Kōichi Kodama
Early life. Kōichi Kodama was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture on February 21, 1951. As a high school student, he was a member of a team that won the team competition of the 4th in 1968, and later went on to represent Fukuoka Prefecture in the . In October 1971, Kodama was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 3-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional . He was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1974 and finally obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in January 1980 . Promotion history. Kodama's promotion history is as follows: Awards and honors. Kodama received the following Japan Shogi Association Annual Shogi Awards during his career: the Kōzō Masuda Award for 20022003, and the "Special Game of the Year" for 20092010. His "Masuda Award" was for his development of the Crab Silvers opening. Kodama also received the Japan Shogi Association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2004.