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 8- dan.

Early life and apprenticeship

Izumi was born on January 11, 1961, in

Nerima is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Nerima City. , the ward has an estimated population of 721,858, with 323,296 households and a population density of 15,013 persons ...

, Tokyo. He 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 under the guidance of shogi professional 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 ...

in 1973. He was promoted to 1-dan in 1977 and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in August 1980.

Shogi professional

Izumi is a member of the so-called (55年組), a group of eight strong players that become professional in 1980–1981 ( Year 55 of the

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

) and won numerous shogi tournaments. Others in the group include Yoshikazu Minami,

Osamu Nakamura is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9- dan. He is a two-time winner of the Ōshō title, and the current president of the . Early life Osamu Nakamura was born in Machida, Tokyo on November 7, 1962. In 1976, he won the , and that sam ...

, Michio Takahashi,

Akira Shima is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9- dan. He was the first Ryūō title holder and is also a former managing director of the Japan Shogi Association. Shogi professional Shima is a member of the so-called ''Shōwa 55'' group (55年 ...

Hiroshi Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor, singer and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. He is best known for the voice of Levi Ackerman in ''Attack on Titan'', Koyomi Araragi in the ''Monogatari'' series, Trafalgar Law in ''One Piece'', Mephisto Phe ...

Yasuaki Tsukada is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9- dan. He is a former Ōza title holder and the inventor of the influential Tsukada Special strategy, which he used to win numerous games in the 1980s, is named after him. Early life, amateur sho ...

, and . Izumi became the 51st shogi professional to win 600 official games when he defeated

Kōichi Kinoshita is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of rank 7-Dan (rank)#Modern usage in shogi, dan. Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship Kinoshita was born in Nagano Prefecture on August 29, 1967. As a Secondary educat ...

in a 59th Ōi tournament preliminary round game on October 4, 2017. In March 2019, Izumi voluntarily declared himself as a '' free class'' player, thus leaving the Meijin tournament league.

Promotion history

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

: 1973 * 1-dan: 1977 * 4-dan: August 20, 1980 * 5-dan: April 26, 1985 * 6-dan: June 23, 1989 * 7-dan: October 9, 1997 * 8-dan: July 4, 2013

Awards and honors

Izumi received the Japan Shogi Association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2005 in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years, and the "Shogi Honor Award" in 2017 in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional.

References

External links

* ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Izumi, Masaki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izumi, Masaki Japanese shogi players Japan Shogi Association players Free class shogi players Living people Professional shogi players from Tokyo People from Nerima 1961 births