Early February 2026 has been unusually dense for Japanese shogi news. The official Japan Shogi Association feeds show major title match swings, a historic career milestone announcement, new event recruitment notices, and community facing updates that matter for both dedicated followers and casual fans.
Title match headlines dominated the week
The biggest competitive stories in the official news list were from the two top title fronts. In the Osho match, Takuya Nagase’s Game 4 win over Sota Fujii reset the tension in the series. In the Kioh match, Yasuhiro Masuda’s Game 1 win and the run up to Game 2 set up a high pressure early phase in a five game format. Together, these results reinforced that even in the Fujii era, challenger adaptation remains decisive. (more…)
Shogi in 2005 featured a successful defense of the Meijin by Toshiyuki Moriuchi, another Ryuo defense by Akira Watanabe, and an especially busy year for Yoshiharu Habu, who held or won several major titles. This article summarizes the headline results and a few notable storylines from the year.
Note on seasons: Professional shogi title matches often span two calendar years. For consistency, I cite each title by its numbered term (for example, “the 18th Ryuo”) and the official season label used by Japanese sources.
1. Major title matches (headline results)
Title
Term
Champion (result)
Challenger
Score
Ryuo
18th
Akira Watanabe (defended)
Kazuki Kimura
4-0
Meijin
63rd
Toshiyuki Moriuchi (defended)
Yoshiharu Habu
4-3
Oi
46th
Yoshiharu Habu (defended)
Yasumitsu Sato
4-3
Oza
53rd
Yoshiharu Habu (defended)
Yasumitsu Sato
3-0
Kio
30th
Yoshiharu Habu (won title)
Koji Tanigawa
3-0
Osho
55th
Yoshiharu Habu (defended)
Yasumitsu Sato
4-3
Kisei
76th
Yasumitsu Sato (defended)
Yoshiharu Habu
3-2
2. A few 2005 storylines
Watanabe’s Ryuo defense and promotion
In the 18th Ryuo match, Akira Watanabe defeated Kazuki Kimura by four straight wins to defend the title. Japanese sources also note that this defense triggered Watanabe’s promotion to 9-dan.
Moriuchi holds the Meijin in a full seven-game match
The 63rd Meijin match went the distance. Toshiyuki Moriuchi defeated Yoshiharu Habu 4-3 to defend the Meijin title, underscoring just how narrow the margin at the very top can be even between long-time rivals.
Habu and Sato repeatedly collide in summer and autumn
Yoshiharu Habu defended both the 46th Oi and the 53rd Oza against Yasumitsu Sato, by 4-3 and 3-0 respectively. Earlier in the year, Sato defended the 76th Kisei against Habu 3-2. Their repeated high-stakes matches are one of the clearest through-lines of the 2005 season.
Sources (Japanese)
Wikipedia (JA): 第18期竜王戦 (oldid 99511030) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC18%E6%9C%9F%E7%AB%9C%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=99511030
Wikipedia (JA): 第63期名人戦 (将棋) (oldid 98430896) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC63%E6%9C%9F%E5%90%8D%E4%BA%BA%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)&oldid=98430896
Wikipedia (JA): 第46期王位戦 (oldid 98237095) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC46%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6&oldid=98237095
Wikipedia (JA): 第53期王座戦 (将棋) (oldid 98237441) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC53%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%BA%A7%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)&oldid=98237441
Wikipedia (JA): 第30期棋王戦 (oldid 98236281) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC30%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=98236281
Wikipedia (JA): 第55期王将戦 (oldid 103417159) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC55%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%B0%86%E6%88%A6&oldid=103417159
Wikipedia (JA): 第76期棋聖戦 (将棋) (oldid 98238318) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC76%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E8%81%96%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)&oldid=98238318
Akira Watanabe (渡辺明), who won his first Ryūō title in the 17th Ryūō-sen (2004). Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:Akira_Watanabe.jpg. Author: nakashi. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. (Image originally from Flickr; cropped version on Commons.)
Shogi in 2004 was a year of shifting generations. Toshiyuki Moriuchi took the Meijin title back from Yoshiharu Habu, but the headline story at year’s end was a new name at the very top: Akira Watanabe captured the Ryūō crown for the first time.
Below is a compact, source-backed tour of the year’s biggest title matches and several other notable results (including women’s titles). The dates in the Japanese sources are written in “2004年度” terms (roughly April 2004 to March 2005), but the main title series listed here were played across 2004.
1. Major title matches (2004)
62nd Meijin (第62期名人戦): Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之) defeated Meijin Yoshiharu Habu (羽生善治) 4-2 and became Meijin again (2nd time overall).
75th Kisei (第75期棋聖戦): Yasumitsu Satō (佐藤康光) defended the Kisei title against Moriuchi 3-0.
45th Ōi (第45期王位戦): Habu won the Ōi title, defeating Kōji Tanigawa (谷川浩司) 4-1.
52nd Ōza (第52期王座戦): Habu defended the Ōza title against Moriuchi 3-1 (continuing his long Ōza run).
17th Ryūō (第17期竜王戦): Akira Watanabe (渡辺明) defeated Ryūō Moriuchi 4-3 to win his first major title.
Even from just these results, the year’s narrative is clear: Moriuchi rose to the top with the Meijin, Habu remained a constant force (Ōi and Ōza), and Watanabe’s Ryūō breakthrough opened a new chapter.
Other notable tournament results
22nd Asahi Open Shogi Championship (第22回朝日オープン将棋選手権): Habu won the tournament (final held May 25, 2004) over Kōichi Fukaura (深浦康市).
12th Ginga-sen (第12期銀河戦): Habu won again, defeating Tanigawa in the final (September 25, 2004).
25th JT Shogi Japan Series (第25回JT将棋日本シリーズ): Yasumitsu Satō won (final November 28, 2004) over Toshiaki Kubo (久保利明).
35th Shinjin-Ō (第35期新人王戦): Takayuki Yamazaki (山崎隆之) won (final November 4, 2004) over Shinya Satō (佐藤紳哉).
12th Kurashiki Tōka (第12期倉敷藤花): Ichiyo Shimizu took the title from Nakai 2-1.
What to remember about 2004
Moriuchi’s spring resurgence: winning the Meijin match against Habu set the tone for the year’s title picture.
Habu’s continuing dominance: even while losing Meijin, he still captured or defended major crowns and won big open events.
Watanabe’s arrival: the 17th Ryūō win (4-3) was a true turning point, introducing a new future long-term titleholder.
Sources (Japanese)
Wikipedia (Japanese): 「2004年度の将棋界」 (oldid=106888681) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E5%B9%B4%E5%BA%A6%E3%81%AE%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B%E7%95%8C?oldid=106888681
Wikipedia (Japanese): 「第17期竜王戦」 (oldid=99511025) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC17%E6%9C%9F%E7%AB%9C%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6?oldid=99511025
Wikipedia (Japanese): 「第45期王位戦」 (oldid=98237058) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC45%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6?oldid=98237058
Wikipedia (Japanese): 「第75期棋聖戦 (将棋)」 (oldid=98238305) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC75%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E8%81%96%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)?oldid=98238305
After a dramatic changing of the guard in 2000, the next season kept the title picture in motion. The 2001 season (April 2001 to March 2002, following Japanese convention) featured a Meijin match that went the distance again, a mid-year crown changing hands, and a late-year surge that left Yoshiharu Habu holding a familiar cluster of trophies. Meanwhile, annual awards highlighted both elite consistency and the kind of new ideas that keep opening theory alive.
Here is a compact tour of 2001, using Japanese records and summaries. (more…)
