiō title. He is the youngest person to be awarded professional st ...
.


General meetings and the board of directors

Ichiyo Shimizu is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 7- dan. In May 2017, Shimizu became the first woman to be elected as an executive director to the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors. In June 2025, she became the first woman to b ...
has been JSA president since June 6, 2025. Once a year (more often if needed), the JSA membership meets to discuss matters relevant to the association. Organizational matters, financial matters, disciplinary matters, etc. are all discussed and placed to a vote. Each regular member is given one vote. Every two years, the JSA's
board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
is chosen during the annual meeting. No less than eight, but no more than twenty members are selected to be
directors 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 ...
for a period of two years. The recently elected directors then choose one of their fellow directors to serve as
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
, one to serve as senior managing director, and no less than four to serve as executive directors. In addition, the general membership selects no more than three individuals to serve as the association's comptrollers. Directors, their relatives, persons having special relationships with directors, and JSA employees are not allowed to be comptrollers. The JSA maintains a business office and hires staff to help manage the everyday affairs of the association as well as assist in other tasks deemed by the president to be important.


Past presidents

The following is a list of past presidents of the JSA. Note: Names marked with an asterisk (*) died while in office.


Players

Members of the Japan Shogi Association are of two types: professional players (棋士 ''kishi'') and women professional players (女流棋士 ''joryū kishi''). As of 2017, there are no women who have qualified for the professional player group, which consists only of males as a result. All professional players are members of the JSA. However, not all women professional players are members of the JSA. Other women professional players belong to a separate female shogi guild (日本女子プロ将棋協会 ''nihon joshi puro shōgi kyōkai '') or are free agents.


Other


Internet

The JSA maintains an online presence through its official website and
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account. The association also provides
mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...
which provides some free content such as shogi-related news updates, but offers live tournament reports, game scores and detailed analysis, etc. for a fee. In addition, the JSA also owns and operates ''Shogi Club 24'', an online shogi game site, and provides official support to the international shogi server 81Dojo. The JSA has an official
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel called "Shogi Association" where it provides instructional and event video clips hosted by JSA professionals and women's professionals as well as an official Twitter account for the channel.


Publications

The JSA has its own publishing division for shogi-related books, magazines, and other printed matter. Together with the Mynavi Publishing Corporation, the JSA published a weekly newspaper called ''Weekly Shogi'' () from January 1984 to March 2016, but ceased publication due to changes in the media environment. The JSA also publishes a monthly magazine called ''Shogi World'' (). The JSA and MyNabi also operate official Twitter accounts for both publications.


International activities

The JSA maintains an international presence and promotes shogi internationally through 40 official chapters in 28 countries worldwide. These chapters are local shogi clubs or national federations which are officially recognized and supported by the JSA. The JSA has also held an International Shogi Forum once every three years since 1999. The multi-day event includes individual and team tournaments involving representatives from overseas national shogi federations and Japan,
simultaneous exhibition A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition (commonly chess or Go) in which one player (typically of high rank, such as a grandmaster or dan-level player) plays multiple games at a time with a number of other pl ...
s by professionals and female professionals, displays of shogi equipment as well as various exchange events. The event has been held six times in Japan—Tokyo (1999, 2002, 2005), Tendō (2008), Shizuoka (2014) and
Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuk ...
(2017)—and once overseas, France (2011). Matches of the
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 (''Ryū ...
title tournament have occasionally been held overseas as well in Australia, China, England, France, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States.


See also

*
Nihon Ki-in The Nihon Ki-in (), also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go associat ...


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control Japan Shogi Association Shogi organizations Organizations based in Tokyo Professional associations based in Japan Public Interest Incorporated Associations (Japan) 1924 establishments in Japan Cultural organizations based in Japan