Meijin
Encyclopedia
Meijin literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japan
ese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title
given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo
period.
Newspaper, and has prize money of ¥
36,000,000 for the winner and ¥
10,400,000 for the runner-up.
The Meijin tournament is open to Nihon Ki-in
and Kansai Ki-in
players. A nine-player league decides the challenger each year. Every year, the three worst-ranked players in the league drop out. Entrance into the league is decided by three preliminaries. The first is between 1-4 dans (6 winners: 4 Nihon ki-in and 2 Kansai ki-in). The second is between 5-9 dans and the six winners (18 winners). The third is between these 18 and the 3 people dropped from the league (3 winners, who enter the league). Komi
is 6.5. Time limit is 8 hours each in the title matches and 3 hours in the league and prelims. Byo-yomi is 1 minute per move.
, Sansa
. An onlooker (no less than Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga
) watched him play a particularly brilliant move and exclaimed "Meijin!" in appreciation of its greatness. The term Meijin was thereafter applied to the strongest player of the day. Sansa, besides being Nobunaga's go tutor, also taught Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, who, after taking control, established Sansa as Godokoro
, roughly meaning "Head of the Government Go Bureau." The Meijin title came to be greatly prized by all of the most promising Go prodigies
of the age, freed from the cares of everyday life by the government stipends coming from the Go Bureau. Most often held by members of the Honinbo school, it was also held by brilliant Yasui
s and Inoue
s. No player from Hayashi house attained Meijin status. The title "Meijin" is also attached to the rank of 9 dan during this period hence there is only one 9-dan/Meijin at a time even if there are many players that are at the strength of a 9 dan. 8-dans in the Edo period are called Jun-Meijin which means half-Meijin which is a rank accorded to sixteen players in the Edo period. After the Meiji Revolution, the four houses
fell into disrepair due to the lack of government stipends.
In 1958, the Yomiuri
newspaper
decided to sponsor a "Strongest Player" tournament to decide the strongest player of the current time. In 1961 the tournament's name was changed to Meijin.
Since they already sponsored the Shogi
Meijin tournament, in 1975 the Asahi
Newspaper offered to buy the rights to the Meijin tournament from the Yomiuri. After months of debating, the title was sold and the Yomiuri began sponsoring a new title, Kisei
(Go Saint).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
period.
The tournament
The Meijin tournament is sponsored by the AsahiAsahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
Newspaper, and has prize money of ¥
¥
¥ is a currency sign used by the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan currencies. The symbol resembles a Latin letter Y with a double stroke. The base unit of both currencies shared the same Chinese character pronounced yuán in Mandarin Chinese and en in Standard Japanese...
36,000,000 for the winner and ¥
¥
¥ is a currency sign used by the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan currencies. The symbol resembles a Latin letter Y with a double stroke. The base unit of both currencies shared the same Chinese character pronounced yuán in Mandarin Chinese and en in Standard Japanese...
10,400,000 for the runner-up.
The Meijin tournament is open to Nihon Ki-in
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 association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...
and Kansai Ki-in
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...
players. A nine-player league decides the challenger each year. Every year, the three worst-ranked players in the league drop out. Entrance into the league is decided by three preliminaries. The first is between 1-4 dans (6 winners: 4 Nihon ki-in and 2 Kansai ki-in). The second is between 5-9 dans and the six winners (18 winners). The third is between these 18 and the 3 people dropped from the league (3 winners, who enter the league). Komi
Komidashi
in the game of Go are points added to the score of the player with the white stones as compensation for playing second. Black's first move advantage is generally considered to equal somewhere between 5 and 7 points by the end of the game. Standard komi is 6.5 points under the Japanese and Korean...
is 6.5. Time limit is 8 hours each in the title matches and 3 hours in the league and prelims. Byo-yomi is 1 minute per move.
History
The title of "Meijin" derives from a game played by the first HoninboHoninbo
Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....
, Sansa
Honinbo Sansa
Honinbō Sansa was the assumed name of Kanō Yosaburō , one of the strongest Japanese Go players of the Edo period , and founder of the house of Honinbō, first among the four great schools of Go in Japan...
. An onlooker (no less than Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
) watched him play a particularly brilliant move and exclaimed "Meijin!" in appreciation of its greatness. The term Meijin was thereafter applied to the strongest player of the day. Sansa, besides being Nobunaga's go tutor, also taught Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
, who, after taking control, established Sansa as Godokoro
Godokoro
is a title that was given in Japan from the beginning of the Edo period until the Meiji Restoration. In that period it was the highest official standing that could be attained by a go player. Literally it is a metonym, meaning the 'go office'....
, roughly meaning "Head of the Government Go Bureau." The Meijin title came to be greatly prized by all of the most promising Go prodigies
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
of the age, freed from the cares of everyday life by the government stipends coming from the Go Bureau. Most often held by members of the Honinbo school, it was also held by brilliant Yasui
Yasui
The Yasui house was one of the four Schools of Go which were officially recognized during the Edo period of Japanese history.Each of the four schools were founded by Tokugawa Ieyas in 1612.The house had one Meijin, in Sanchi...
s and Inoue
Inoue
Inoue is the 17th most common Japanese surname. It can also be romanized as Inouye.- People :In politics or business:...
s. No player from Hayashi house attained Meijin status. The title "Meijin" is also attached to the rank of 9 dan during this period hence there is only one 9-dan/Meijin at a time even if there are many players that are at the strength of a 9 dan. 8-dans in the Edo period are called Jun-Meijin which means half-Meijin which is a rank accorded to sixteen players in the Edo period. After the Meiji Revolution, the four houses
Four go houses
In the history of go in Japan, the Four go houses were the four academies of Go instituted, supported, and controlled by the state, at the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate. At roughly the same time shogi was organised into three houses. Here 'house' implies institution run on the recognised...
fell into disrepair due to the lack of government stipends.
In 1958, the Yomiuri
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
decided to sponsor a "Strongest Player" tournament to decide the strongest player of the current time. In 1961 the tournament's name was changed to Meijin.
Since they already sponsored the Shogi
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...
Meijin tournament, in 1975 the Asahi
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
Newspaper offered to buy the rights to the Meijin tournament from the Yomiuri. After months of debating, the title was sold and the Yomiuri began sponsoring a new title, Kisei
Kisei
The Kisei is a Go competition. The title, meaning go sage in Japanese, was a traditional honorary appellation given to a handful of players down the centuries. The element ki can also apply to shogi, and there were also recognized kisei in the shogi world.-Background:Kisei is a Go competition...
(Go Saint).
Historic Meijins
| Number | Player | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Honinbo Sansa Honinbo Sansa Honinbō Sansa was the assumed name of Kanō Yosaburō , one of the strongest Japanese Go players of the Edo period , and founder of the house of Honinbō, first among the four great schools of Go in Japan... |
1612–1623 |
| 2nd | Inoue Nakamura Doseki | 1623–1630 |
| 3rd | Yasui Sanchi Yasui Sanchi Yasui Sanchi was a Japanese professional go player, and second head of the Yasui house.He became Meijin-godokoro in 1668. It has always been said that this promotion was achieved by a backstairs route, with influence exerted by the head of the Matsudaira clan... |
1668–1676 |
| 4th | Honinbo Dosaku Honinbo Dosaku Hon'inbō Dōsaku was a professional go player.- Biography :Dōsaku was one of the greatest go players in history. He was born in the Iwami province of Japan and studied Go in the Hon'inbō school, becoming Meijin at a very young age.... |
1677–1702 |
| 5th | Inoue Dosetsu Inseki | 1708–1719 |
| 6th | Honinbo Dochi Honinbo Dochi Hon'inbō Dōchi was a professional Go player.- Biography :Dōchi learned to play Go at the age of 7. A short two years thereafter, he had become a disciple of Hon'inbō Dōsaku, the strongest player of his time. He became very strong under Dosaku, eventually reaching 6 dan. After Dosaku died in 1702,... |
1721–1727 |
| 7th | Honinbo Satsugen Honinbo Satsugen Hon'inbō Satsugen was a professional Go player.- Biography :Satsugen became Meijin by defeating Inoue Shunseki in 1767.... |
1767–1788 |
| 8th | Honinbo Jowa Honinbo Jowa Honinbo Jowa served as 12th Honinbo from 1827 and Meijin Godokoro from 1831 until 1839, when he was forced into retirement.... |
1831–1839 |
| 9th | Honinbo Shuei Honinbo Shuei Honinbo Shuei was a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Honinbo Shuei, a younger son of the very strong Honinbo Shuwa, served as the 17th and again 19th head of the Honinbo house... |
1906–1907 |
| 10th | Honinbo Shusai Honinbo Shusai is the professional name of Hoju Tamura, also known as , who was a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :He was born in Shiba, Tokyo, son of Tamura Yasunaga, a retainer of the shogun. He learned go at age 10 and joined the Hoensha in 1883, then under the leadership of Murase Shuho. He was... |
1914–1940 |
Past winners
| 1962 | Fujisawa Shuko | Go Seigen Go Seigen Wu Qingyuan , generally known in the West by his Japanese name Go Seigen, is considered by many players to be the greatest player of the game of Go in the 20th century and of all time.-Biography:... |
Details |
| 1963 | Sakata Eio | Fujisawa Shuko | Details |
| 1964 | Sakata Eio | Fujisawa Shuko | Details |
| 1965 | Rin Kaiho Rin Kaiho Rin Kaiho is a professional Go player.-Biography:Rin Kaiho was born in Shanghai, China. He was a student of Go Seigen when Go brought him to Japan in 1952. He was a promising player who won his first title at the age of 23, the Meijin. He is also part of the 1200 win group... |
Sakata Eio | Details |
| 1966 | Rin Kaiho | Sakata Eio | Details |
| 1967 | Rin Kaiho | Sakata Eio | Details |
| 1968 | Takagawa Kaku | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1969 | Rin Kaiho | Takagawa Kaku | Details |
| 1970 | Fujisawa Shuko | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1971 | Rin Kaiho | Fujisawa Shuko | Details |
| 1972 | Rin Kaiho | Fujisawa Shuko | Details |
| 1973 | Rin Kaiho | Ishida Yoshio | Details |
| 1974 | Ishida Yoshio | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1975 | Otake Hideo | Ishida Yoshio | Details |
| 1976 | Otake Hideo | Ishida Yoshio | Details |
| 1977 | Rin Kaiho | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1978 | Otake Hideo | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1979 | Otake Hideo | Sakata Eio | Details |
| 1980 | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1981 | Cho Chikun | Kato Masao | Details |
| 1982 | Cho Chikun | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1983 | Cho Chikun | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1984 | Cho Chikun | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1985 | Koichi Kobayashi Koichi Kobayashi is a Go player.- Biography :Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. He was one of the more famous disciples of the legendary Minoru Kitani; he studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He would go on and marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani , a... |
Cho Chikun | Details |
| 1986 | Kato Masao | Kobayashi Koichi | Details |
| 1987 | Kato Masao | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1988 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kato Masao | Details |
| 1989 | Kobayashi Koichi | Awaji Shuzo | Details |
| 1990 | Kobayashi Koichi | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1991 | Kobayashi Koichi | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1992 | Kobayashi Koichi | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1993 | Kobayashi Koichi | Otake Hideo | Details |
| 1994 | Kobayashi Koichi | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 1995 | Takemiya Masaki | Koichi Kobayashi | Details |
| 1996 | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
Takemiya Masaki | Details |
| 1997 | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
Kobayashi Koichi | Details |
| 1998 | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
O Rissei | Details |
| 1999 | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
Yoda Norimoto | Details |
| 2000 | Yoda Norimoto | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
Details |
| 2001 | Yoda Norimoto | Rin Kaiho | Details |
| 2002 | Yoda Norimoto | Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row... |
Details |
| 2003 | Yoda Norimoto | Yamashita Keigo | Details |
| 2004 | Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles... |
Yoda Norimoto | Details |
| 2005 | Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles... |
Kobayashi Satoru | Details |
| 2006 | Takao Shinji | Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles... |
Details |
| 2007 | Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles... |
Takao Shinji | Details |
| 2008 | Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles... |
Iyama Yuta | Details |
| 2009 | Iyama Yuta | Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles... |
Details |
| 2010 | Iyama Yuta | Takao Shinji | Details |
| 2011 | Yamashita Keigo | Iyama Yuta | Details |
See also
- International Go FederationInternational Go FederationThe International Go Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Go federations around the world. It is usually referred to as IGF.-Role of the IGF:...
- List of professional Go tournaments
- Honorary Meijin
- Yasunari KawabataYasunari Kawabatawas a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award...
, author of The Master of GoThe Master of GoThe Master of Go is a novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata, first published in serial form in 1951. Titled Meijin in its original Japanese, Kawabata considered it his finest work, although it is in contrast with his other works.-Plot introduction:It is a... - Classical Budo(1973), by Donn F. Draeger(ref.to MEIJIN on pgs.27-30)
- MEIJIN (2010,fiction), by John DiStano (ISBN 978-1-4392-2545-5)