Sachiko Honda facts for kids

Sachiko Honda (born December 30, 1930 – died May 1, 2020) was a very skilled professional player of the game Go. She reached the high rank of 8-dan. Sachiko played for the Japanese Go Association. She was the first person to win the Women's Honinbo tournament in 1982. She also won it again in 1984 and was a runner-up in 1983 and 1985.

Early Life and Go Training

Sachiko Honda was born in 1930 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. When she was just eight years old, in 1938, she started learning the game of Go. Her teacher was a famous Go master named Minoru Kitani.

The Three Honda Sisters

Sachiko wasn't the only one in her family who loved Go. Her two sisters, Kazuko Sugiuchi and Teruko Kusunoki, also became professional Go players. All three sisters reached the high rank of 8-dan. They were so well-known that people called them the "Three Honda Sisters." They even played against each other in big tournaments sometimes. In 1983, they wrote a book together about their experiences playing Go.

Becoming a Professional Player

In 1947, Sachiko Honda officially became a professional Go player. She started at the 1-dan rank. She kept getting better and better. By 1958, she reached 3-dan, and in 1963, she became a 4-dan player.

Winning Championships

Sachiko won her first major title in 1969. She played against Reiko Kobayashi, who was her teacher Minoru Kitani's daughter. Sachiko won the women's championship by winning two games to one. In 1982, she played against Reiko Kobayashi again in the very first Women's Honinbo tournament. Sachiko won this important event, becoming its first champion. She won the Women's Honinbo again in 1984.

Sharing Go Around the World

Sachiko Honda traveled a lot to help share the game of Go with people in other countries. In 1952, she visited Taiwan with another famous Go player, Go Seigen.

Go Ambassadors in the US

In 1961, Sachiko was chosen to be part of a special group called the Japan-US Friendship Go Envoy. She went to the United States with her sister Teruko and Reiko Kobayashi. They played special games at places like Princeton University. They also visited the home of an American Go player, Heidi Kirschner, in Seattle. They taught Go to local players, helping the game grow in America.

First Go Tour in France

Later, in 1974, Sachiko Honda went to Paris with Chizu Kobayashi. This was the first time professional Go players went on a Go tour in France. They played many games at the same time against different people, which is called a simultaneous game.

Retirement and Legacy

Sachiko Honda retired from playing Go professionally in 2000. At that time, she was promoted to 7-dan. By the time she retired, she had won seven major Go titles. In 2004, she received the Kishichiro Okura Prize for her contributions to Go.

Sachiko Honda passed away in Tokyo in 2020 at the age of 89. After she died, she was given the highest rank of 8-dan. She taught many students who also became professional Go players. These include Yoichi Yoshida and the three Mukai sisters: Chiaki Mukai, Kozue Nagashima, and Kaori Mimura.