Ichiyo Shimizu


Ichiyo Shimizu is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. In May 2017, Shimizu became the first woman to be elected as an executive director to the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors.

Early life

Shimizu was born on January 9, 1969, in Higashimurayama, Tokyo. In 1983, she won the 15th Amateur Women's Meijin Tournament while she was a junior high school student. That same year, she entered the Japan Shogi Association's Women's Professional Apprentice League under the guidance of shogi professional. She achieved the rank of women's professional 2-kyū in April 1985, thus becoming the first apprentice to graduate from the Women's Professional Apprentice League system.

Shogi professional

In October 2000, Shimizu became the first women's professional to be promoted to the rank of women's 6-dan.
In November 2016, Shimizu defeated Tomomi Kai in a women's meijin league game to become the second women's professional to win 600 official games.
, Shimizu's career record versus male professionals in official games is 29 wins and 156 losses.

JSA director

In May 2017, Shimizu became the first women to be elected as an executive director to the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors. She was re-elected to a second two-year term in June 2019.

Promotion history

Shimizu has been promoted as follows:
Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Titles and other championships

Shimizu has appeared in major title matches a total of 70 times and has won a total of 43 titles. She has won the title ten times, the title nine times, the title fourteen times and the ten times. She has been awarded the lifetime titles of,, and. In addition to major titles, Shimizu has won 11 other shogi championships.

Major titles

Other championships

Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk are no longer held or currently suspended.

Awards and honors

Shimizu has received a number of Japan Shogi Association Annual Shogi Awards and other awards in recognition of her accomplishments in shogi and contributions made to Japanese society.

Annual shogi awards