By Galo S Mirth
2019 was one of the most dramatic years in modern shogi. A new era name began in Japan, major titles changed hands, and several long running storylines reached turning points.
Looking back now, 2019 feels like a bridge year between the Habu era and the full rise of the next generation. At the center were players like Toyoshima Masayuki, Nagase Takuya, Watanabe Akira, and Kimura Kazuki.
1) Toyoshima became Meijin and then Ryuo-Meijin
In the 77th Meijin match, Toyoshima defeated Sato Amahiko 4-0 and took the Meijin title. Later in the same competitive cycle, he won the 32nd Ryuo title match 4-1 against Hirose Akihito. That made him one of the few players to hold both Ryuo and Meijin at the same time, a landmark achievement in elite shogi.
2) Kimura Kazuki won his first major title at age 46
The 60th Oi title match became one of the year’s most celebrated stories. Kimura Kazuki defeated Toyoshima 4-3 and captured his first major title. It was a breakthrough that many fans had hoped to see for years, and it immediately became one of the defining human stories of 2019.
3) Nagase Takuya captured Oza
In the 67th Oza title match, Nagase defeated Saito Shintaro 3-0 to take Oza. This result confirmed Nagase as one of the central title contenders of the new period and helped reshape the top tier going into 2020.
4) Watanabe Akira took Kisei and returned to a multi-title peak
In the 90th Kisei title match, Watanabe defeated Toyoshima 3-1. Japanese reporting at the time emphasized that this gave Watanabe his first Kisei title and brought him back to a three-crown level after years of intense title battles.
5) New viewing culture accelerated, including ABEMA tournaments
2019 also mattered for shogi media culture. ABEMA’s fast time control tournament format continued to draw newer and younger online audiences. The event style, short-form broadcast rhythm, and social media conversation helped push competitive shogi farther into digital-first fandom.
Why 2019 still matters
If 2018 showed turbulence, 2019 showed reorganization. Title concentration shifted, veteran narratives found emotional payoffs, and online tournament formats widened the audience. Those changes set the stage for the next phase of top-level shogi in the early 2020s.
Sources (Japanese)
- 日本将棋連盟「第77期名人戦・順位戦 七番勝負／A級」https://www.shogi.or.jp/match/junni/2018/77a/7game.html
- Wikipedia日本語「第77期順位戦」https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC77%E6%9C%9F%E9%A0%86%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)
- Wikipedia日本語「第32期竜王戦」https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC32%E6%9C%9F%E7%AB%9C%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6
- Wikipedia日本語「第60期王位戦」https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC60%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6
- Wikipedia日本語「第67期王座戦（将棋）」https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC67%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%BA%A7%E6%88%A6
- Wikipedia日本語「第90期棋聖戦（将棋）」https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC90%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E8%81%96%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)
- 日本将棋連盟「ABEMAトーナメント」https://www.shogi.or.jp/match/abematv/
- Wikipedia日本語「ABEMAトーナメント」https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABEMA%E3%83%88%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8A%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88