is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 professional Go

Go (board game)

Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...

 player

Go players

This page gives an overview of well-known players of the game of Go throughout the ages. The page has been divided into sections based on the era in which the Go players played and the country in which they played. As this was not necessarily their country of birth, a flag of that country precedes...

.

Biography

Shinji Takao is one of Japan's best Go

Go (board game)

Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...

 players. He turned professional in 1991. He won the Honinbo

Honinbo

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....

 tournament in 2005 by a half point in the last game. 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...

, Naoki Hane

Naoki Hane

is a professional Japanese 9 dan Go player currently affiliated with the Nihon Ki-in. He is both the son, and student, of Yasumasa Hane, who is also a professional 9 dan of the Nihon Ki-in.- Titles and runners-up :-Promotion record:-Awards:...

, Keigo Yamashita

Keigo Yamashita

is a professional Go player. Yamashita adopted the name Honinbo Dowa after winning his first Honinbo title in 2010.-Biography:A student of Yasuro Kikuchi, Yamashita turned professional in 1993. He won the 19th Kisei 2 dan division in 1994. Yamashita reached the challenger finals of the Tengen in 1999...

 and Takao make up the group of players in Japan called the "Four Emperors

Four Emperors

Four Emperors may refer to:* The Roman Emperors Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian, who successively came to power in AD 68 and 69, the Year of the Four Emperors....

".

Rivalry with Keigo Yamashita

Takao's rivalry with Keigo began in August 1986 during a televised match. The match was the final of the All-Japan Elementary School Championship, where an 8 year-old Keigo defeated a 9 year-old Shinji to capture the title. Their rivalry would continue on, striking again in 1996 when Shinji got his revenge. Shinji beat Yamashita in the Shinjin-O semi-final, going on to defeat Nakamura Shinya in the final. In 1998, this time in the final of the Shinjin-O, Yamashita beat Takao 2-1 to capture the title. Their title matches would continue to go back and forth, with Takao getting the latest strike by beating Yamashita in the challenger's final for the Judan

Judan (Go)

The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...

 in 2003.

Titles and runners-up

Domestic
Title	Wins	Runners-up
Meijin Meijin Meijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...	1 (2006)	2 (2007, 2010)
Honinbo Honinbo Tournament The Honinbo is a Go competition.-Outline:It is the oldest Go title in Japan. Sponsored by Mainichi Shimbun, the Honinbo pays out ¥32 million . The holder is challenged by whoever wins the round robin league. Players can get into the round robin league by going through many preliminary tournaments...	3 (2005–2007)	2 (2008, 2009)
Judan Judan (Go) The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...	1 (2008)	2 (2003, 2009)
Agon Cup Agon Cup The Agon Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The Agon Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Kiin. It was started in 1994 by Agon Shu. The name was originally the "Acom Cup" but it changed its sponsor in 1999 and became the Agon Cup...		1 (1999)
Ryusei Ryusei -Biography:The Ryusei is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. It was started in 1991 and is a fast go tournament. The tournament consists of four sections. The winner from each section, along with the player who won the most games in each section play in a single knockout tournament....	2 (2000, 2004)
Shinjin-O Shinjin-O The Shinjin-O is a professional Go competition.An annual Japanese tournament, it has been held continuously since 1976.- Format :...	1 (1996)	2 (1998, 2002)
NEC Cup NEC Cup The NEC Cup is a Go competition, supported by NEC Corporation.-Biography:The NEC Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. Unlike the big three titles in Japan, the NEC Cup is a single knockout tournament where players have less time to think. The field of challengers is 16...		2 (2003, 2007)
NEC Shun-Ei NEC Shun-Ei The NEC Shun-Ei was a Nihon-Kiin Go competition.-Outline:The NEC Shun-Ei was made for young stars and was sponsored by the NEC Corporation. The winner's purse was 3,000,000 Yen -Winners:...	2 (2000, 2002)
Shin-Ei Shin-Ei -Outline:The Shin-Ei was a Go competition held where players under the age of 30 and 7 dan would compete in.-Past winners:...		1 (2000)
Total	10	12

External links

• GoGameWorld Player Info for Takao Shinji