Ito Tomoe

Itō Tomoe (伊藤友惠, ealier names Kawada Kiyoko (川田清子) and Itō 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.

Table of contents Go career Rank Promotion Titles Runners-up Pupils[1] and influence Go organization Personal life Links Notes

Go career

Itō became a pupil of Kita Fumiko in 1917, and retired in 1984. Ito’s style was similar to her teacher’s ‘Power Go’.

Itō 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, who used to chop off heads. Ito liked to quote her teacher “Cut where you can.” She eventually adopted the name Tomoe, but with different Kanji.

Even in her later years, Itō was still formidable. In 1974, aged 67, she became the first female player to win 300 games. In 1979 at the age of 71, she won the 1st Women's Kakusei.

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 (0–2)
• 1955: 4th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Sugiuchi Kazuko (1–2)
• 1956: 5th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Sugiuchi Kazuko (0–2)
• 1963: 11th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (1–2)
• 1966: 13th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (0–2)
• 1967: 14th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (1–2)
• 1973: 20th All-Japan Women's Championship l. Kobayashi Reiko (1–2)
• 1975: 2nd Old Women's Meijin l. Kobayashi Reiko (0–1)

Pupils^[1] and influence

• Awaji Shuzo
• Ando Takeo
• Ito Yoshio
• Ando Toshiyuki
• Izumitani Masanori
• Tanimiya Ayako
• Kawamura Noriko

Itō’s 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.

Go organization

In 1961, aged 53, Itō was part of the Japan-China Go Exchange, and she scored 8–0 against China’s long-established veterans. She was relaxed the whole time, and her wins were a big shock for the Chinese. Among her victims was Liu Dihuai, teacher of Chen Zude who was only 18 at the time. Itō won by killing a large group.

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.

Personal life

Itō was married to Noh actor Itō Hiroyasu, a disciple of Kita’s husband Reppeito, the 14th Head of the Kita School of Noh acting.

Links

• Japanese Wikipedia
• Waltheri's go pattern search
• Go Ratings and Games (only from 1975)

Notes

^[1]Source: 1996 Kido Yearbook. ^[2]Source: Ito Tomoe, Japanese Wikipedia