Women's Meijin
This is the female-only equivalent of the Japanese Meijin title. Unlike the Meijin title, this tournament is conducted using the single knockout format to determine a challenger. The 20th edition uses a double elimination format to determine the challenger. The title is then decided by a best of three match with the previous year's title holder. The exceptions were in the first two years (1989 and 1990), when the title was actually determined by a Swiss system. Sponsored by Fuji Evening Newspaper and Nippon Life Insurance Company, the winner's prize is ¥5,100,000.
From the 21st edition, the sponsor changed to Sankei newspaper. At the same time, for the first time in female event in Japan, league system (7-player) to decide the challenger was introduced. The league system continued up to the 29th edition, and changed back to single knockout tournament from the 30th.
After the 31st edition, Sankei newspaper quitted as the sponsor for financial reasons. Nihon Ki-in failed to find substitute sponsors and the tournament will be discontinued.
1st | 1989 | Miyazaki Shimako | ||
2nd | 1990 | Aoki Kikuyo | ||
3rd | 1991 | Sugiuchi Kazuko | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-1 |
4th | 1992 | Sugiuchi Kazuko | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-0 |
5th | 1993 | Sugiuchi Kazuko | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-0 |
6th | 1994 | Sugiuchi Kazuko | Ogawa Tomoko | 2-1 |
7th | 1995 | Kato Tomoko | Sugiuchi Kazuko | 2-0 |
8th | 1996 | Nishida Terumi | Kato Tomoko | 2-1 |
9th | 1997 | Nishida Terumi | Ogawa Tomoko | 2-0 |
10th | 1998 | Nishida Terumi | Ogawa Tomoko | 2-0 |
11th | 1999 | Aoki Kikuyo | Nishida Terumi | 2-0 |
12th | 2000 | Aoki Kikuyo | Kobayashi Izumi | 2-0 |
13th | 2001 | Kobayashi Izumi | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-0 |
14th | 2002 | Aoki Kikuyo | Kobayashi Izumi | 2-0 |
15th | 2003 | Kobayashi Izumi | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-0 |
16th | 2004 | Kobayashi Izumi | Inori Yoko | 2-0 |
17th | 2005 | Koyama Terumi | Kobayashi Izumi | 2-1 |
18th | 2006 | Aoki Kikuyo | Koyama Terumi | 2-0 |
19th | 2007 | Kato Keiko | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-1 |
20th | 2008 | Xie Yimin | Kato Keiko | 2-0 |
21th | 2009 | Xie Yimin | Chinen Kaori | 2-1 |
22th | 2010 | Xie Yimin | Mukai Chiaki | 2-0 |
23th | 2011 | Xie Yimin | Mukai Chiaki | 2-1 |
24th | 2012 | Xie Yimin | Mukai Chiaki | 2-0 |
25th | 2013 | Xie Yimin | Okuda Aya | 2-0 |
26th | 2014 | Xie Yimin | Kato Keiko | 2-1 |
27th | 2015 | Xie Yimin | Suzuki Ayumi | 2-0 |
28th | 2016 | Xie Yimin | Aoki Kikuyo | 2-1 |
29th | 2017 | Fujisawa Rina | Xie Yimin | 2-0 |
30th | 2018 | Fujisawa Rina | Yashiro Kumiko | 2-0 |
31st | 2019 | Fujisawa Rina | Xie Yimin | 2-1 |
Previously there was another female tournament named Women's Meijin
1st | 1973 | Kobayashi Reiko | Ogawa Tomoko |
2nd | 1975 | Kobayashi Reiko | Ito Tomoe |