is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ( "excellent, artful", "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field (the various arts found in traditional Japanese culture, such as the Japanese tea ceremony, go, competitive karuta, rakugo, budō, etc.).There is also an unrelated Amateur Meijin title that is awarded each year to the winner of the Amateur Meijin Tournament.
History
The Meijin institution started in the 17th century (Edo period), and for around 300 years (1612–1937) was a hereditary title that was passed from the reigning Meijin upon his retirement or death to another selected from three families (the Ohashi Main family, the Ohashi Branch family, and the Ito family), as deemed to be worthy. This is known as the Lifetime Meijin system (). In 1935, however, the Japan Shogi Association, or JSA, announced that it was abolishing the existing system of succession in favor of something more short-term and reflective of actual playing strength, known as the Real Strength Meijin system (). In 1937, the reigning 13th Meijin , who had received his title under the old system and was 70 years old at the time, voluntarily gave up his title so that a new Meijin could be decided through actual tournament play. Later that year Yoshio Kimura, who was a student of Sekine, became the first Meijin to gain the title based upon actual performance by winning a tournament which included eight other top players. From 1937 to 1947, the challenger for the Meijin title was determined through tournaments involving a select number of players. Finally, in 1947, the JSA officially established the preliminary round of that it currently uses.
Qualifying
The Meijin title is only open to professional shogi players that are members of the Meijin tournament system. This means that unlike some other tournaments amateur players, women's professional players, and regular professionals outside of the Meijin tournament system are not allowed to compete in the tournament.For instance, the Ryūō title allows one top amateur player and one top women's professional to compete in the lowest bracket of the Ryūō tournament.
The Meijin ranking tournaments are divided into five classes (A, B1, B2, C1, C2) and players compete against others within their class in a round-robin tournament throughout the year. Players who perform well during their class tournament may be promoted to the next highest class while those who perform poorly may be relegated to the next lowest one, except in the case of Class C2 where players are relegated to "Free class" status. New professionals are placed at the bottom of Class C2, and the top three players of Class C2 are promoted to Class C1 for the next year. Similarly, the top two players of Classes C1, B2, B1 are promoted to the B2, B1, and A, respectively, for the next year. A new professional, therefore, needs at least five years experience (five successive promotions) after their debut before they can qualify to challenge for the title of Meijin.
Lifetime Meijin
The first thirteen were determined through succession. The Lifetime Meijin as a competitive title, , was established by the JSA in 1952. Players who capture the Meijin title five times (does not have to be consecutive) qualify to receive this title, but are only officially awarded it upon their retirement or death (with exceptions).
1st: 2nd: 3rd: 4th: 5th: 6th: 7th: 8th: 9th: 10th: 11th: 12th: 13th: (last name spelled: 關根 or 関根) 14th Lifetime Meijin: Yoshio Kimura (Qualified for title in 1946 at age 41. Awarded in 1952 upon retirement) 15th Lifetime Meijin: Yasuharu Ōyama (Qualified for title at age 33 in 1956. Awarded in 1976) 16th Lifetime Meijin: Makoto Nakahara (Qualified for title at age 29 in 1976. Awarded in 2007, prior to his retirement in 2009 ) 17th Lifetime Meijin: Kōji Tanigawa (Qualified for title at age 35 in 1997. Still active) 18th Lifetime Meijin: Toshiyuki Moriuchi (Qualified for title in 2007 at age 36. Still active) 19th Lifetime Meijin: Yoshiharu Habu (Qualified for title in 2008 at age 37. Still active)
Honorary Meijin
The is another Mejin-related title. Only two have received this title, Kensosuke Kosuke in 1936 and Ichitarō Doi in 1954.
Posthumous Meijin
A special title was given to Sankichi Sakata in 1955 by the Japan Shogi Association after his death in 1945. Sakata, a folk hero for the Osaka area, was known during his heyday for his brilliant, inventive playing but was prevented from becoming a normal Meijin by circumstances. Sakata is the only person to receive this title.
Winners Below is a list of past Meijin title holders from 1937 when the new tournament method for determining the title holder was established. The number in parentheses represents the cumulative times the player had won the title to date.
No. Year Winner Score Opponent Note11937–1938 Yoshio Kimura league The first Meijin was decided by tournament of nine players. Kimura placed first in the league. Chōtarō Hanada was second place. The others in the league were Ichitarō Doi, Kumao Ōsaki, Yasujirō Kon, Kinjirō Kimi, Kingorō Kaneko, Tatsunosuke Kanda, Kiyoshi Hagiwara.2 1940 Yoshio Kimura (2) 4-1 Ichitarō Doi3 1942 Yoshio Kimura (3) 4-0 Tatsunosuke Kanda41943Yoshio Kimura (4) No match held. Kimura retained title by default.5 1944 Yoshio Kimura (5) No match held. Kimura retained title by default.6 1947 Masao Tsukada 4-2 Yoshio Kimura7 1948 Masao Tsukada (2) 4-2 Yasuharu Ōyama8 1949 Yoshio Kimura (6) 3-2 Masao Tsukada9 1950 Yoshio Kimura (7) 4-2 Yasuharu Ōyama10 1951 Yoshio Kimura (8) 4-2 Kōzō Masuda11 1952 Yasuharu Ōyama 4-1 Yoshio Kimura12 1953 Yasuharu Ōyama (2) 4-1 Kōzō Masuda13 1954 Yasuharu Ōyama (3) 4-1 Kōzō Masuda14 1955 Yasuharu Ōyama (4) 4-2 Kazukiyo Takashima15 1956 Yasuharu Ōyama (5) 4-0 Motoji Hanamura16 1957 Kōzō Masuda 4-2 Yasuharu Ōyama17 1958 Kōzō Masuda (2) 4-2 Yasuharu Ōyama18 1959 Yasuharu Ōyama (6) 4-1 Kōzō Masuda19 1960 Yasuharu Ōyama (7) 4-1 Hifumi Katoh20 1961 Yasuharu Ōyama (8) 4-1 Yuzoh Maruta21 1962 Yasuharu Ōyama (9) 4-0 Tatsuya Futakami22 1963 Yasuharu Ōyama (10) 4-1 Kōzō Masuda23 1964 Yasuharu Ōyama (11) 4-2 Tatsuya Futakami24 1965 Yasuharu Ōyama (12) 4-1 Michiyoshi Yamada25 1966 Yasuharu Ōyama (13) 4-2 Kōzō Masuda26 1967 Yasuharu Ōyama (14) 4-1 Tatsuya Futakami27 1968 Yasuharu Ōyama (15) 4-0 Kōzō Masuda28 1969 Yasuharu Ōyama (16) 4-3 Michio Ariyoshi29 1970 Yasuharu Ōyama (17) 4-1 Rensho Nada30 1971 Yasuharu Ōyama (18) 4-3 Kōzō Masuda31 1972 Makoto Nakahara 4-3 Yasuharu Ōyama32 1973 Makoto Nakahara (2) 4-0 Hifumi Katoh33 1974 Makoto Nakahara (3) 4-3 Yasuharu Ōyama34 1975 Makoto Nakahara (4) 4-3 Nobuyuki Ōuchi35 1976 Makoto Nakahara (5) 4-3 Kunio Yonenaga 1977 Makoto Nakahara No match held. Nakahara retained title by default. 36 1978 Makoto Nakahara (6) 4-2 Keiji Mori37 1979 Makoto Nakahara (7) 4-2 Kunio Yonenaga38 1980 Makoto Nakahara (8) 4-1 Kunio Yonenaga39 1981 Makoto Nakahara (9) 4-1 Kiyozumi Kiriyama40 1982 Hifumi Katoh 4-3 Makoto Nakahara41 1983 Koji Tanigawa (1) 4-2 Hifumi Katoh42 1984 Koji Tanigawa (2) 4-1 Hidemitsu Moriyasu43 1985 Makoto Nakahara (10) 4-2 Koji Tanigawa44 1986 Makoto Nakahara (11) 4-1 Yasuharu Ōyama45 1987 Makoto Nakahara (12) 4-2 Kunio Yonenaga46 1988 Koji Tanigawa (3) 4-2 Makoto Nakahara47 1989 Koji Tanigawa (4) 4-0 Kunio Yonenaga48 1990 Makoto Nakahara (13) 4-2 Koji Tanigawa49 1991 Makoto Nakahara (14) 4-1 Kunio Yonenaga50 1992 Makoto Nakahara (15) 4-3 Michio Takahashi51 1993 Kunio Yonenaga 4-0 Makoto Nakahara52 1994 Yoshiharu Habu 4-2 Kunio Yonenaga53 1995 Yoshiharu Habu (2) 4-1 Taku Morishita54 1996 Yoshiharu Habu (3) 4-1 Toshiyuki Moriuchi55 1997 Koji Tanigawa (5) 4-2 Yoshiharu Habu56 1998 Yasumitsu Satō 4-3 Koji Tanigawa57 1999 Yasumitsu Satō (2) 4-3 Koji Tanigawa58 2000 Tadahisa Maruyama 4-3 Yasumitsu Satō59 2001 4-3 Koji Tanigawa60 2002 Toshiyuki Moriuchi 4-0 Tadahisa Maruyama61 2003 Yoshiharu Habu (4) 4-0 Toshiyuki Moriuchi62 2004 Toshiyuki Moriuchi (2) 4-2 Yoshiharu Habu63 2005 Toshiyuki Moriuchi (3) 4-3 Yoshiharu Habu64 2006 Toshiyuki Moriuchi (4) 4-2 Koji Tanigawa65 2007 Toshiyuki Moriuchi (5) 4-3 Masataka Gōda66 2008 Yoshiharu Habu (5) 4-2 Toshiyuki Moriuchi67 2009 Yoshiharu Habu (6) 4-3 Masataka Gōda68 2010 Yoshiharu Habu (7) 4-0 Hiroyuki Miura69 2011 Toshiyuki Moriuchi (6) 4-3 Yoshiharu Habu70 2012 Toshiyuki Moriuchi (7) 4-2 Yoshiharu Habu71 2013 4-1 Yoshiharu Habu72 2014 Yoshiharu Habu (8) 4-0 Toshiyuki Moriuchi732015Yoshiharu Habu (9)4-1 Hisashi Namekata742016 Amahiko Satō Yoshiharu Habu752017 Amahiko Satō (2)4-2 Akira Inaba762018 Amahiko Satō (3)4-2 Yoshiharu Habu772019Masayuki Toyoshima4-0Amahiko Satō782020Akira Watanabe4-2Masayuki Toyoshima792021Akira Watanabe (2)4-1Shintarō Saitō802022Akira Watanabe (3)4-1Shintarō Saitō812023Sōta Fujii4-1Akira Watanabe822024Sōta Fujii (2)4-1Masayuki Toyoshima832025Sōta Fujii (3)4-1Takuya Nagase842026Sōta Fujii (4)4-0Tetsurō Itodani
Records Most titles overall: Yasuharu Ōyama, 18 Most consecutive titles: Yasuharu Ōyama, 13 in a row (1959-1971). Oldest player to win title: Kunio Yonenaga, 49 years 11 months (1993) Youngest player to win title: Sōta Fujii, 20 years old (2023) Oldest player to challenge for title: Yasuharu Ōyama, 63 years old (1986) Youngest player to challenge for title: Hifumi Katō (1960) and Sōta Fujii (2023) at 20 years old Most times recapturing title: Yoshiharu Habu, 3 Longest period between titles: Yoshiharu Habu, 6 years (1997-2002)
Players by Meijin class
Below is a list of professional players grouped by their class for the 85th Meijin league (April 2026March 2027) including their dan ranking . The 84th Meijin title holder is Sōta Fujii.
Other professional players not listed here do not participate in the Meijin league and are known as Free Class (フリークラス furī kurasu) players. There are 36 such players .
+ 84th Meijin Name Dan Other titles held at start of league play Sōta Fujii 9 Kiō, Kisei, Ōshō, Ōza, Ryūō
Class A + 85th Meijin League Class A Seed Name Dan Titles held at start of league play 1 Tetsurō Itodani 9 2 Takuya Nagase 9 3 Masayuki Toyoshima 9 4 Seiya Kondō 8 5 Yasuhiro Masuda 8 6 Yūki Sasaki 8 7 Shōta Chida 8 8 Amahiko Satō 9 9 Akihito Hirose 9 10 Takumi Itō 9 Eiō and Ōi
Class B1 + Seed Name Dan 1 Taichi Nakamura 8 2 Akira Watanabe 9 3 Takahiro Ōhashi 7 4 Shintarō Saitō 8 5 Shin'ichirō Hattori 7 6 Shingo Sawada 7 7 Tadashi Ōishi 7 8 Tatsuya Sugai 8 9 Akira Inaba 8 10 Yasumitsu Satō 9 11 Takayuki Yamasaki 9 12 Toshiaki Kubo 9 13 Nagisa Fujimoto 9
Class B2 + 85th Meijin League Class B2 Seed Name Dan Titles held at start of league play 1 Mirai Aoshima 7 2 Kentarō Ishii 7 3 Taichi Takami 7 4 Yoshiharu Habu 9 5 Yasuaki Murayama 8 6 Tadahisa Maruyama 9 7 Yūsei Koga 6 8 Hiroaki Yokoyama 7 9 Kōji Tanigawa 9 17th Lifetime Meijin 10 Asuto Saitō 6 11 Kazushi Watanabe 7 12 Chikara Akutsu 7 13 Makoto Tobe 7 14 Kōichi Fukaura 9 15 Ayumu Matsuo 8 16 Hiroyuki Miura 9 17 Takuma Oikawa 7 18 Masataka Gōda 9 19 Makoto Sasaki 7 20 Hisashi Namekata 9 21 Ryūma Tonari 7 22 Takuya Nishida 6 23 Reo Okabe 6 24 Nobuyuki Yashiki 9 25 Kazutoshi Satō 7 26 Kazuki Kimura 9 27 Kensuke Kitahama 8
Class C1 + 85th Meijin League Class C1 Seed Name Dan 1 Takeshi Fujii 9 2 Daisuke Suzuki 9 3 Masataka Sugimoto 8 4 Seiya Tomita 5 5 Tatsuya Sanmaidō 7 6 Akihiro Takada 5 7 Hiroki Iizuka 8 8 Takashi Ikenaga 6 9 Takayuki Kuroda 6 10 Wakamu Deguchi 6 11 Hirotoshi Ueno 6 12 Eiji Iijima 8 13 Daisuke Katagami 7 14 Keita Kadokura 6 15 Hirotaka Nozuki 8 16 Manabu Senzaki 9 17 Yūta Komori 5 18 Hiroshi Miyamoto 6 19 Issei Takazaki 7 20 Atsushi Miyata 7 21 Takashi Abe 9 22 Akihiro Murata 6 23 Kōhei Funae 7 24 Mamoru Hatakeyama 8 25 Satoshi Takano 6 26 Reo Kurosawa 6 27 Daichi Sasaki 7 28 Kenjirō Abe 7 29 Akira Nishio 7 30 Keita Inoue 9 31 Daisuke Nakagawa 8
Class C2