J:COM Cup Children's Shogi Tournament

Award comment

I participated in the first J:COM Cup Children's Shogi Tournament National Tournament, and I remember how happy I was when I won the Osaka tournament and was able to go to the national tournament for the first time, and go to Tokyo. I think that winning the national tournament gave me confidence and led to joining Shoreikai.
At the award ceremony at that time, Mr. Kunio Yonenaga said to me, "This kid can become as good as (Mr.) Hanyu," and hearing that from a superstar really motivated me.
I have had a lot of respect for Mr. Yonenaga even before I met him. He is fun, relaxed and natural, and his game records are full of sharp moves, which is very appealing.

When I was promoted to the 3rd Dan League, I struggled to win, but I made an effort to spend more time playing shogi and to gather and analyze information about my opponents. What encouraged me during those difficult times was the presence of people who watched over me from behind the scenes and supported me for a long time, even though I didn't know them. I hope to continue to be able to give good news to those people.

I am currently researching ultra-microscopic techniques to observe synapses in the brain and nerves at university. While continuing my career as a shogi player, I would like to unravel as many diseases as possible.
Surprisingly, I was able to balance my university research and shogi in terms of schedule, and I was thinking about how to brush up on my shogi and make myself stronger. In particular, after I reached the first rank just before the age limit, I analyzed my own game records and tried to make fundamental changes. I am usually engrossed in my research and shogi, but I find it refreshing to ride my bicycle to school while feeling the dry breeze of Akagi in Gunma.

Being a professional shogi player is a long-term career, so I want to take care of my health and win a big tournament. I want to keep improving with each game, and eventually I want to win a shogi tournament.

I envy the fresh minds of elementary and junior high school students who are enjoying playing shogi today. If I could, I would like to go back and train myself again from scratch. I think you all have that chance, so I hope you will keep thinking until your mind gets hot and improve your shogi skills. I think that logical thinking ability and the experience of working hard will be useful for a lifetime.

Award comment

When I was in the first grade of elementary school, a friend at after-school school taught me shogi, and I found it interesting, so I asked my parents to let me go to classes and dojos. When I participated in the Kanagawa tournament of the J:COM Cup, I was very disappointed that I came in second, but I remember having fun playing with the side pawn capture style. Suzuki Daisuke was the commentator in the final, and I remember that while I was concentrating on the game, his commentary was entertaining.

There was a period of about two and a half years when I was unable to move up from 2nd dan to 3rd dan. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had no time to talk or play with my friends at school, and this combined with the period when I couldn't win made it very difficult.
At that time, a friend told me, "Don't worry, I believe you'll make it someday," and I was very happy and encouraged by those words. My parents had always told me, "Do what you like," since I was in elementary school, so I thought I would focus on shogi. Most of my friends are university students, and they support me in this challenge.

The shogi player I respect is Takuya Nagase, 9th dan. When we were in the study group together, I could feel his passion that I can't put into words, and I think it was because of those experiences that I was able to become a professional. It's not easy to imitate him, but I would like to get closer to him in terms of my awareness.

In the future, I will have the opportunity to play against various other professional shogi players, so I hope to have fun while racking up wins and eventually become a professional shogi player who can win a title.

Apart from shogi, my hobby is watching soccer. I particularly like watching Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who runs with all his might and is good at counter attacks.
My favorite strategy in shogi is "Migigama," which I've been playing for a long time and still play sometimes today. It's a strategy that lets the opponent attack, and then suddenly goes on the offensive in return, making it a true counter strategy.

In shogi, sometimes the fear of losing outweighs the enjoyment, but I think it's important to play casually and without worrying too much. I want the children who participate in the tournament to remember that they are playing shogi because it's fun.