Hirata Hironori

Hirata Hironori (平田博則, 1926-2024) was a 8-dan top Japanese amateur; winner of the 1995 WAGC, 2nd in 1996. He has been chosen as the Japanese representative 8 times, the most recent time for 2011 when he was the oldest ever WAGC competitor, placing 5th.

He won the Amateur Honinbo four times. In 1955, he was awarded the first amateur 6 dan rank.

Hirata was an insei of the Nihon Kiin. He tied for 2nd in the promotion tournament in 1943 and got a semi-professional diploma - but he chose to remain as an amateur in the difficult years after the war. He later became a Professor of mathematics at the Showa Pharmaceutical University.