is a Japanese retired

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 ...

who achieved the rank of rank 7-

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa ** Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivo ...

Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship

Kinoshita was born in

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

on August 29, 1967. As a junior high school student, he won the 3rd in 1982, and later that same year entered 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 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 . He was promoted to apprentice professional 1-dan in 1984, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in 1988.

Shogi professional

In March 2009, Kinoshita declared his intention to the Japan Shogi Association to become a Free Class player as of April 2009. On April 1, 2025, the announced Kinoshita had met the conditions for mandatory retirement for " Free Class" players and his retirement would become official upon completion of his final scheduled game of the 20252024 shogi season. Kinoshita's retirement became official upon losing to

Hiroshi Okazaki is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7- dan. Shogi professional Promotion history The promotion history for Okazaki is as follows: * 6-kyū is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in Japanes ...

on April 23, 2025, in a 38th Ryūō Group 6 game. He finished his career with a record of 369 wins and 530 losses for a winning percentage of 0.410.

Promotion history

The promotion history for Kinoshita is as follows: * 6-

: 1982 * 1-dan: 1984 * 4-dan: April 1, 1988 * 5-dan: June 8, 1993 * 6-dan: February 19, 2001 * 7-dan: April 1, 2017 * Retired: April 23, 2025

Awards and honors

Kinoshita received the Japan Shogi Association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2012 for being an active professional for 25 years.

References

External links

* ShogiHub
Kinoshita, Koichi
Japanese shogi players Japan Shogi Association players Free class shogi players Living people Professional shogi players from Nagano Prefecture 1967 births {{shogi-stub