Sugiuchi Masao

Sugiuchi Masao (杉内 雅男, 20 October 1920 – 21 November 2017) was a Nihon Ki-in professional Go player who reached 9-dan in 1959.

Sugiuchi was called 囲碁の神様 ((I)Go no Kami-sama), literally the “God of Go”) for his ultra-serious attitude and dedication to Go.

Family

He was married to Sugiuchi Kazuko (née Honda), who is also a professional go player (8-dan), for 63 years from 1954 until his death in 2017.

Go career

He won the the Tokyo Shinbun Cup in 1962 and the Hayago Meijin in 1959. He unsuccessfully challenged Takagawa Kaku for the Honinbo title in 1954 and 1958, and Kobayashi Koichi for the Tengen in 1976.

He and his wife attended the seventh U.S. Go Congress in Rochester, NY, in 1991.

He was a director of the Nihon Ki-in for 14 years.

Go playing in his 90s

Sugiuchi maintained his dedication to Go at an age way beyond that where most players had retired or even died. Female 3p Shimosaka Miori admiringly used him as an example of how Go can be enjoyed by all ages in her article, 93-year-old Sugiuchi Masao is a brilliant and active doctor (2 Feb 2014):

There is a wonderful teacher in the world of professional Go. He is Sugiuchi Masao, 9 Dan. He is 93 years old!

Mr Sugiuchi looks very youthful and is still playing. Go matches are usually held on the sixth floor of the Nihon Ki-in building. I tend to take the elevator to get up there, but Mr Sugiuchi apparently uses the stairs from the first floor to the sixth floor … This is the secret to his youthful appearance.

According to Life In 19×19, his record for 2014, at age 94 was 5 wins and 6 losses.

In early 2015 he was still active and playing in the Gosei premilinaries. His opponent in the game was Tsuneishi Takashi 2p, more than 70 years his junior.

On March 10, 2016 he played 15-year old Ohnishi Ryuhei? 1p, 80 years his junior, in the Oza preliminaries as reported on the Nihon Kiin’s website.

He set records for both the oldest professional Go player to play a game and to win a game. These records stood until his widow Sugiuchi Kazuko passed them in 2023. Sugiuchi Masao’s last win was against Rin Kaiho 9p on 23 April 2015 when he was 94 years and 6 months old (Rin was only 72 years and 11 months old). That way, Sugiuchi finally beat Rin after losing all 10 of their previous games.

His last game was a loss to 47-year-old female 6p Koyama Terumi on 2 November 2017, when he was 97 years and 13 days old, only 19 days before he died. That way, Sugiuchi finally scored his only victory over Rin after losing all 10 of their previous games.

Death

He passed away from pneumonia in hospital on 21 November 2017, with a lifetime record of 883-677-12-2.

Links

• Sugiuchi Masao, Japanese Wikipedia article
• Sugiuchi Masao, Nihon Ki'in profile
• Sugiuchi Masao, ratings and game list

Photos