J:COM Cup Children's Shogi Tournament
J:COM has been holding the "J:COM Cup March Comes in Like a Lion Children's Shogi Tournament" since 2012 in order to help elementary and junior high school students discover the joy of shogi, and to serve as a stepping stone for those aspiring to become future shogi players.
Initially, the regional tournament was held only in J:COM service areas, but in 2019 it began to be held in the Tokai and Chugoku regions as well. Going forward, we will continue to help create opportunities for children to aim to become professional shogi players through this tournament.
Organizer: Organizer: J:COM, Go&Shogi Channel / Co-organizer: Japan Shogi Association / Cooperation: Hakusensha
The 14th tournament will be held from July 21st (Monday, holiday) to October 13th (Monday, holiday), with regional tournaments in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Tokai, Kansai, Chugoku, and Kyushu. The national tournament featuring the top performers from each regional tournament will be held on November 8th (Saturday) at the Shogi Kaikan in Tokyo. We are currently accepting participants for the regional tournament. Please see the official tournament website for details.
- *"Past tournament records" and "Special programs on past national tournaments" have been moved to the official website of the Children's Shogi Tournament.
About the tournament
This tournament is divided into a "Exchange Class" for beginners and a "National Class" aiming for the national tournament.
Gorgeous professional shogi players will come to each regional tournament, and in addition to tournament games, you can enjoy events such as professional shogi coaching games and large-scale commentary.
National class game
Exchange class game
Professional shogi player instruction game
Large board commentary
Manga "March Comes In like a Lion"
browsing corner
App "Shogi Wars"
Experience corner
Thoughts put into the tournament
We would like to introduce the story behind the creation of the "J:COM Cup March Comes in Like a Lion Children's Shogi Tournament."
The award ceremony for the 1st tournament
From the top left, the late Yonenaga Eisei Kisei, J:COM Taguchi
Bottom row Ehoto Osogaguchi (1st tournament Recipient)
This tournament was born from a comment made by the late Eternal Kisei Yoshinaga (former president of the Japan Shogi Association).
At an inauguration ceremony party, J:COM executive greeted Chairman Yoshinaga (at the time, hereafter the same) and said he wanted to have a long talk, so he visited Chairman Yoshinaga at the Shogi Kaikan later, where he spoke to him about the title match.
In subsequent meetings, it was discovered that the Japan Shogi Association's policy of promoting the game and J:COM 's desire to support children's challenges were in agreement, leading to the current children's shogi tournament.
Thanks to the support of the Japan Shogi Association and the Go/Shogi Channel, as well as the enthusiastic children and parents, the tournament has become even more successful, with a unique feature not found in other tournaments in which elementary and junior high school students can advance from regional qualifiers to the national tournament, as well as a host of impressive guest players, and has come to be regarded as one of the stepping stones to becoming a professional shogi player.
Chairman Yonenaga subsequently fell ill and stayed away from official events, but he attended as guest of honor at the awards ceremony for the first tournament, which was held at Tokyo Skytree in July 2012. Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly in December of that year, but we regard this tournament as one of the last teachings of Professor Yonenaga.
In order to further the prosperity of the shogi world, we will continue to host each tournament with care and dedication, as a way to contribute even a little to the development of children who aim to become professional shogi players.
Support for Shoreikai and presentation of the "J:COM Award"
Supporting Shoreikai and presenting the “J:COM Award” to young people who are responsible for the Japanese shogi world
J:COM makes a donation every year so that it can be used for the operation of Shoreikai player training organization within the Japan Shogi Association. We are the first company to support Shoreikai. In addition, the "J:COM Award" will be presented as an item that can be used to praise the dedication and efforts of those who are newly promoted to 4th dan, and can support their success as a shogi player. We presented a suit tailoring ticket in 2021, hoping that you will wear it at the next big game.
The "J:COM Award" will be presented mainly at the venue of the "J:COM Cup March Comes In like a Lion Children's Shogi Tournament" in the hope that it will become a target for children participating in the tournament. .
Normally, 4 students from Shoreikai become professional shogi players each year, and in principle, the age limit is 26 years old. J:COM will continue to support young people who are single-mindedly working toward the narrow gate of becoming a professional shogi player.
Reference: August 3, 2021 News Release (309KB)
J:COM Award Recipient
- ※Titles omitted
| Award year | Shoreikai 3rd Dan League | New 4th Dan Promoter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Year 2025 | 76th | Yuki Saito | Toshiki Sumizaki |
| 2024 | 75th | Ehoto Osogaguchi | Ryuuma Yoshiike |
| 74th | Taiki Yamakawa | Yujirou Takahashi | |
| 2023 | 73rd | Kenta Miyajima | Hirotoshi Ueno |
| 72nd | Naoki Koyama | Saito Morimoto | |
| Kanta Masegi | ー | ||
| Shogi player transfer exam | Leo Koyama | ||
| 2022 | 71st | Nagisa Fujimoto | Yuya saito |
| 70th | Reo Okabe | Kenshi Tokuda | |
| 2021 | 69th | Yuki Yokoyama | Mikio Kariyama |
| 68th | Akihiro Ida | Akihiro Takada | |
2025 Presentation Ceremony
Yuki Saito 4th Dan
(2025/7/21 Hokkaido Children's Shogi Tournament)
Award comment
I started playing shogi because of a shogi board that my grandfather, a carpenter, made as a hobby. As my house was close by, he taught me how to play shogi and little by little, I became fascinated with the game and started attending classes. At the time, I was a quiet child who would simply nod along to my teacher's advice, but it seemed that shogi, which I could immerse myself in in a quiet environment, suited me. I participated in a national tournament representing Hokkaido and while interacting with the other participants, I learned about the existence of Shoreikai, and with the support of those around me, I decided to take the exam. At first, I had little intention of becoming a professional, but the frustration of failing the first exam became my driving force to seriously pursue it.
I experienced many hardships in Shoreikai. I was depressed when I was demoted from 2-dan to 1-dan when I moved to Tokyo from Hokkaido and started living alone. I also found it difficult to enjoy things when I was on the verge of quitting due to the age limit. However, by participating in instruction meetings, I met people who supported me, and their cheers were a great encouragement that supported me in my lonely battle. And the friendships with my peers who shared the same goal were a great support, and enjoying playing shogi together encouraged me.
After being promoted to 4th dan, I feel happy to be able to play on the front stage, and I thoroughly enjoy playing shogi and interacting with my fans. My next goal is to enter the main tournament and express my gratitude to the fans who support me. Shogi is important to me, and I would like to continue working towards my goal in order to give back to those who have supported me. However, I also need to take a break, so I sometimes go on long trips to go hiking and get in touch with nature to forget about shogi. Recently I climbed Mount Takao and Mount Jinba, which is further in the distance.
I want to tell children who enjoy playing shogi that it's important to enjoy it without straining yourself, not just to focus on the results. If you keep going without giving up, you'll naturally get a chance to take the entrance exam for Shoreikai. It took me many years to achieve my dream. I hope they'll see themselves and gain confidence.
From the left J:COM Ohashi, Saito Yuki 4th Dan
