[Obituary] Shogi player Hifumi Kato passes away at age 86 due to pneumonia



Hifumi Kato , a former Meijin-ranked professional shogi player and a popular variety show host, has passed away from pneumonia at the age of 86.

Hifumi Kato | Watanabe Entertainment

https://www.watanabepro.co.jp/mypage/60000022/



Kato was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1940. He began playing shogi in kindergarten and joined the Shogi Encouragement League in 1951. In August 1954, at the age of 14 years and 7 months, he was promoted to fourth dan, becoming the youngest and first junior high school student to turn professional.

In the ranking tournament that he took part in immediately after turning professional, he advanced from C2 to C1, B2 and B1 in one round, and was promoted to A, earning him the reputation of being 'the greatest genius since Emperor Jimmu.'

In the 1960 A-class ranking tournament, he came in first with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses, earning him the right to challenge Meijin Yasuharu Oyama. He won the first game, but suffered three straight losses from the second game onwards. In the fifth game, he was defeated despite being forced into a rematch due to a draw, and was unable to win the title.

Oyama continued to pose a major obstacle to Kato, losing three times in the Osho match and once in the Oi match. In 1968, he finally defeated Oyama in the 7th Judan match, winning his first title. The following year, in 1969, Oyama appeared as a challenger to Kato, and took his title.

He then won the Kiō title in 1976, and in 1977 successfully defended it against Nakahara Makoto, who held five titles: Meijin, Judan, Oza, Ōsho, and Kisei.In 1978, he won the Ōsho title, making Kato a two-time holder.

After going without a title again, he regained the Judan title in 1980. Then in 1982, he fought a fierce battle with Meijin Nakahara, resulting in one draw and two draws, before winning the Meijin title. He lost the title to 8th-dan Tanigawa Koji in 1983.

His last title was Kisei in 1984, and he has not had a title since losing it in 1985. However, he was a talented player who maintained an A-class ranking in the ranking tournament from 1983 to 1988 and from 1993 to 2001, and played for over 60 years until he retired in 2016 after suffering his third demotion in C2.

In addition to Kato, other famous junior high school students who made their debut as professional shogi players include 17th Meijin Tanigawa Koji, 9th Dan Habu Yoshiharu (holding seven permanent titles and 19th Meijin qualifications), 9th Dan Watanabe Akira (holding permanent Ryuo and Kiō qualifications), and 6-crown title holder Fujii Sōta (holding permanent Ryuo, Eternal Oza and Eternal Kisei qualifications at the time of publication). He and 6-crown title holder Fujii were both active players at the time of their debut, with a 62-year age difference between them.

[The Beginning of the Legend] Opponent: Hifumi Kato, debut match of Souta Fujii, the youngest professional shogi player in history (December 24, 2016) #Shogi #SoutaFujii - YouTube


His favorite strategy was the 'Bogin' style, in which the silver general was pushed forward, and he became so inseparable from Kato that it is said that 'When you think of Bogin, you think of Kato Hifumi' and 'When you think of Kato Hifumi, you think of Bogin.'

Amazon.co.jp: Invincible Silver Spear: Kato Style Passionate Dojo: Kato Hifumi: Books



He is also known as the 'God of One-Minute Shogi' because he excels in games with limited time limits, but there is a famous story that Kato himself is a devout Christian and preferred to be called the 'Master of One-Minute Shogi' rather than 'God.' There are many other legends about him, but there are so many that we recommend checking out the links below.

Who is Kato Hifumi? (Who is Kato Hifumi?) [Word Article] - Niconico Encyclopedia
https://dic.nicovideo.jp/a/%E5%8A%A0%E8%97%A4%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%8C%E4%B8%89

Hifumi Kato - Aniwota Wiki (provisional) [Updated 1/22] - atwiki (Atwiki)
https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/892.html

In 2024, the serialization of shogi puzzles that began in the monthly magazine 'Ie no Hikari' in 1959 will reach 65 years and 62 days, and will be recognized by the Guinness World Records as 'the longest career as a board game puzzle creator in the same magazine.'

'Hifumin' Shogi player Hifumi Kato (84) achieves Guinness World Record in magazine serialization of checkmate shogi (November 21, 2024) - YouTube


Also, due to the depth of his stories, he appeared on talk variety shows such as ' Out x Deluxe ' and was active outside the world of shogi.

Upon hearing the news of his passing, 9th Dan Yuzuru Hanyu posted a message on X about his memories of Kato.




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in Note, Posted by logc_nt