Ichiyo Shimizu facts for kids

Ichiyo Shimizu (清水 市代, Shimizu Ichiyo, born January 9, 1969) is a famous Japanese women's professional shogi player. She holds the rank of 7-dan. In May 2017, Shimizu made history. She became the first woman to be chosen as an executive director for the Japan Shogi Association. This is the main organization for shogi in Japan.

Early Life and Becoming a Professional

Ichiyo Shimizu was born on January 9, 1969, in Higashimurayama, Tokyo. When she was a junior high student in 1983, she won a big competition. It was called the 15th Amateur Women's Meijin Tournament.

That same year, she joined the Japan Shogi Association's special program. It was called the Women's Professional Apprentice League. Here, she learned from a shogi expert named Toshio Takayanagi. In April 1985, she reached the rank of women's professional 2-kyū. This meant she was the very first apprentice to complete the program.

Her Career as a Shogi Professional

Shimizu continued to achieve great things in shogi. In October 2000, she became the first woman professional to reach the rank of 6-dan. This was a major step in her career.

In November 2016, she won her 600th official game. She defeated Tomomi Kai in a women's meijin league game. This made her only the second woman professional to reach this many wins. As of January 2018, she had played many games against male professionals. Her record was 29 wins and 156 losses.

How She Climbed the Ranks

Shimizu moved up through the shogi ranks steadily. Here's how she was promoted:

• 2-kyū: April 1, 1985
• 1-dan: January 17, 1986
• 2-dan: September 21, 1987
• 3-dan: February 8, 1988
• 4-dan: April 1, 1992
• 5-dan: April 1, 1995
• 6-dan: October 1, 2000
• 7-dan: April 1, 2020

All these ranks are for women's professional shogi players.

Winning Many Titles

Ichiyo Shimizu is known for winning many shogi titles. She has played in major title matches 70 times! She has won a total of 43 titles, which is a huge number.

She has won some of the most important shogi titles many times:

• The Women's Meijin title ten times.
• The Women's Ōshō [ja] title nine times.
• The Women's Ōi [ja] title fourteen times.
• The Kurashiki Tōka Cup [ja] ten times.

Because of her many wins, she has been given special "lifetime titles." These include Queen Meijin, Queen Ōshō [ja], Queen Ōi [ja], and Queen Kurashiki Tōka [ja]. Besides these major titles, Shimizu has also won 11 other shogi championships.

Some of the other tournaments she won include:

• The Daiwa Securities Strongest Women's Professional Cup [ja] once in 2011.
• The Ladies Open Tournament [ja] seven times (1987, 1991-1993, 1997, 2003, 2003).
• The Kajima Cup [ja] three times (1997, 1999, 2004).

Some of these tournaments are no longer held today.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Shimizu has received many awards for her amazing achievements in shogi. She has also been honored for her contributions to Japanese society.

She has won the Japan Shogi Association's Annual Women's Professional Award many times. She was also named "Women's Professional of the Year" several times, including in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009. She also won the "Women's Professional Most Games Played" award.

Other special awards include:

• In 1996, she received an award from the Minister of Education.
• In 1997, she received the Tokyo Resident Culture Honor Award. This award is given by the Governor of Tokyo for cultural achievements.
• In 2000, her hometown, Higashimurayama, Tokyo, gave her a Resident Honor Award.
• In 2008, she received the Kurashiki Shogi Culture Honor Award.
• In 2009, the Japan Shogi Association gave her a 25 Years Service Award. This was to recognize her being an active professional for 25 years.

Leading the Japan Shogi Association

In May 2017, Ichiyo Shimizu made history again. She became the first woman to be chosen as an executive director for the Japan Shogi Association's board. This means she helps lead the entire organization that manages shogi in Japan. She was re-elected for this important role in June 2019, June 2021, and June 2023.