Tatsumi Akane

Tatsumi Akane (Kanji: 辰己　茜, Hiragana: たつみ　あかね, b. 2 August 1982 in 1982-08-02 in Saitama Prefecture) is a Female Kansai Ki-in professional 4 dan.

She studied Go under one of Japan’s strongest amateurs, Kikuchi Yasuro 8 dan.

Table of contents Family Records Links Photos

Family

Tatsumi Akane, née Ishii Akane (石井 茜), became a professional shodan in August 2007, 2 dan in November 2011, 3 dan in December 2016, 4 dan in December 2020. In April 2019, changed her professional name to Tatsumi Akane, matching her legal name after marriage. She and her husband have two sons.

She is a good friend of fellow Kansai Ki-in female pro Yoshida Mika. Although Yoshida is 11 years older, her two daughters are about the same age as Akane’s two sons. Akane told her it was very hard both to raise her children and have an active professional career. Not that both pros’ children are older, they have resumed playing Go more often.

Her elder sister (by two years) Miyuki is a strong amateur (6 dan) and Go instructor. Miyuki married Nakamura Shin'ya 9p, and their daughter is prodigy “genius girl” Nakamura Sumire.

Akane lost the only official game she has played against her niece, when Sumire was 11 years and 11 months old (B–5.5). But she was delighted when Sumire became the youngest-ever title holder, writing:

Congratulations Sumire-chan. ✨ I’m so happy I can’t concentrate on anything. 😭 I don’t feel like making dinner …

Even 10 years previously, Tatsumi-sensei had noted that her niece was a genius. On this occasion, she said that Sumire’s mother, Akane’s older sister Miyuki, also deserved much credit for raising and training her:

Yes, I do think she’s a genius of hard work. Of course, it’s due to her own effort, but personally, I also think my older sister—who raised her side-by-side with her—is a genius of hard work too.

Tatsumi-sensei’s oldest son was very upset when he became too ill with influenza to travel to Tokyo for his cousin’s prize ceremony.

Records

• First female winner of Children's Meijin in 1994 (The next was Mannami Kana).
• Finished 9th in the 1st World Student Oza in 2003.
• One of eight Japanese representatives in the 9th Asian New Star Match.
• Reached the challenger final of the 28th Female Honinbo tournament (2009) but lost to Aoki Kikuyo.
• Won the 16th (2010) Ricoh Pair Go Cup with Sakai Hideyuki, tying with Umezawa Yukari and Takao Shinji.

Links

• Japanese Wikipedia
• Kansai Ki-in
• Go4Go
• Go Ratings
• her Twitter/X profile

Photos

Tatsumi Akane, announcer at a public game at the World Go Festival (June 2019)
(Image credit: Japanese Wikipedia entry)

Tatsumi Akane with her two sons, Twitter photo
(Image credit: Tatsumi Akane Twitter)