By Galo S Mirth
2015 was a hinge year for modern shogi. The traditional title system stayed fierce, with Yoshiharu Habu and Akira Watanabe at the center, while the computer shogi wave that had defined the early 2010s reached a turning point after Denousen FINAL. At the same time, a new event, the Eiou tournament, opened a fresh lane that would soon become a full title match.
1) The title race: Habu’s four crowns and Watanabe’s Ryuo return
In the 2015年度 title cycle, Habu defended Meijin, Kisei, Oi, and Oza, while Watanabe won the 28th Ryuo title match and then defended Kio in early 2016 (still part of the same season structure). The season captures a familiar but dramatic contrast: Habu’s broad title control and Watanabe’s specialized strength in the Ryuo-Kio axis.
Those outcomes mattered historically because they preserved an elite multi-title era while setting up the next wave of challengers, especially Amahiko Sato, who appeared in multiple major match scenes before his Meijin breakthrough the following season.
2) Women’s shogi: Satomi Kana and Kato Momoko held center stage
The same season’s women’s title table shows Satomi Kana and Kato Momoko continuing to anchor the top tier. Satomi reclaimed and defended major women’s crowns, while Kato remained a central figure in the Joou and Joryu Oza lines. Their repeated appearances in title matches were one of the clearest signs of stable star power in women’s shogi during the mid-2010s.
3) New competition structure: from Denousen FINAL to the first Eiou
2015 is also remembered for format change, not just winners. Denousen FINAL was treated as a major closing chapter for the team-style pro vs software era. In that same year, Dwango and the JSA announced and launched a new professional event, the first Eiou tournament. This became one of the key bridges from the Denousen period to the later eight-title era.
4) Other notable happenings in 2015 shogi culture
- Shogi Awards (43rd): The annual award framework continued to spotlight both performance metrics and narrative impact, reinforcing how one season can be measured by records, quality of games, and broader influence.
- Fan viewing culture: The post-Denousen environment kept online viewing and commentary culture strong, helping bring newer audiences into pro events.
- Generational pressure: Results in this season made it clear that a transition period was underway, with established champions still dominant but younger contenders closing the gap.
Why 2015 still matters
If you look back from today’s perspective, 2015 stands out as the year where classic title-line prestige and the new media-tech era clearly overlapped. It did not end one story and begin another overnight. Instead, it showed both stories running in parallel, and that overlap shaped everything that came next in modern shogi.
Sources (Japanese)
- Wikipedia日本語版「2015年度の将棋界」（oldid=102461468） https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2015%E5%B9%B4%E5%BA%A6%E3%81%AE%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B%E7%95%8C&oldid=102461468
- Wikipedia日本語版「叡王戦」（oldid=108195807） https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%8F%A1%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=108195807
- Wikipedia日本語版「将棋電王戦」（oldid=105728484） https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B%E9%9B%BB%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=105728484
- Wikipedia日本語版「将棋大賞」（oldid=105912716） https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B%E5%A4%A7%E8%B3%9E&oldid=105912716