Ōza (shogi)

Ōza (王座) is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi.

The word literally means "king's seat", i.e., "throne". The tournament started in 1953 as a knockout tournament with three games in the final match and was a non-title tournament up until 1982.^[1] The challenger for the title is determined through three preliminary rounds. The player that wins three games out of five in the championship match becomes the new Ōza title holder. ^[2]

The tournament is sponsored by Nikkei, Inc. (日本経済新聞社 nihon keizai shinbunsha), a newspaper conglomerate that publishes The Nikkei and the Nikkei 225 stock market index. The current Ōza title holder is Sōta Fujii.

Lifetime Ōza

"Lifetime Ōza" (名誉王座) is the title given to a player who won the championship five times in a row or ten times in total. Active players may qualify for this title, but it is only officially awarded upon their reaching the age of 60 years, retirement or death.^[3]

Lifetime Ōza title holders

• Makoto Nakahara (won championship ten times when it was a non-title tournament)^[4]
• Yoshiharu Habu^[5]

Winners

From 1953 until 1982, the tournament was just regular tournament and not a major title match. From 1953 to 1969, two finalists would play a 3-game match to determine the overall winner; the 1st Oza match (1953), however, was only a single game. From 1970 to 1982, the winner of the previous year's tournament would play the winner of a qualifying tournament in a 3-game match.^[6]

No.	Year	Winner	Score	Opponent
1	1953	Yasuharu Ōyama	1–0	Yūzō Maruta
2	1954	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–1	Kōzō Masuda
3	1955	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–1	Renshō Nada
4	1956	Seiichi Kobori	2–1	Kazukiyo Takashima
5	1957	Shigeyuki Matsuda	2–1	Seiichi Kobori
6	1958	Masao Tsukada	2–1	Tatsuya Futakami
7	1959	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–0	Michiyoshi Yamada
8	1960	Yūzō Maruta	2–1	Yasuharu Ōyama
9	1961	Sōetsu Honma	2–0	Hifumi Katō
10	1962	Hifumi Katō	2–0	Michihito Kumagai
11	1963	Renshō Nada	2–1	Hirobumi Sekizawa
12	1964	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–0	Hifumi Katō
13	1965	Yūzō Maruta	2–0	Kunio Naitō
14	1966	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–0	Yūzō Maruta
15	1967	Michiyoshi Yamada	2–0	Kunio Naitō
16	1968	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–0	Hifumi Katō
17	1969	Makoto Nakahara	2–1	Michio Ariyoshi
18	1970	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Tatsuya Futakami
19	1971	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Hifumi Katō
20	1972	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Kunio Naitō
21	1973	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Genichi Ōno
22	1974	Makoto Nakahara	2–1	Yasuharu Ōyama
23	1975	Kiyozumi Kiriyama	2–0	Makoto Nakahara
24	1976	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Kiyozumi Kiriyama
25	1977	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Nobuyuki Ōuchi
26	1978	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Nobuyuki Ōuchi
27	1979	Makoto Nakahara	2–0	Nobuyuki Ōuchi
28	1980	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–0	Makoto Nakahara
29	1981	Yasuharu Ōyama	2–1	Osamu Katsuura
30	1982	Kunio Naitō	2–0	Yasuharu Ōyama

For the 31st Oza Match (1983), the tournament was officially elevated to major title match status and starting with the 32nd Oza Match, the format switched to a best-of-five.

No.	Year	Winner	Score	Opponent
31	1983	Makoto Nakahara	2–1	Kunio Naitō
32	1984	Makoto Nakahara (2)	3–2	Hidemitsu Moriyasu
33	1985	Makoto Nakahara (3)	3–1	Kōji Tanigawa
34	1986	Makoto Nakahara (4)	3–0	Kiyozumi Kiriyama
35	1987	Yasuaki Tsukada	3–2	Makoto Nakahara
36	1988	Makoto Nakahara (5)	3–0	Yasuaki Tsukada
37	1989	Makoto Nakahara (6)	3–2	Teruichi Aono
38	1990	Kōji Tanigawa	3–1	Makoto Nakahara
39	1991	Bungo Fukusaki	3–2	Kōji Tanigawa
40	1992	Yoshiharu Habu	3–0	Bungo Fukusaki
41	1993	Yoshiharu Habu (2)	3–1	Koji Tanigawa
42	1994	Yoshiharu Habu (3)	3–0	Kōji Tanigawa
43	1995	Yoshiharu Habu (4)	3–0	Keiji Mori
44	1996	Yoshiharu Habu (5)	3–0	Akira Shima
45	1997	Yoshiharu Habu (6)	3–0	Akira Shima
46	1998	Yoshiharu Habu (7)	3–2	Kōji Tanigawa
47	1999	Yoshiharu Habu (8)	3–1	Tadahisa Maruyama
48	2000	Yoshiharu Habu (9)	3–2	Takeshi Fujii
49	2001	Yoshiharu Habu (10)	3–1	Toshiaki Kubo
50	2002	Yoshiharu Habu (11)	3–0	Yasumitsu Satō
51	2003	Yoshiharu Habu (12)	3–2	Akira Watanabe
52	2004	Yoshiharu Habu (13)	3–1	Toshiyuki Moriuchi
53	2005	Yoshiharu Habu (14)	3–0	Yasumitsu Satō
54	2006	Yoshiharu Habu (15)	3–0	Yasumitsu Satō
55	2007	Yoshiharu Habu (16)	3–0	Toshiaki Kubo
56	2008	Yoshiharu Habu (17)	3–0	Kazuki Kimura
57	2009	Yoshiharu Habu (18)	3–0	Takayuki Yamasaki
58	2010	Yoshiharu Habu (19)	3–0	Takeshi Fujii
59	2011	Akira Watanabe	3–0	Yoshiharu Habu
60	2012	Yoshiharu Habu (20)	3–1	Akira Watanabe
61	2013	Yoshiharu Habu (21)	3–2[7]	Taichi Nakamura
62	2014	Yoshiharu Habu (22)	3–2[8]	Masayuki Toyoshima
63	2015	Yoshiharu Habu (23)	3–2[9]	Amahiko Satō
64	2016	Yoshiharu Habu (24)	3–0[10]	Tetsuro Itodani
65	2017	Taichi Nakamura	3–1[11]	Yoshiharu Habu
66	2018	Shintarō Saitō	3–2[12]	Taichi Nakamura
67	2019	Takuya Nagase	3–0[13]	Shintarō Saitō
68	2020	Takuya Nagase (2)	3–2[14]	Toshiaki Kubo
69	2021	Takuya Nagase (3)	3–1[15]	Kazuki Kimura
70	2022	Takuya Nagase (4)	3–1[16]	Masayuki Toyoshima
71	2023	Sōta Fujii	3–1[17]	Takuya Nagase
72	2024	Sōta Fujii (2)	3–0[18]	Takuya Nagase

Records

• Most titles overall: Yoshiharu Habu, 24
• Most consecutive titles: Yoshiharu Habu, 19 in a row (1992-2010)

See also

• Oza (Go)

References

1. Hodges, George, ed. (1977). "Introduction to the Ôza tournament". Shogi (6): 4.
2. "Ōzasen" 王座戦 [Oza Title Match] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
3. "Nakahara Makoto Eisei 10-dan・Meiyo Ōza Tanjō e" 中原　誠 永世十段・名誉王座"誕生へ [Makoto Nakahara was crowned as Lifetime 10-dan and Lifetime Ōza] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
4. "Kishi Shokai: Nakahara Makoto" 棋士紹介: 中原誠 [Player Introduction: Makoto Nakahara] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
5. "Kishi Shokai: Habu Yoshiharu" 棋士紹介: 羽生善治 [Player Introduction: Yoshiharu Habu] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
6. Tanabe, Tadayuki (2006). Shōgi Hachi Daikisen Hiwa 将棋八大棋戦秘話 [Shogi, Untold Stories from 8 Major Title Matches] (in Japanese). Sedagaya, Tokyo: Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishers, Inc. p. 169. ISBN 4309268706.
7. "Habu ga Ōza Bōei, Tsūsan Nijūikki Dōichi Taitoru Saita" 羽生が王座防衛 通算21期 同一タイトル最多 [Habu defends Ōza title, wins Ōza for the 21st time overall to set record for most times winning the same title]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). October 21, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
8. Fukamatsu, Shinji (October 24, 2014). "Habu Ōza ga Bōei Taitoru Kakutoku Kyūjūki ni Shōgi Ōzasen" 羽生王座が防衛 タイトル獲得は90期に 将棋王座戦 [Habu Defends Oza Title for his 90th Major Title Overall]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
9. Fukamatsu, Shinji (October 26, 2015). "Habu Ōza ga Bōei ni Seiko Shōgi Ōzasen, Yonnen Renzoku Nijūsankime" 羽生王座が防衛に成功 将棋王座戦, 4年連続23期目 [Habu Successfully Defends Oza Title for 4th Consecutive Year to Hold Title for 23rd Time Overall]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
10. Yamamura, Hideki (October 4, 2016). "Habu Sankan ga Ōza Bōei, Itodani Hachidan ni Sanrenshō" 羽生3冠が王座防衛　糸谷八段に3連勝 [Habu 3-crown defends Oza title by defeating Itodani 8d three straight games]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 5, 2016.
11. Yamamura, Hideki (October 11, 2017). "Nakamura Taichi Rokudan ga Hatsu no Ōza Kakutoku, Habu Kisei Ikkan e Kōtai" 中村太地六段が初の王座獲得 羽生棋聖１冠へ後退 [Taichi Nakamura 6d wins Oza title for first major title. Habu Kisei drops to a 1-crown]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 12, 2017.
12. "Shōgi, Saitō ga Hatsu Taitoru Ōza Kakutoku Saishūkyoku de Nakamura Yaburu" 将棋, 斎藤が初タイトル王座獲得 最終局で中村破る [Saitō wins first major shogi title; defeats Nakamura in final game to capture Ōza title.]. Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
13. Yamamura, Hideki (October 1, 2019). "Nagase Eiō ga Ōza Dasshu Saitō, Hatsu Bōei Narazu" 永瀬叡王が王座奪取 斎藤, 初防衛ならず [Nagase Eiō capture Ōza title; Saitō unsuccessful in first title defense]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
14. "Shōgi･Nagase Ōza ga Bōei Sanshō Nihai de Kubo Kudan Yaburu" 将棋･永瀬王座が初防衛 3勝2敗で久保九段破る [Nagase Ōza defends title; defeats Kubo 9-dan 3 games to 2]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
15. "Nagase Ōza Sanrenpa, Sanshō Ippai de Kimura Kudan Kudasu Shōgi Ōzasen" 永瀬王座3連覇, 3勝1敗で木村九段下す 将棋王座戦 [Nagase Ōza threepeats by defeating Kimura 9-dan 3 games to 1]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
16. "Nagase Ōza ga Bōei ni Seikō, Yonrenpa Tassei" 永瀬王座が防衛に成功, 4連覇達成 [Nagase Ōza successfully defends title, win Ōza title for the fourth consecutive time]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
17. Inoue, Yukana (October 11, 2023). "Sota Fujii becomes first ever to win all eight major shogi titles". The Japan Times. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
18. "Fujii Sōta Nanakan Sanrenshō de ｢Ōza｣ no Taitoru Hatsubōei" 藤井聡太七冠 3連勝で ｢王座｣ のタイトル初防衛 [Sōta Fujii 7-crown defends Ōza title; he wins first three games in his first defense of the Ōza crown.]. NHK (in Japanese). September 30, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.

External links

• 61st Oza Match Official Site (in Japanese) by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Japanese Shogi Association
• Shogi Kingdom (in Japanese) by Nihon Keizai Shimbun