Japanese Chess – Shogi – 将棋
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  • Shogi 2004 in Review

    By Galo S Mirth

    Akira Watanabe (渡辺明), professional shogi player
    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).

    Women’s shogi highlights (selected)

    • 26th Women’s Ōshō (第26期女流王将): Hiroe Nakai (中井広恵) defended 3-1 against Yukio Ishibashi (石橋幸緒).
    • 15th Women’s Ōi (第15期女流王位): Ichiyo Shimizu (清水市代) defended 3-0 against Rieko Yanai (矢内理絵子).
    • 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

  • Shogi 2003 in Review

    By Galo S Mirth

    The 2003 shogi season (April 2003 to March 2004, following Japanese convention) felt like a swing year. Yoshiharu Habu reclaimed the Meijin, but the year ended with a completely different headline: Toshiyuki Moriuchi swept Habu to take the Ryuo and later wrested the Osho as well. Meanwhile, Koji Tanigawa continued to prove he could still win big matches at the very top, and a teenage challenger, Akira Watanabe, pushed Habu in the Oza.

    Below is a compact tour of the year, using Japanese records and summaries.

    1) Meijin changes hands: Habu takes the 61st Meijin

    In the 61st Meijin (第61期名人戦), challenger Yoshiharu Habu (羽生善治) defeated defending Meijin Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之). The match score is recorded as a clean win for Habu, with one game becoming a sennichite (千日手).

    2) Kisei stays with Sato: a 3-0 defense

    The 74th Kisei (第74期棋聖戦) was short and sharp. Yasumitsu Sato (佐藤康光) defended his title against Tadahisa Maruyama (丸山忠久) by 3-0. In a five game match, a sweep is both rare and loud.

    3) Tanigawa holds the Oi: 4-1 over Habu

    In the 44th Oi (第44期王位戦), Koji Tanigawa (谷川浩司) defended against Habu by 4-1. The scoreline matters: it was not a coin flip series, but a firm defense.

    4) The Oza match that introduced a new name: Watanabe pushes Habu

    For the 51st Oza (第51期王座戦), Habu defended against 5-dan Akira Watanabe (渡辺明). Watanabe won two games and took the match to a fifth, but Habu held on 3-2. For many fans, this series is an early marker of the generation that would soon reshape top level shogi.

    5) The year’s biggest jolt: Moriuchi sweeps Habu for the Ryuo

    The 16th Ryuo (第16期竜王戦) ended in a shockingly decisive way. Challenger Toshiyuki Moriuchi beat Habu 4-0 to take his first Ryuo title. A four game sweep in a seven game match is the kind of result that changes the story of a whole season.

    Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之) at a 2018 JT Shogi event
    Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之) in 2018. Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:SHOGI Proffesional Toshiyuki Moriuchi.jpg. Author: Pooh456. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.

    6) Winter crown: Moriuchi takes Osho from Habu

    The momentum carried into winter. In the 53rd Osho (第53期王将戦), Moriuchi (as Ryuo) defeated Habu (as Osho) by 4-2 to claim the Osho. By the end of the season, Moriuchi had turned a spring loss in the Meijin into the year’s most memorable double strike.

    7) Kio switches again: Tanigawa takes it from Maruyama

    In the 29th Kio (第29期棋王戦), Tanigawa defeated defending champion Maruyama by 3-1. With the Oi already in hand, it reinforced the sense that Tanigawa remained a serious title match threat whenever he reached the big stage.

    Major title match winners for the 2003 season (April 2003 to March 2004)

    • Meijin: Yoshiharu Habu (羽生善治)
    • Ryuo: Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之)
    • Oi: Koji Tanigawa (谷川浩司)
    • Oza: Yoshiharu Habu (羽生善治)
    • Kisei: Yasumitsu Sato (佐藤康光)
    • Osho: Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之)
    • Kio: Koji Tanigawa (谷川浩司)

    Sources (Japanese)

    • Wikipedia (JA): 名人戦 (将棋) (oldid 108192561) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%90%8D%E4%BA%BA%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)?oldid=108192561
    • Wikipedia (JA): 第74期棋聖戦 (将棋) (oldid 98238288) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC74%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E8%81%96%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)?oldid=98238288
    • Wikipedia (JA): 第44期王位戦 (oldid 98237018) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC44%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6?oldid=98237018
    • Wikipedia (JA): 第51期王座戦 (将棋) (oldid 98237398) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC51%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%BA%A7%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)?oldid=98237398
    • Wikipedia (JA): 第16期竜王戦 (oldid 99511023) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC16%E6%9C%9F%E7%AB%9C%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6?oldid=99511023
    • Wikipedia (JA): 第53期王将戦 (oldid 103417480) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC53%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%B0%86%E6%88%A6?oldid=103417480
    • Wikipedia (JA): 第29期棋王戦 (oldid 98236065) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC29%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6?oldid=98236065
    • Wikimedia Commons: File:SHOGI Proffesional Toshiyuki Moriuchi.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SHOGI_Proffesional_Toshiyuki_Moriuchi.jpg