Ito Tomoe
Ito Tomoe (伊藤友惠, ealier names Kawada Kiyoko (川田清子) and Ito Kiyoko (伊藤清子), 10 December 1907 – 21 January 1987) was a Japanese female professional 7-dan of the Nihon Ki-in. She was born in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.
Ito was one of the most dominant and enduring players in the early days of women's tournament go. She had such a strong fighting style that she was nicknamed Gozen Tomoe, after a legendary female warrior from the Heian period.
Her Go skills so impressed the retired naval captain Honda Eizo that he encouraged his three daughters to reach a high level. They all become professionals: Sugiuchi Kazuko, Honda Sachiko, and Kusunoki Teruko.
Even in her later years, she was still formidable—even winning the 1st Women's Kakusei in 1979 at the age of 71. She became a pupil of Kita Fumiko in 1917, and retired in 1984. She was married to Noh actor Ito Hiroyasu.
Rank Promotion
- 1924: 1-dan
- 1940: 3-dan
- 1943: 4-dan
- 1959: 5-dan
- 1984: 6-dan
- 1987: 7-dan (posthumous)
Titles
- 1952: 1st All-Japan Women's Championship d. Takeda Misao 1-0
- 1957: 6th All-Japan Women's Championship by winning special league (to decide the replacement for the four-time champion Sugiuchi Kazuko, who retired from Go for 10 years to raise her children)
- 1958: 7th All-Japan Women's Championship d. Suzuki Tsuna 2-0
- 1960: 8th All-Japan Women's Championship d. Honda Sachiko 2-0
- 1961: 9th All-Japan Women's Championship d. Kobayashi Reiko 2-0
- 1962: 10th All-Japan Women's Championship d. Takeda Misao 2-0
- 1965: 12th All-Japan Women's Championship d. Kobayashi Reiko 2-1
- 1979: 1st Women's Kakusei d. Kusunoki Teruko 2-1
Runners-up
- 1953: 2nd All-Japan Women's Championship l. Sugiuchi Kazuko (2-0)
- 1955: 4th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Sugiuchi Kazuko (2-1)
- 1956: 5th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Sugiuchi Kazuko (2-0)
- 1963: 11th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (2-1)
- 1966: 13th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (2-0)
- 1967: 14th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (2-1)
- 1973: 20th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (2-1)
- 1975: 2nd Women's Meijin l. Kobayashi Reiko (1-0)
Pupils[1]
Go organization
In 1961, Ito was part of the Japan-China Go Exchange, and she scored 8–0. For the 1965 exchange, she led a group of 12 female amateurs. In 1972, she led a female amateur go delegation to Europe. In 1981, she became the first president of the Women's Go Players Association.
Notes
[1]Source: 1996 Kido Yearbook. [2]Source: Ito Tomoe, Japanese Wikipedia