# Nihon Ki-in

The Nihon Ki-in (日本棋院), also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in. Its innovations include the Oteai system of promotion, time limits in professional games, and the introduction of issuing diplomas to strong amateur players, to affirm their ranks.

## History

The Nihon Ki-in was established in July 1924. The first president of the Nihon Ki-in was Makino Nobuaki, a great Go patron himself, with Okura Kishichiro serving as vice president. The vast majority of pros at the time joined the fledgling organization, excepting the Inoue faction in Osaka and Nozawa Chikucho. A brief splinter group called Kiseisha was created soon after the Nihon Ki-in was formed, but most of the players involved had returned to the Nihon Ki-in within a couple of years. Then in 1950, its western branch split away to form the Kansai Ki-in.

## Tournaments

The Nihon Ki-in organizes many tournaments for professional players. The major title tournaments include the Kisei, Meijin, Honinbo, Judan, Tengen, Gosei, and the Oza. There are also separate Honinbo, Meijin, and Kisei titles for women.

## Major title winners by year

(*): Kansai Ki-in player
| Year | Kisei | Meijin | Honinbo | Judan | Tengen | Gosei | Oza |
| 1941 | - | - | Riichi Sekiyama | - | - | - | - |
| 1943 | - | - | Utaro Hashimoto | - | - | - | - |
| 1945 | - | - | Kaoru Iwamoto | - | - | - | - |
| 1947 | - | - | Kaoru Iwamoto | - | - | - | - |
| 1950 | - | - | Utaro Hashimoto | - | - | - | - |
| 1951 | - | - | Utaro Hashimoto* | - | - | - | - |
| 1952 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | - |
| 1953 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Utaro Hashimoto* |
| 1954 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Kaku Takagawa |
| 1955 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Utaro Hashimoto* |
| 1956 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Utaro Hashimoto* |
| 1957 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Shimamura Toshihiro |
| 1958 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Hosai Fujisawa |
| 1959 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Shoji Hashimoto* |
| 1960 | - | - | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | - | Dogen Handa* |
| 1961 | - | - | Eio Sakata | - | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1962 | - | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Eio Sakata | Utaro Hashimoto* | - | - | Hidehiro Miyashita |
| 1963 | - | Eio Sakata | Eio Sakata | Dogen Handa | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1964 | - | Eio Sakata | Eio Sakata | Hosai Fujisawa | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1965 | - | Rin Kaiho | Eio Sakata | Kaku Takagawa | - | - | Dogen Handa* |
| 1966 | - | Rin Kaiho | Eio Sakata | Eio Sakata | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1967 | - | Rin Kaiho | Eio Sakata | Eio Sakata | - | - | Fujisawa Hideyuki |
| 1968 | - | Kaku Takagawa | Rin Kaiho | Eio Sakata | - | - | Fujisawa Hideyuki |
| 1969 | - | Rin Kaiho | Rin Kaiho | Hideo Otake | - | - | Fujisawa Hideyuki |
| 1970 | - | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Rin Kaiho | - | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1971 | - | Rin Kaiho | Yoshio Ishida | Utaro Hashimoto* | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1972 | - | Rin Kaiho | Yoshio Ishida | Eio Sakata | - | - | Eio Sakata |
| 1973 | - | Rin Kaiho | Yoshio Ishida | Eio Sakata | - | - | Rin Kaiho |
| 1974 | - | Yoshio Ishida | Yoshio Ishida | Shoji Hashimoto* | - | - | Yoshio Ishida |
| 1975 | - | Hideo Otake | Yoshio Ishida | Rin Kaiho | Fujisawa Hideyuki | - | Hideo Otake |
| 1976 | - | Hideo Otake | Masaki Takemiya | Masao Kato | Kobayashi Koichi | Masao Kato | Cho Chikun |
| 1977 | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Rin Kaiho | Masao Kato | Masao Kato | Shimamura Toshihiro | Masao Kato | Norio Kudo |
| 1978 | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato | Masao Kato | Masao Kato | Hideo Otake | Yoshio Ishida |
| 1979 | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato | Masao Kato | Masao Kato | Cho Chikun | Masao Kato |
| 1980 | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Cho Chikun | Masaki Takemiya | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato |
| 1981 | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato | Hideo Otake | Shoji Hashimoto* |
| 1982 | Fujisawa Hideyuki | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Kataoka Satoshi | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato |
| 1983 | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Rin Kaiho | Masao Kato | Kataoka Satoshi | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato |
| 1984 | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Rin Kaiho | Kobayashi Koichi | Yoshio Ishida | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato |
| 1985 | Cho Chikun | Kobayashi Koichi | Masaki Takemiya | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Hideo Otake | Masao Kato |
| 1986 | Kobayashi Koichi | Masao Kato | Masaki Takemiya | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Masao Kato |
| 1987 | Kobayashi Koichi | Masao Kato | Masaki Takemiya | Masao Kato | Cho Chikun | Masao Kato | Masao Kato |
| 1988 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Masaki Takemiya | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Kobayashi Koichi | Masao Kato |
| 1989 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Rin Kaiho | Kobayashi Koichi | Masao Kato |
| 1990 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Masaki Takemiya | Rin Kaiho | Kobayashi Koichi | Yasumasa Hane |
| 1991 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Masaki Takemiya | Rin Kaiho | Kobayashi Koichi | Fujisawa Hideyuki |
| 1992 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Masaki Takemiya | Rin Kaiho | Kobayashi Koichi | Fujisawa Hideyuki |
| 1993 | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Hideo Otake | Rin Kaiho | Kobayashi Koichi | Masao Kato |
| 1994 | Cho Chikun | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun | Hideo Otake | Ryu Shikun | Rin Kaiho | Cho Chikun |
| 1995 | Satoru Kobayashi | Masaki Takemiya | Cho Chikun | Norimoto Yoda | Ryu Shikun | Satoru Kobayashi | O Rissei |
| 1996 | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Norimoto Yoda | Ryu Shikun | Norimoto Yoda | Ryu Shikun |
| 1997 | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Masao Kato | Kudo Norio | Norimoto Yoda | Kimio Yamada |
| 1998 | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Naoto Hikosaka | Kobayashi Koichi | Norimoto Yoda | O Rissei |
| 1999 | Cho Chikun | Cho Chikun | Cho Sonjin | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | Kobayashi Koichi | O Rissei |
| 2000 | O Rissei | Norimoto Yoda | O Meien | Kobayashi Koichi | Ryu Shikun | Keigo Yamashita | O Rissei |
| 2001 | O Rissei | Norimoto Yoda | O Meien | O Rissei | Naoki Hane | Kobayashi Koichi | Cho Chikun |
| 2002 | O Rissei | Norimoto Yoda | Masao Kato | O Rissei | Naoki Hane | Kobayashi Koichi | O Meien |
| 2003 | Keigo Yamashita | Norimoto Yoda | Cho U | O Rissei | Naoki Hane | Norimoto Yoda | Cho U |
| 2004 | Naoki Hane | Cho U | Cho U | O Rissei | Keigo Yamashita | Norimoto Yoda | Cho U |
| 2005 | Naoki Hane | Cho U | Shinji Takao | Cho Chikun | Kono Rin | Norimoto Yoda | Cho U |
| 2006 | Keigo Yamashita | Shinji Takao | Shinji Takao | Cho Chikun | Kono Rin | Cho U | Keigo Yamashita |
| 2007 | Keigo Yamashita | Cho U | Shinji Takao | Cho Chikun | Kono Rin | Cho U | Keigo Yamashita |
| 2008 | Keigo Yamashita | Cho U | Naoki Hane | Shinji Takao | Cho U | Cho U | Cho U |
| 2009 | Keigo Yamashita | Yuta Iyama | Naoki Hane | Cho U | Keigo Yamashita | Cho U | Cho U |
| 2010 | Cho U | Yuta Iyama | Keigo Yamashita | Cho U | Satoshi Yuki* | Sakai Hideyuki* | Cho U |
| 2011 | Cho U | Keigo Yamashita | Keigo Yamashita | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Naoki Hane | Cho U |
| 2012 | Cho U | Keigo Yamashita | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2013 | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Satoshi Yuki | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2014 | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Shinji Takao | Shinji Takao | Yuta Iyama | Daisuke Murakawa* |
| 2015 | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Ida Atsushi | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2016 | Yuta Iyama | Shinji Takao | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2017 | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2018 | Yuta Iyama | Cho U | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Kyo Kagen | Yuta Iyama |
| 2019 | Yuta Iyama | Toramaru Shibano | Yuta Iyama | Daisuke Murakawa* | Yuta Iyama | Naoki Hane | Toramaru Shibano |
| 2020 | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Toramaru Shibano | Ichiriki Ryo | Ichiriki Ryo | Shibano Toramaru |
| 2021 | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama | Kyo Kagen | Koutarou Seki | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2022 | Ryo Ichiriki | Toramaru Shibano | Yuta Iyama | Kyo Kagen | Koutarou Seki | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2023 | Ryo Ichiriki | Toramaru Shibano | Ryo Ichiriki | Toramaru Shibano | Ryo Ichiriki | Yuta Iyama | Yuta Iyama |
| 2024 | | | Ryo Ichiriki | | | | |
| Year | Kisei | Meijin | Honinbo | Judan | Tengen | Gosei | Oza |

## Organization

* Tokyo Headquarters (Ichigaya): 7-2 Goban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
* Tokyo Yurakucho Igo Center: 9F Tokyo Kotsu-Kaikan, 2-10-1 Yuraku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
* Osaka Headquarters: 10F Applause Tower, 19-19 Sayamachi, Osaka
* Osaka Umeda Igo Salon: 6F Hankyu Five Annex Building, 1-23 Sumidacho, Kita-ku, Osaka
* Chubu Headquarters: 1-19 Syumoku-cho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya
* The Nihon Ki-in European Go Cultural Centre: Schokland14,1181 HV Amstelveen, Netherlands
* Nihon Ki-in Do Brasil: R. Dr Fabricio Vampre No116, Ana Rosa - São Paulo - Brazil
* Nihon Ki-in Go Institute of The West U.S.A.: 700 N.E., 45th Street, Seattle WA