Nishiyama Obtains Right to Become 1st Female "Kishi" Shogi Player
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref., Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)--Tomoka Nishiyama, a "joryu kishi," or female professional shogi player, obtained the right to become a "kishi," a player under a different professional system for the board game, on Saturday, when she won the "Hakurei" title for the fifth time. Nishiyama, 31, who holds four joryu kishi titles, including Hakurei and Seirei, would become the fir...
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, October 10 (Jiji Press) - Tomoka Nishiyama, a professional female shogi player, was granted the opportunity to become a kishi on Saturday, following her remarkable achievement of winning the Hakurei title for the fifth time. At the age of 31, Nishiyama has already secured four joryu kishi titles, including Hakurei and Seirei.
If she decides to utilize her newly obtained right, she would become the first female kishi in the history of the sport. Unlike joryu kishi, which is exclusively reserved for women, both male and female players can become kishi. In June 2025, the Japan Shogi Association introduced a new system that grants a woman who wins the Hakurei title five times the right to become a kishi, who must possess a fourth-dan or higher rank.
In the fifth match of the seven-game best-of-seven Hakurei title series held on Saturday, Nishiyama defeated her challenger Kana Fukuma, also 34 years old and with four joryu kishi titles, in a 118-move match, emerging victorious with a 4-1 record.
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