Ōza (王座) is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi.

The word literally means "king's seat", i.e., "throne". The tournament started in 1953 as a knockout tournament with three games in the final match and was a non-title tournament up until 1982.[1] The challenger for the title is determined through three preliminary rounds. The player that wins three games out of five in the championship match becomes the new Ōza title holder. [2]

The tournament is sponsored by Nikkei, Inc. (日本経済新聞社 nihon keizai shinbunsha), a newspaper conglomerate that publishes The Nikkei and the Nikkei 225 stock market index. The current Ōza title holder is Sōta Fujii.

Lifetime Ōza

"Lifetime Ōza" (名誉王座) is the title given to a player who won the championship five times in a row or ten times in total. Active players may qualify for this title, but it is only officially awarded upon their reaching the age of 60 years, retirement or death.[3]

Lifetime Ōza title holders

Winners

From 1953 until 1982, the tournament was just regular tournament and not a major title match. From 1953 to 1969, two finalists would play a 3-game match to determine the overall winner; the 1st Oza match (1953), however, was only a single game. From 1970 to 1982, the winner of the previous year's tournament would play the winner of a qualifying tournament in a 3-game match.[6]

No. Year Winner Score Opponent
1 1953 Yasuharu Ōyama 10 Yūzō Maruta
2 1954 Yasuharu Ōyama 21 Kōzō Masuda
3 1955 Yasuharu Ōyama 21 Renshō Nada
4 1956 Seiichi Kobori 21 Kazukiyo Takashima
5 1957 Shigeyuki Matsuda 21 Seiichi Kobori
6 1958 Masao Tsukada 21 Tatsuya Futakami
7 1959 Yasuharu Ōyama 20 Michiyoshi Yamada
8 1960 Yūzō Maruta 21 Yasuharu Ōyama
9 1961 Sōetsu Honma 20 Hifumi Katō
10 1962 Hifumi Katō 20 Michihito Kumagai
11 1963 Renshō Nada 21 Hirobumi Sekizawa
12 1964 Yasuharu Ōyama 20 Hifumi Katō
13 1965 Yūzō Maruta 20 Kunio Naitō
14 1966 Yasuharu Ōyama 20 Yūzō Maruta
15 1967 Michiyoshi Yamada 20 Kunio Naitō
16 1968 Yasuharu Ōyama 20 Hifumi Katō
17 1969 Makoto Nakahara 21 Michio Ariyoshi
18 1970 Makoto Nakahara 20 Tatsuya Futakami
19 1971 Makoto Nakahara 20 Hifumi Katō
20 1972 Makoto Nakahara 20 Kunio Naitō
21 1973 Makoto Nakahara 20 Genichi Ōno
22 1974 Makoto Nakahara 21 Yasuharu Ōyama
23 1975 Kiyozumi Kiriyama 20 Makoto Nakahara
24 1976 Makoto Nakahara 20 Kiyozumi Kiriyama
25 1977 Makoto Nakahara 20 Nobuyuki Ōuchi
26 1978 Makoto Nakahara 20 Nobuyuki Ōuchi
27 1979 Makoto Nakahara 20 Nobuyuki Ōuchi
28 1980 Yasuharu Ōyama 20 Makoto Nakahara
29 1981 Yasuharu Ōyama 21 Osamu Katsuura
30 1982 Kunio Naitō 20 Yasuharu Ōyama

For the 31st Oza Match (1983), the tournament was officially elevated to major title match status and starting with the 32nd Oza Match, the format switched to a best-of-five.

No. Year Winner Score Opponent
31 1983 Makoto Nakahara 21 Kunio Naitō
32 1984 Makoto Nakahara (2) 32 Hidemitsu Moriyasu
33 1985 Makoto Nakahara (3) 31 Kōji Tanigawa
34 1986 Makoto Nakahara (4) 30 Kiyozumi Kiriyama
35 1987 Yasuaki Tsukada 32 Makoto Nakahara
36 1988 Makoto Nakahara (5) 30 Yasuaki Tsukada
37 1989 Makoto Nakahara (6) 32 Teruichi Aono
38 1990 Kōji Tanigawa 31 Makoto Nakahara
39 1991 Bungo Fukusaki 32 Kōji Tanigawa
40 1992 Yoshiharu Habu 30 Bungo Fukusaki
41 1993 Yoshiharu Habu (2) 31 Koji Tanigawa
42 1994 Yoshiharu Habu (3) 30 Kōji Tanigawa
43 1995 Yoshiharu Habu (4) 30 Keiji Mori
44 1996 Yoshiharu Habu (5) 30 Akira Shima
45 1997 Yoshiharu Habu (6) 30 Akira Shima
46 1998 Yoshiharu Habu (7) 32 Kōji Tanigawa
47 1999 Yoshiharu Habu (8) 31 Tadahisa Maruyama
48 2000 Yoshiharu Habu (9) 32 Takeshi Fujii
49 2001 Yoshiharu Habu (10) 31 Toshiaki Kubo
50 2002 Yoshiharu Habu (11) 30 Yasumitsu Satō
51 2003 Yoshiharu Habu (12) 32 Akira Watanabe
52 2004 Yoshiharu Habu (13) 31 Toshiyuki Moriuchi
53 2005 Yoshiharu Habu (14) 30 Yasumitsu Satō
54 2006 Yoshiharu Habu (15) 30 Yasumitsu Satō
55 2007 Yoshiharu Habu (16) 30 Toshiaki Kubo
56 2008 Yoshiharu Habu (17) 30 Kazuki Kimura
57 2009 Yoshiharu Habu (18) 30 Takayuki Yamasaki
58 2010 Yoshiharu Habu (19) 30 Takeshi Fujii
59 2011 Akira Watanabe 30 Yoshiharu Habu
60 2012 Yoshiharu Habu (20) 31 Akira Watanabe
61 2013 Yoshiharu Habu (21) 32[7] Taichi Nakamura
62 2014 Yoshiharu Habu (22) 32[8] Masayuki Toyoshima
63 2015 Yoshiharu Habu (23) 32[9] Amahiko Satō
64 2016 Yoshiharu Habu (24) 30[10] Tetsuro Itodani
65 2017 Taichi Nakamura 31[11] Yoshiharu Habu
66 2018 Shintarō Saitō 32[12] Taichi Nakamura
67 2019 Takuya Nagase 30[13] Shintarō Saitō
68 2020 Takuya Nagase (2) 32[14] Toshiaki Kubo
69 2021 Takuya Nagase (3) 31[15] Kazuki Kimura
70 2022 Takuya Nagase (4) 31[16] Masayuki Toyoshima
71 2023 Sōta Fujii 31[17] Takuya Nagase

Records

  • Most titles overall: Yoshiharu Habu, 24
  • Most consecutive titles: Yoshiharu Habu, 19 in a row (1992-2010)

See also

References

  1. Hodges, George, ed. (1977). "Introduction to the Ôza tournament". Shogi (6): 4.
  2. "Ōzasen" 王座戦 [Oza Title Match] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. "Nakahara Makoto Eisei 10-dan・Meiyo Ōza Tanjō e" 中原 誠 永世十段・名誉王座"誕生へ [Makoto Nakahara was crowned as Lifetime 10-dan and Lifetime Ōza] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  4. "Kishi Shokai: Nakahara Makoto" 棋士紹介: 中原誠 [Player Introduction: Makoto Nakahara] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. "Kishi Shokai: Habu Yoshiharu" 棋士紹介: 羽生善治 [Player Introduction: Yoshiharu Habu] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  6. Tanabe, Tadayuki (2006). Shōgi Hachi Daikisen Hiwa 将棋八大棋戦秘話 [Shogi, Untold Stories from 8 Major Title Matches] (in Japanese). Sedagaya, Tokyo: Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishers, Inc. p. 169. ISBN 4309268706.
  7. "Habu ga Ōza Bōei, Tsūsan Nijūikki Dōichi Taitoru Saita" 羽生が王座防衛 通算21期 同一タイトル最多 [Habu defends Ōza title, wins Ōza for the 21st time overall to set record for most times winning the same title]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). October 21, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  8. Fukamatsu, Shinji (October 24, 2014). "Habu Ōza ga Bōei Taitoru Kakutoku Kyūjūki ni Shōgi Ōzasen" 羽生王座が防衛 タイトル獲得は90期に 将棋王座戦 [Habu Defends Oza Title for his 90th Major Title Overall]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  9. Fukamatsu, Shinji (October 26, 2015). "Habu Ōza ga Bōei ni Seiko Shōgi Ōzasen, Yonnen Renzoku Nijūsankime" 羽生王座が防衛に成功 将棋王座戦, 4年連続23期目 [Habu Successfully Defends Oza Title for 4th Consecutive Year to Hold Title for 23rd Time Overall]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  10. Yamamura, Hideki (October 4, 2016). "Habu Sankan ga Ōza Bōei, Itodani Hachidan ni Sanrenshō" 羽生3冠が王座防衛 糸谷八段に3連勝 [Habu 3-crown defends Oza title by defeating Itodani 8d three straight games]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  11. Yamamura, Hideki (October 11, 2017). "Nakamura Taichi Rokudan ga Hatsu no Ōza Kakutoku, Habu Kisei Ikkan e Kōtai" 中村太地六段が初の王座獲得 羽生棋聖1冠へ後退 [Taichi Nakamura 6d wins Oza title for first major title. Habu Kisei drops to a 1-crown]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  12. "Shōgi, Saitō ga Hatsu Taitoru Ōza Kakutoku Saishūkyoku de Nakamura Yaburu" 将棋, 斎藤が初タイトル王座獲得 最終局で中村破る [Saitō wins first major shogi title; defeats Nakamura in final game to capture Ōza title.]. Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  13. Yamamura, Hideki (October 1, 2019). "Nagase Eiō ga Ōza Dasshu Saitō, Hatsu Bōei Narazu" 永瀬叡王が王座奪取 斎藤, 初防衛ならず [Nagase Eiō capture Ōza title; Saitō unsuccessful in first title defense]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  14. "Shōgi・Nagase Ōza ga Bōei Sanshō Nihai de Kubo Kudan Yaburu" 将棋・永瀬王座が初防衛 3勝2敗で久保九段破る [Nagase Ōza defends title; defeats Kubo 9-dan 3 games to 2]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  15. "Nagase Ōza Sanrenpa, Sanshō Ippai de Kimura Kudan Kudasu Shōgi Ōzasen" 永瀬王座3連覇, 3勝1敗で木村九段下す 将棋王座戦 [Nagase Ōza threepeats by defeating Kimura 9-dan 3 games to 1]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  16. "Nagase Ōza ga Bōei ni Seikō, Yonrenpa Tassei" 永瀬王座が防衛に成功, 4連覇達成 [Nagase Ōza successfully defends title, win Ōza title for the fourth consecutive time]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  17. Inoue, Yukana (October 11, 2023). "Sota Fujii becomes first ever to win all eight major shogi titles". The Japan Times. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
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