Yasuharu Ōyama (大山康晴 Ōyama Yasuharu, March 13, 1923 - July 26, 1992) was a professional

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. ...

player, 15th Lifetime Meijin and president of Japan Shogi Association (1976 - 1989). He studied shogi under . He won 80

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

(2nd on record), 44 other type tournaments (2nd on record) and 1433 games (2nd on record) in life, and was awarded five lifetime titles: Lifetime Meijin, Lifetime Jūdan, Lifetime Ōi, Lifetime Kisei and Lifetime Ōshō. Among his 80 titles, 18 were 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 (most prestigious title in shogi, 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 (''Ryū ...

). He has appeared in the Meijin title match 25 times winning 18; he also holds the record for the most consecutive Meijin titles (13 in a row from 1959 to 1971), the most overall Meijin titles, and being the oldest player to challenge for the Meijin title, at age 63 in 1986. Ōyama played as professional from 1940 until his death in 1992. His students include

Michio Ariyoshi was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9- dan. He authored a Tsume shogi book titled "Tsume shogi 121 sen(詰将棋121選)". Shogi professional Promotion history The promotion history for Ariyoshi is as follows: *19 ...

, Isao Nakata and

Hisashi Namekata is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9- dan. Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship Namekata was born in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture on December 30, 1973. As a sixth-grade elementary school student, he finished third in the 10th ...

. He was awarded as honorary citizen of

Kurashiki, Okayama is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 478,651 and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kurashiki is located in the south-central part of Okay ...

, his birthplace and then Hyakkoku, Aomori (now merged to

Oirase, Aomori is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 25,225 in 10789 households, and a population density of 350 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Oirase is located on the eastern coa ...

). Ōyama had a strong interest in other kinds of boardgames, including go,

mahjong Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

chu shogi Chu shogi ( or Middle Shogi) is a strategy board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi (sometimes called Japanese chess) in its rules and gameplay. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi ...

and

xiangqi Xiangqi (; ), commonly known as Chinese chess or elephant chess, is a Strategy game, strategy board game for two players. It is the most popular board game in China. Xiangqi is in the same family of games as shogi, janggi, chess, Western ches ...

. He founded the Japan Xiangqi Association in 1973 and served as its president.

Honours

* Medal with Purple Ribbon (1979) *

Kikuchi Kan Prize The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine '' Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. Histo ...

(1987) *

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honour which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

(1990) * Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class, Gold and Silver Star (1992) * Senior Fourth Rank (1992)

Gallery

File:Oyama Meijin Memorial Hall.jpg, Ōyama Meijin Memorial Hall in Kurashiki File:Oyama Masuda Kimi 1935 Scan10002.jpg, Ōyama in 1935 File:Osaka Shogi player in 1939 Scan10001.jpg, Ōyama in 1939 File:Oyama vs Tsukada 1948.JPG, Ōyama vs Tsukada 1948 File:Oyama Yasuharu 1948.JPG, Ōyama 1948 File:Oyama Yasuharu in 1952.JPG, Ōyama in 1952 File:Prince Chichibu in Shogi Contest 1952 Scan10009.JPG, Ōyama (left) playing against Yoshio Kimura in 1952 with

Prince Chichibu was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of seve ...

present File:The board when Oyama defeated Kimura.JPG, shogi position when Ōyama defeated Kimura in 1952 for the Meijin title File:Oyama Yasuharu and Takashima Kazukiyo.JPG, Ōyama & Takashima Kazukiyo in 1955

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oyama, Yasuharu 1923 births 1992 deaths Japanese shogi players Professional shogi players from Okayama Prefecture Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Persons of Cultural Merit Meijin (shogi) Tenth Dan Kisei (shogi) Ōi (shogi) Ōshō Lifetime titles People from Kurashiki Ninth Dan Presidents of the Japan Shogi Association NHK Cup (shogi)