is a Japanese

professional shogi player A professional shogi player (将棋棋士 ''shōgi kishi'' or プロ棋士 ''puro kishi'' "professional player") is a shogi player who is usually a member of a professional guild of shogi players. There are two categories of professional playe ...

ranked 6- dan.

Early life and apprentice professional

Murata was born on July 14, 1986, in

Uozu, Toyama is a Cities of Japan, city in the eastern part of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,224 in 16,811 households and a population density of 210 persons per km2. Its total area was . Geography Uozu lies in be ...

. He learned how to play shogi when he was about five years old from his father. In 1998, Murata took the entrance exam for the

Japan Shogi Association The , or JSA, is the primary organizing body for professional shogi in Japan. The JSA sets the professional calendar, negotiates sponsorship and media promotion deals, helps organize tournaments and title matches, publishes shogi-related materia ...

's apprentice school, but failed; he tried again the following year and was accepted at the rank of 6-

kyū is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in Japanese tea ceremony, tea ceremony, ikebana, flower arranging, Go (game), Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, leve ...

under the guidance of shogi professional . Murata was promoted to the rank of 3-dan in 2004 at the age of eighteen, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan three years later after winning the 41st 3-dan League with a record of 15 wins and 3 losses.

Shogi professional

Promotion history

Murata's promotion history is as follows: * 6-

: September 1999 * 4-dan: October 1, 2007 * 5-dan: March 6, 2012 * 6-dan: November 7, 2017

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Murata, Akihiro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murata, Akihiro Japanese shogi players Japan Shogi Association players Living people Shogi players from Toyama Prefecture People from Uozu, Toyama 1986 births