Go Players Ichiriki, Shibano Inspect Hawaiian Hotel Venue for Kisei Title Series

By Takeshi Eguchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:40 JST, January 22, 2026

HONOLULU — Kisei title holder Ryo Ichiriki and challenger Toramaru Shibano on Wednesday inspected a hotel room in Honolulu where they will play the first match in their best-of-seven Go series the following day.

Ichiriki, 28, is aiming to win his fifth straight Kisei title. Judan title holder Shibano, 26, will try to capture his first Kisei title. They arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday.

The match will be played in an ocean view suite at the Prince Waikiki hotel on the island of Oahu. Go matches are typically held in tatami mat rooms.

After enjoying sightseeing, Ichiriki and Shibano visited the room at around 3:30 p.m. to confirm the room temperature and sunlight conditions, among other things.

The match will start at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The Kisei title series is sponsored by The Yomiuri Shimbun and held with the special support of Suntory Holdings Ltd.