was a professional 9-dan

Dan rank

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

 Japanese professional Go

Go (board game)

Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...

 player

Go players

This page gives an overview of well-known players of the game of Go throughout the ages. The page has been divided into sections based on the era in which the Go players played and the country in which they played. As this was not necessarily their country of birth, a flag of that country precedes...

.

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

Kansai Ki-in

The Kansai Ki-in , i.e., Kansai Go Association, is an organizational body for the game of Go in Japan, which was founded by Hashimoto Utaro in 1950...

, so Sakata was under pressure to win the title back for the Nihon Ki-in

Nihon Ki-in

The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...

. Sakata started out well, winning three of the first four games, but Hashimoto fought back and won the final four games, and so kept the Hon'inbō title. Afterwards, Sakata went on to win a couple of small titles which were the start of a meteoric run of major wins in which he won almost all of the titles in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 except the Hon'inbō

Honinbo

Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....

. In 1961 he was once again the challenger for the Hon'inbō. His opponent, Takagawa Kaku, had held the title for nine years straight. Sakata won the Hon'inbō and then, in 1963, captured the 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 :...

, making Sakata the first player to simultaneously hold both titles (which at the time were the biggest titles in Japan). Sakata's strongest year was 1964, when he won 30 games and lost only two and held seven major titles: Meijin, Honinbo, Nihon Ki-in Championship

Nihon Ki-In Championship

The Nihon Ki-In Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament ran from 1954 to 1975. It was later merged with the Kansai Ki-In Championship to form the Tengen.-Past winners:...

, Asahi Pro Best Ten

Asahi Pro Best Ten

The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:...

, Oza

Oza

is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners...

, Nihon Kiin#1, and NHK Cup

NHK Cup

The NHK Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The NHK Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. The tournament is televised on the NHK network. Before 1963, the competition was broadcasted on the radio. The winner's purse is 5,000,000 Yen .-Past winners:...

.

Sakata's professional career waned in 1965. Sakata's challenger for the 1965 Meijin was 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...

, who at the time was just 23 years old. Sakata was the overwhelming favorite, but Rin won the title. Sakata challenged two years in a row but could not win the Meijin back. Rin then went on to take the Hon'inbō from Sakata. Although Sakata suffered defeats for these top titles, he went on to win many other titles, including the Judan

Judan

Judan can refer to:# The 10th degree black belt in Dan rank in Japan,# Judan : a Go competition in Japan,# A Shogi competition in Japan between 1962 and 1987. Now it was changed Ryu-oh....

 and Oza.

Sakata wrote many books in Japanese; several have been translated into English, including Modern Joseki and Fuseki, The Middle Game of Go, Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go and Killer of Go.

Sakata died on October 22, 2010 at the age of 90.

Titles and runners-up

Ranks #2 in total amount of titles in Japan.

Title	Years Held
Current	32
Honinbō Honinbo Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....	1961–1967
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:...	1966–1968, 1972, 1973
Oza Oza is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners...	1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1970–1972
NEC Cup NEC Cup The NEC Cup is a Go competition, supported by NEC Corporation.-Biography:The NEC Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. Unlike the big three titles in Japan, the NEC Cup is a single knockout tournament where players have less time to think. The field of challengers is 16...	1982
NHK Cup NHK Cup The NHK Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The NHK Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. The tournament is televised on the NHK network. Before 1963, the competition was broadcasted on the radio. The winner's purse is 5,000,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	1957–1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1976, 1977
Defunct	22
Old Meijin Old Meijin - Outline :The Old Meijin was the same tournament as the current Meijin. The reason it is called the Old Mejin is because before 1976, the Meijin tournament was hosted by Yomiuri Shimbun. In 1976, Yomiuri Shimbun stopped hosting the Meijin, and started the Kisei. The Meijin tournament then was...	1963, 1964
Hayago Meijin Hayago Meijin The Hayago Meijin was a Go competition.- Outline :The Hayago Meijin was decided in a best-of-three match. Each player had 4 hours to think. The challenger was decided in a knockout of 32 players. The thinking time in the knockout was 3 hours. The tournament became the Judan in 1962.- Past Winners...	1956
Hayago Championship Hayago Championship The Hayago Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The Hayago Championship was a hayago tournament, where each player had to make moves within 10 seconds. The tournament was sponsored by TV Tokyo.-Past winners:...	1982
Nihon-Kiin Championship	1955–1961, 1964, 1965, 1973–1975
Asahi Pro Best Ten Asahi Pro Best Ten The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:...	1964, 1967
Asahi Top Position Asahi Top Position The Asahi Top Position was a Go competition.-Outline:The final of the Top Position tournament would be a best of five with 10 hours of thinking time. There was no komi, unless the match had to be played out all 5 games, which then would be played with a 4.5 komi. The preliminaries also had no komi...	1955, 1959, 1961
Igo Senshuken Igo Senshuken - Outline :The final of the Igo Senshuken was decided in a best-of-five match. Each player had 6 hours to think. The challengers came from a knock-out with 16 players.- Past winners and runners-up :...	1958

Title	Years Lost
Current	15
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 :...	1979
Honinbō Honinbo Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....	1951, 1968, 1970, 1975
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:...	1969, 1974, 1977
Oza Oza is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners...	1956, 1968, 1973
NEC Cup NEC Cup The NEC Cup is a Go competition, supported by NEC Corporation.-Biography:The NEC Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. Unlike the big three titles in Japan, the NEC Cup is a single knockout tournament where players have less time to think. The field of challengers is 16...	1983
NHK Cup NHK Cup The NHK Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The NHK Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. The tournament is televised on the NHK network. Before 1963, the competition was broadcasted on the radio. The winner's purse is 5,000,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	1956, 1970
Defunct	9
Old Meijin Old Meijin - Outline :The Old Meijin was the same tournament as the current Meijin. The reason it is called the Old Mejin is because before 1976, the Meijin tournament was hosted by Yomiuri Shimbun. In 1976, Yomiuri Shimbun stopped hosting the Meijin, and started the Kisei. The Meijin tournament then was...	1965–1967
Hayago Championship Hayago Championship The Hayago Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The Hayago Championship was a hayago tournament, where each player had to make moves within 10 seconds. The tournament was sponsored by TV Tokyo.-Past winners:...	1975
Nihon-Kiin Championship	1962, 1966
Asahi Pro Best Ten Asahi Pro Best Ten The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:...	1968
Asahi Top Position Asahi Top Position The Asahi Top Position was a Go competition.-Outline:The final of the Top Position tournament would be a best of five with 10 hours of thinking time. There was no komi, unless the match had to be played out all 5 games, which then would be played with a 4.5 komi. The preliminaries also had no komi...	1957, 1960

Books

• Modern Joseki and Fuseki, Vol. 1: Parallel Fuseki, Ishi Press 1968, reprinted 2006 ISBN 0-923891-75-7
• Modern Joseki and Fuseki, Vol. 2: The Opening Theory of Go, Ishi Press 1971, reprinted 2006 ISBN 0-923891-76-5
• The Middle Game of Go or "Chubansen", Ishi Press, 1971, ISBN 0-923891-77-3

External links

• http://senseis.xmp.net/?SakataEio
• http://gobase.org/information/players/?pp=Sakata%20Eio
• http://www.andromeda.com/people/ddyer/age-summer-94/encounter.html
• http://www.xs4all.nl/~rongen17/Cho/Player/Sakata.html