, also known as Shuko Fujisawa, was a 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

Hideyuki Fujisawa was born in Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, 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...

. He was one of the best players during his era. One of the "Three Crows" along with Yamabe Toshiro and Keizo Suzuki

Keizo Suzuki

was a professional Go player.-Biography:Keizo Suzuki was a promising Japanese go player - one of the "Three Crows" of the 1940s and early 50's. He died a premature death at 18 from tuberculosis.-External links:**...

 (and later Takeo Kajiwara

Takeo Kajiwara

was a professional Go player.- Biography :Kajiwara studied under Riichi Sekiyama 9 dan until Kajiwara became a 1 dan in the autumn of 1937. He was promoted to 9 dan in 1965. Kajiwara left the Nihon Ki-in in 1947 with seven other professionals to create a rival organization, the Igo Shisha. He...

). Even though he was known more for his controversial acts, such as having a bad drinking habit, the most important thing that shone through about Fujisawa was his Go

Go (board game)

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

 skill. Besides Go, he was known to gamble and was a successful real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 dealer. He was also known for his calligraphy

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...

 and had several exhibits of his works. He also stated in his autobiography, although he didn't mind being called Shuko, he'd prefer to be called Hideyuki.

Early go life

Fujisawa turned pro in 1940 and reached 9 dan in 1963. He won his first major title in 1962, 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 :...

. He then won two 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:...

 titles in 1965 and 1968. He won his second major title, the 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...

, which he held for three consecutive years from 1967 to 1969. The same year that he lost the Oza, he won the NHK Cup. He didn't win the NHK Cup again until 1981. The Meijin title was Fujisawa's again when he won it in 1970. He then went on a dry streak of titles. By 1976, he won his first title since the Meijin in 1970, the 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....

.

The top of Japanese go

Fujisawa went on to surprise critics as he won the 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...

 title six straight years from 1976 to 1982. It's been said that during these Kisei runs in the 70's and 80's, Fujisawa would drink for 9 months straight, then sober

Sobriety

Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...

 up for his title defense late in the year. By 1980, nobody thought anyone else but Fujisawa would win the Kisei, but that was silenced when he finally lost it to 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...

 in 1982. He won the first 3 games, controlling each and every move Cho made. It looked like Fujisawa would hold the Kisei for the 7th year in a row, but Cho fought back and won the last four games, Fujisawa making a blunder in a winning position in the seventh game. After his run of consecutive Kisei titles, the Japanese Nihon-Kiin awarded him Honorary Kisei. He was known to play a very flexible fuseki

Fuseki

Fuseki is the whole board opening in the game of Go.-Less systematic:Since each move is typically isolated and unforced , patterns for play on the whole board have seen much less systematic study than for Joseki, which are often contact moves which require specific and immediate responses...

 but was infamous for making errors ("poka") later in the game. The saying was that Fujisawa Shuko plays the best first 50 moves. Of course that might not apply by today's standards because professional go talent has risen greatly decade after decade due to popularization of the game in South Korea and elsewhere.

Later on down the road

Fujisawa wouldn't win another title until ten years later. He again won the Oza and held it for two years at the age of 67. He thus set a record for the oldest player to defend a title, a record which holds to this day. In October 1998, he decided to retire from the Go world at the age of 74. The following year Fujisawa was expelled from the Nihon Ki-in for selling unsanctioned rank diplomas to amateurs in protest against what he considered improper Ki-in policies. In June, 2003, the dispute was resolved and Fujisawa was reinstated to the Ki-in.

He died of aspiration pneumonia

Aspiration pneumonia

Aspiration pneumonia is bronchopneumonia that develops due to the entrance of foreign materials into the bronchial tree, usually oral or gastric contents...

 in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 on May 8, 2009.

Students

Fujisawa was the teacher of some of today's leading professionals in Japan, including Shinji Takao

Shinji Takao

is a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Shinji Takao is one of Japan's best Go players. He turned professional in 1991. He won the Honinbo tournament in 2005 by a half point in the last game...

, Tomoyasu Mimura

Tomoyasu Mimura

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Mimura became a professional in 1986. He was promoted to 9 dan in 2000. He is married to Makihata Taeko.- Promotion record :- Titles and runners-up :-External Links:**...

, and his own son Kazunari Fujisawa.

Moreover, he also contributes hugely in Go outside Japan. He put enormous effort to Chinese Go despite his own economic hardtime. Most of the greatest China players including Nie Weiping

Nie Weiping

Nie Weiping in Shen, Hebei, China) is a professional Go player.- Biography :Nie began learning Go at the age of nine and won the inaugural World Amateur Go Championship in 1979. Nie was given 9 dan rank in 1982. He became famous in the Go world after leading China to victory in the China-Japan...

, Chen Zude

Chen Zude

Chen Zude is a Chinese professional Go player. He was also the President of the Chinese Chess Association.-Go career:...

, Chang Hao

Chang Hao

Chang Hao is a professional Go player. He is a 9 dan Go player from China. He is China's best player of the 1990s and one of the best in the world. Growing up he was a prodigy in China. He has won many titles, two of them international titles. He is best friends with Lee Chang-ho, whom he most...

, Ma Xiaochun

Ma Xiaochun

Ma Xiaochun is a Chinese professional Go player.- Biography :Ma was born in Zhejiang, China. He began playing Go at the age of nine and was awarded 7 dan rank in 1982. In 1983, Ma was promoted to 9 dan. He visited Japan in 1982 and later won the World Amateur Go Championship in 1983...

 are all influenced deeply by Fujisawa. The great help he did to Chinese Go player even aroused Japan's opposite : China won most (9 out of 13) of China-Japan Supermatches

China-Japan Supermatches

The China-Japan Supermatches was a Go competition.-Outline:The China-Japan Supermatches were a series of team competition between China and Japan in the board game of Go. The tournament was hosted by NEC; it began in 1984, and has been held 13 times until 1997. It was held one last time in 2000...

, and many of its winners are Fujisawa's students.

Titles and runners-up

Ranks #9 in total amount of titles in Japan.

Title	Years Held
Current	14
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...	1977–1982
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...	1967–1969, 1991, 1992
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....	1976
NHK Cup	1969, 1981
Defunct	6
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...	1962, 1970
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:...	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...	1960
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:...	1965, 1968

Title	Years Lost
Current	10
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...	1983
Honinbo 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....	1960, 1966
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....	1968
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....	1978
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...	1970, 1993
NHK Cup	1963, 1964, 1966
Defunct	10
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, 1971, 1972
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:...	1978
Nihon-Kiin Championship	1961
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...	1961
Asahi Top Eight Players Asahi Top Eight Players The Asahi Top Eight Players was a Go competition.-Outline:The final was a best-of-three match. This tournament was short-lived, being played only one year....	1976
Dai-ichi Dai-ichi (Go competition) The Dai-ichi was a Go competition.- Outline :The Dai-ichi ran from 1959 to 1975, although for the first 11 years only players from the Nihon Ki-in could compete. After 1970 and on, players from all over Japan could compete.- Past Winners and Runners Up :...	1970, 1974

Literature

• Fujisawa, Shuko (Hideyuki Fujisawa). Dictionary of Basic Tesuji. 4 vols. Richmond, VA: Slate and Shell, 2004.

External links

• Nihon Ki-in profile