Kisei
Kisei (棋聖) is Japanese for Go Saint. Prior to 1976 when the Kisei Go Tournament was established, the term kisei was conferred on two people only: Dosaku and Shusaku, two players of the Japanese classical period.
See Honinbo Jowa - Sage or Scoundrel by John Fairbairn that describes Jowa's elevation to the "status" of Kisei and his subsequent downfall from that position among the elite.
The Kisei Go Tournament, established in 1976, is the most prestigious top title of the Japanese professional Go scene. It is sponsored, since its inception, by the
Yomiuri Shinbun. The title comes with a cool 42 million Yen in prize money.
As with all of the seven Japanese top titles, the title holder is challenged by the winner of a preliminary tournament (in this case a very long one). The final is a best of seven, played in January and February. Both players have 8 hours of thinking time, so every game is played during two consecutive days.
A List of the Kisei Title Results
Contributors: Stefan, Dave Sigaty, Charles