Students Enjoy Shogi Festival in Hokkaido, Get Tips from Professionals
12:07 JST, November 22, 2023
OTARU, Hokkaido — A shogi festival was held on Nov. 4 in Otaru, Hokkaido, to commemorate the city’s hosting of the fourth round of the 36th Ryuo shogi tournament, sponsored by The Yomiuri Shimbun.
About 250 shogi fans visited the Otaru Shogi Festival, which was held on the seventh floor of the Otaru Keizai Center building.
Seventy participants from across Hokkaido competed in the Mayor’s Cup shogi tournament for elementary and junior high school students, the festival’s main event. Mitsuki Umezawa, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Pippu Chuo Gakko elementary school in Pippu, won the “free class” division for dan-ranked players while Jo Mizutani, a 9-year-old third grade student at Kosai Elementary School in Sapporo, won the division for kyu-ranked players. Umezawa gave welcome flowers to Ryuo titleholder Sota Fujii at an event on the eve of the Ryuo title match on Nov. 9.
“I’m glad! I didn’t think I would win the tournament. It’s an honor to give flowers to the Ryuo titleholder,” Umezawa said.
“I’m happy that I was able to think carefully at key points,” Mizutani said smiling. “I’d like to continue to aim for higher goals.”
On the day, fifth-dan professional player Wataru Kamimura and joryu-second-dan player Akiko Nakakura also participated in a teaching game event. In the opening ceremony, Kamimura brought laughter to the audience at the venue by impersonating Fujii and ninth-dan player Hifumi Kato, helping participants relax. Yui Nihonyanagi, a 9-year-old fourth grade student at Sapporo Nishi Elementary School who was instructed by Nakakura, said, “She’s a kind teacher. She’s easy to understand and I learned a lot from her.”
At the venue, a workshop for beginners was also held and players of all ages enjoyed playing shogi.
Many visitors tried “tsume shogi” checkmate puzzles and “next move” quizzes for prizes. Twenty were chosen by lottery from those who gave correct answers, and received sensu folding fans, whose theme is the Ryuo title tournament.
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Famous Weeping Cherry Tree in Full Blossom in Fukushima Pref. Town
-
Furano Increasingly Becoming the Cool Place to Be for Foreign Skiers; International Visitors Drawn to Powder Snow
-
Traditional Japanese Knife Store in Tokyo’s Ningyocho District Dates to Edo Period
-
Tokyo Station’s Reconstructed Domes Bring Back Prestigious Tradition; Station Building Hotel Loved by Literary Giants
-
Mysterious Charm of Eye-Catching General Store Draws People In; Said to Have Several Thousand Items
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- Tsunami Advisory for Okinawa Lifted at Noon (UPDATE 2)