The 1st Kisei

Kisei

The Kisei is a Go competition. The title, meaning go sage in Japanese, was a traditional honorary appellation given to a handful of players down the centuries. The element ki can also apply to shogi, and there were also recognized kisei in the shogi world.-Background:Kisei is a Go competition...

was the birth of a new Go tournament. Since this was the first year of the tournament, there was no set challenger or holder. From the 2nd edition on, there has been a playoff between challengers. At the time, it was the highest paying tournament there had ever been, and would be up until the creation of the Ing Cup

Ing Cup

-Outline:The Ing Cup is sponsored by Ing, Yomiuri Shimbun, the Nihon-Kiin, and Kansai-Kiin, and held every 4 years. The competition has its own rules and an 8 point komi. The time allotment is 3.5 hours for each player, while players are available to buy an extra 35 minutes for an additional 2...

. Fujisawa Hideyuki's win would mark the beginning of a six year defense of the Kisei title from 1977 to 1982.

Tournament

Cho Chikun

Cho Chikun

Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row...

 was eliminated in the preliminary stages by Yutaka Shiraishi. Eleven players competed in the main tournament: Yoshio Ishida

Yoshio Ishida

is a professional Go player.- Biography :By the time he was 8, Ishida started learning Go. He was a student at the legendary Kitani Minoru go school. Famous along with his fellow students Cho Chikun, Kobayashi Koichi, Kato Masao, and Takemiya Masaki. Alike his fellow students, he joined the dojo at...

, Masaki Takemiya

Masaki Takemiya

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Masaki Takemiya was born in Japan. He became one of the many disciples of the Minoru Kitani school. His rise to fame began when he was only 15 years old. By the time he was 15, he was already 5 dan. He earned the nickname "9 dan killer" because he won...

 Honinbo

Honinbo Tournament

The Honinbo is a Go competition.-Outline:It is the oldest Go title in Japan. Sponsored by Mainichi Shimbun, the Honinbo pays out ¥32 million . The holder is challenged by whoever wins the round robin league. Players can get into the round robin league by going through many preliminary tournaments...

, Utaro Hashimoto

Utaro Hashimoto

was a professional Go player.- Biography :Hashimoto became a pro in 1922 when he was 15. He would win the Honinbō 3 times before finally reaching 9p in 1954. He founded the Kansai Ki-in in 1950.- Titles and runner-ups:...

, Eio Sakata

Eio Sakata

was a professional 9-dan Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Sakata became a professional Go player in 1935. His first title match was the Hon'inbō in 1951 when he challenged Hashimoto Utaro. At the time, Hon'inbō started the Kansai Ki-in, so Sakata was under pressure to win the title back...

 and Hideo Otake

Hideo Otake

is a Japanese Go player.- Biography :Otake was born in Kitakyūshū City, Japan. He joined the legendary Kitani Minoru school when he was 9, and quickly rose up the ranks to turn professional in 1956, when he was 14. He progressed swiftly, achieving 9 dan in 1970...

 Meijin

Meijin

Meijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...

 were seeded into the quarter-finals. Masao Kato

Masao Kato

- Titles and runners-up :Ranks #4 in total amount of titles in Japan.-Books:*Kato's Attack and Kill ISBN 4-87187-027-2*The Chinese Opening ISBN 4-906574-33-5-External links:...

 Judan

Judan (Go)

The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...

, Hideyuki Fujisawa

Hideyuki Fujisawa

, also known as Shuko Fujisawa, was a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Hideyuki Fujisawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. He was one of the best players during his era. One of the "Three Crows" along with Yamabe Toshiro and Keizo Suzuki...

 Tengen

Tengen (Go)

Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....

, Shuzo Ohira

Shuzo Ohira

was a professional Go player.- Biography :Ohira was born in Gifu, Japan. Taken under the wing of the prolific Kitani Minoru in 1941, Ohira quickly rose above in rank. By 1947, he had obtained professional 1 dan, being promoted to 2 dan in the same year. By 1955 he was 6 dan, and by 1963 he reached...

, Koichi Kobayashi

Koichi Kobayashi

is a Go player.- Biography :Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. He was one of the more famous disciples of the legendary Minoru Kitani; he studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He would go on and marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani , a...

, Rin Kaiho

Rin Kaiho

Rin Kaiho is a professional Go player.-Biography:Rin Kaiho was born in Shanghai, China. He was a student of Go Seigen when Go brought him to Japan in 1952. He was a promising player who won his first title at the age of 23, the Meijin. He is also part of the 1200 win group...

 and Yutaka Shiraishi were matched up in the first round.

Hideyuki and Utaro reached the best of seven finals. Hideyuki took the first game, but lost the second. He then won three in a row and won his first of six straight titles.

Finals

Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	T
Hideyuki Fujisawa Hideyuki Fujisawa , also known as Shuko Fujisawa, was a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Hideyuki Fujisawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. He was one of the best players during his era. One of the "Three Crows" along with Yamabe Toshiro and Keizo Suzuki...	W+R		W+1.5	W+5.5	W+R			4
Utaro Hashimoto Utaro Hashimoto was a professional Go player.- Biography :Hashimoto became a pro in 1922 when he was 15. He would win the Honinbō 3 times before finally reaching 9p in 1954. He founded the Kansai Ki-in in 1950.- Titles and runner-ups:...		W+R						1