is a Japanese

professional shogi player A professional shogi player (将棋棋士 ''shōgi kishi'' or プロ棋士 ''puro kishi'' "professional player") is a shogi player who is usually a member of a professional guild of shogi players. There are two categories of professional playe ...

ranked 8- dan.

Early life, amateur shogi and apprentice professional

Eisaku Tomioka was born in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

on May 19, 1964. He learned how to play shogi as a kindergartener from his father, and was the best player in his class as a fifth-grade elementary school student. Looking for stronger competition, he decided to apply for 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. Tomioka entered the apprentice school at the rank of 6-

kyū is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in Japanese tea ceremony, tea ceremony, ikebana, flower arranging, Go (game), Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, leve ...

under the guidance of shogi professional

Nobuyuki Ōuchi was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9- dan. He won the first Kiō title in 1976, and also served as senior managing director of the Japan Shogi Association from 1993 to 1999. He was awarded the Japanese government' ...

in November 1978, was promoted to 1-dan in 1981, and finally obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in December 1984.

Shogi professional

Tomioka finished the 81st Meijin Ranking League season with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses in Class C2. Since his result earned him a second relegation point, he decided to become " Free class" player instead of risking the automatic relegation that happens when a player receives three relegation points in Class C2. Tomioka became the 61st shogi professional to reach 600 career wins on November 2, 2023.

Promotion history

The promotion history of Tomioka is as follows: * 6-

: 1978 * 1-dan: 1981 * 4-dan: December 18, 1984 * 5-dan: April 1, 1986 * 6-dan: April 1, 1988 * 7-dan: April 1, 1992 * 8-dan: December 20, 2002

Awards and honors

Tomioka received the

Annual Shogi Awards The Annual Shogi Awards (将棋大賞 ''shōgi taishō'') are a number of prizes awarded yearly by the Japan Shogi Association to professional and amateur shogi players who have achieved particular success. The first Annual Shogi Awards were pre ...

for "Best New Player" and "Best Winning Percentage" in 1985. He also received the Kōzō Masuda Award in 2016 for his development of the Tomioka Bishop Exchange, Reclining Silver. In 2009, he received the JSA's "25 Years Service Award" in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years.

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Tomioka, Eisaku
1964 births Japanese shogi players Japan Shogi Association players Free class shogi players Living people People from Yokohama Shogi players from Kanagawa Prefecture Recipients of the Kōzō Masuda Award {{Shogi-stub