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Japanese puzzle designer and businessman (1951–2021) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maki Kaji (鍜治 真起, Kaji Maki, 8 October 1951 – 10 August 2021[1]) was a Japanese businessman who was the president of Nikoli, a puzzle manufacturer. He is widely known as "the father of Sudoku" for his role in popularizing the number game.[2][3]
Kaji was born in Sapporo on 8 October 1951.[4][5] His father worked as an engineer at a telecom company; his mother was employed by a kimono shop. Kaji attended Shakujii High School in his hometown. He later studied literature at Keio University, but dropped out during his first year.[4][6] After a succession of jobs including being a roadie, a waiter and a construction worker, he started a publishing business.[6]
Kaji launched a quarterly puzzle magazine in 1980 called Nikoli,[7] together with two friends from his childhood.[4] They named the magazine after a race horse that had won the 1980 2000 Guineas Stakes race in Ireland.[6][8] Three years later, he founded a company under the same name.[5] The magazine, the company's main product, grew to have 50,000 quarterly readers.[9]
The number game Sudoku appeared in early issues of Nikoli.[7] He formulated the name "Sudoku" while he was scrambling to get to a horse race.[4][10] He shortened it from Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru ("numbers should be single") at the urging of his fellow workers.[10] After the game spread to Britain[11][12] and the United States,[8] it became wildly popular.[7]
Kaji also invented or introduced various other puzzle games, such as Masyu.[9] He resigned as head of Nikoli on 31 July 2021,[13] ten days before his death.[4][14] He was succeeded as president by Nikoli's editor in chief, Yoshinao Anpuku.[13]
Kaji was married to Naomi until his death. Together, they had two children.[4]
Kaji died on 10 August 2021 at his home in Tokyo at age 69, from bile duct cancer.[4][15] Nikoli's staff held a memorial gathering for him on 2 November in Tokyo.[16]
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