Nihon 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.

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.

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

All names below are given in surname-first order. (*): Kansai Ki-in player • Year || Kisei || Meijin || Honinbo || Judan || Tengen || Gosei || Ōza • 1941 — - — - — Sekiyama Riichi — - — - — - — - • 1943 — - — - — Hashimoto Utaro — - — - — - — - • 1945 — - — - — Iwamoto Kaoru — - — - — - — - • 1947 — - — - — Iwamoto Kaoru — - — - — - — - • 1950 — - — - — Hashimoto Utaro — - — - — - — - • 1951 — - — - — Hashimoto Utaro — - — - — - — - • 1952 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — - • 1953 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Hashimoto Utaro * • 1954 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Takagawa Kaku • 1955 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Hashimoto Utaro * • 1956 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Hashimoto Utaro * • 1957 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Shimamura Toshihiro • 1958 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Fujisawa Hosai • 1959 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Hashimoto Shoji * • 1960 — - — - — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — - — Handa Dogen * • 1961 — - — - — Sakata Eio — - — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1962 — - — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Sakata Eio — Hashimoto Utaro * — - — - — Miyashita Hidehiro • 1963 — - — Sakata Eio — Sakata Eio — Handa Dogen — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1964 — - — Sakata Eio — Sakata Eio — Fujisawa Hosai — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1965 — - — Rin Kaiho — Sakata Eio — Takagawa Kaku — - — - — Handa Dogen * • 1966 — - — Rin Kaiho — Sakata Eio — Sakata Eio — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1967 — - — Rin Kaiho — Sakata Eio — Sakata Eio — - — - — Fujisawa Hideyuki • 1968 — - — Takagawa Kaku — Rin Kaiho — Sakata Eio — - — - — Fujisawa Hideyuki • 1969 — - — Rin Kaiho — Rin Kaiho — Otake Hideo — - — - — Fujisawa Hideyuki • 1970 — - — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Rin Kaiho — - — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1971 — - — Rin Kaiho — Ishida Yoshio — Hashimoto Utaro * — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1972 — - — Rin Kaiho — Ishida Yoshio — Sakata Eio — - — - — Sakata Eio • 1973 — - — Rin Kaiho — Ishida Yoshio — Sakata Eio — - — - — Rin Kaiho • 1974 — - — Ishida Yoshio — Ishida Yoshio — Hashimoto Shoji * — - — - — Ishida Yoshio • 1975 — - — Otake Hideo — Ishida Yoshio — Rin Kaiho — Fujisawa Hideyuki — - — Otake Hideo • 1976 — - — Otake Hideo — Takemiya Masaki — Kato Masao — Kobayashi Koichi — Kato Masao — Cho Chikun • 1977 — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Rin Kaiho — Kato Masao — Kato Masao — Shimamura Toshihiro — Kato Masao — Kudo Norio • 1978 — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao — Kato Masao — Kato Masao — Otake Hideo — Ishida Yoshio • 1979 — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao — Kato Masao — Kato Masao — Cho Chikun — Kato Masao • 1980 — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Cho Chikun — Takemiya Masaki — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao • 1981 — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao — Otake Hideo — Hashimoto Shoji * • 1982 — Fujisawa Hideyuki — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Kataoka Satoshi — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao • 1983 — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Rin Kaiho — Kato Masao — Kataoka Satoshi — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao • 1984 — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Rin Kaiho — Kobayashi Koichi — Ishida Yoshio — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao • 1985 — Cho Chikun — Kobayashi Koichi — Takemiya Masaki — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Otake Hideo — Kato Masao • 1986 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kato Masao — Takemiya Masaki — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Kato Masao • 1987 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kato Masao — Takemiya Masaki — Kato Masao — Cho Chikun — Kato Masao — Kato Masao • 1988 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Takemiya Masaki — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Kobayashi Koichi — Kato Masao • 1989 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Rin Kaiho — Kobayashi Koichi — Kato Masao • 1990 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Takemiya Masaki — Rin Kaiho — Kobayashi Koichi — Hane Yasumasa • 1991 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Takemiya Masaki — Rin Kaiho — Kobayashi Koichi — Fujisawa Hideyuki • 1992 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Takemiya Masaki — Rin Kaiho — Kobayashi Koichi — Fujisawa Hideyuki • 1993 — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Otake Hideo — Rin Kaiho — Kobayashi Koichi — Kato Masao • 1994 — Cho Chikun — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun — Otake Hideo — Ryu Shikun — Rin Kaiho — Cho Chikun • 1995 — Kobayashi Satoru — Takemiya Masaki — Cho Chikun — Yoda Norimoto — Ryu Shikun — Kobayashi Satoru — O Rissei • 1996 — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Yoda Norimoto — Ryu Shikun — Yoda Norimoto — Ryu Shikun • 1997 — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Kato Masao — Kudo Norio — Yoda Norimoto — Yamada Kimio • 1998 — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Hikosaka Naoto — Kobayashi Koichi — Yoda Norimoto — O Rissei • 1999 — Cho Chikun — Cho Chikun — Cho Sonjin — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — Kobayashi Koichi — O Rissei • 2000 — O Rissei — Yoda Norimoto — O Meien — Kobayashi Koichi — Ryu Shikun — Yamashita Keigo — O Rissei • 2001 — O Rissei — Yoda Norimoto — O Meien — O Rissei — Hane Naoki — Kobayashi Koichi — Cho Chikun • 2002 — O Rissei — Yoda Norimoto — Kato Masao — O Rissei — Hane Naoki — Kobayashi Koichi — O Meien • 2003 — Yamashita Keigo — Yoda Norimoto — Cho U — O Rissei — Hane Naoki — Yoda Norimoto — Cho U • 2004 — Hane Naoki — Cho U — Cho U — O Rissei — Yamashita Keigo — Yoda Norimoto — Cho U • 2005 — Hane Naoki — Cho U — Takao Shinji — Cho Chikun — Kono Rin — Yoda Norimoto — Cho U • 2006 — Yamashita Keigo — Takao Shinji — Takao Shinji — Cho Chikun — Kono Rin — Cho U — Yamashita Keigo • 2007 — Yamashita Keigo — Cho U — Takao Shinji — Cho Chikun — Kono Rin — Cho U — Yamashita Keigo • 2008 — Yamashita Keigo — Cho U — Hane Naoki — Takao Shinji — Cho U — Cho U — Cho U • 2009 — Yamashita Keigo — Iyama Yuta — Hane Naoki — Cho U — Yamashita Keigo — Cho U — Cho U • 2010 — Cho U — Iyama Yuta — Yamashita Keigo — Cho U — Yuki Satoshi * — Sakai Hideyuki * — Cho U • 2011 — Cho U — Yamashita Keigo — Yamashita Keigo — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Hane Naoki — Cho U • 2012 — Cho U — Yamashita Keigo — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2013 — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Yuki Satoshi — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2014 — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Takao Shinji — Takao Shinji — Iyama Yuta — Murakawa Daisuke * • 2015 — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Ida Atsushi — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2016 — Iyama Yuta — Takao Shinji — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2017 — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2018 — Iyama Yuta — Cho U — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Kyo Kagen — Iyama Yuta • 2019 — Iyama Yuta — Shibano Toramaru — Iyama Yuta — Murakawa Daisuke * — Iyama Yuta — Hane Naoki — Shibano Toramaru • 2020 — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Shibano Toramaru — Ichiriki Ryo — Ichiriki Ryo — Shibano Toramaru • 2021 — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta — Kyo Kagen — Seki Kotaro — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2022 — Ichiriki Ryo — Shibano Toramaru — Iyama Yuta — Kyo Kagen — Seki Kotaro — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2023 — Ichiriki Ryo — Shibano Toramaru — Ichiriki Ryo — Shibano Toramaru — Ichiriki Ryo — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2024 — Ichiriki Ryo — Ichiriki Ryo — Ichiriki Ryo — Iyama Yuta — Ichiriki Ryo — Iyama Yuta — Iyama Yuta • 2025 — Ichiriki Ryo — Ichiriki Ryo — Ichiriki Ryo — Shibano Toramaru — Ichiriki Ryo — Iyama Yuta — Ichiriki Ryo • 2026 — Shibano Toramaru — Shibano Toramaru • Year — Kisei — Meijin — Honinbo — Judan — Tengen — Gosei — Ōza

• 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