NOTE: This is the last in a series of reports covering the second half of 2025. The order is based
on the date of the final deciding game in the tournament.
By John Power
The end of 2025 brought both milestones and farewells to the Japanese professional Go world. Teenage sensation Kuwabara Itsuki rewrote the record books with a stunning promotion to 7-dan, while legendary players—including Japan's first female 9-dan, Sugiuchi Kazuko—brought remarkable careers to a close.
Kuwabara Reached Meijin League at 17
One of the year's biggest stories came when Kuwabara Itsuki, then a 2-dan, earned a place in the 51st Meijin League by defeating Cho Riyu 9-dan in a playoff. The victory automatically promoted Kuwabara from 2-dan to 7-dan, making him the first professional ever to jump five ranks at once. At 17 years, two months, he also became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Meijin League, breaking Iyama Yuta's previous record of 18 years, five months. Kuwabara had only begun his professional career in January 2024, reaching 7-dan in less than two years—almost certainly another record. The promotion also moved him one rank ahead of his mother, Kuwabara Yoko 6-dan.
Other promotions during the period included Son Makoto to 8-dan, Sasaki Tsuyoshi to 7-dan, Mimura Kaori and Kato Chie to 4-dan, Takeshita Ryoya to 3-dan, and Shigekawa Akashi to 2-dan.
Farewell to Sugiuchi Kazuko
The Japanese Go community also said goodbye to one of its most influential figures.
Sugiuchi Kazuko (photo) retired in August after a professional career spanning more than 80 years and was promoted to 9-dan, becoming the first woman in Japan to hold that rank.
A disciple of pioneering woman professional Kita Fumiko, Sugiuchi became a professional in 1942 and helped establish women's professional Go in the postwar era. She won ten major women's titles, including four consecutive Women's Championships from 1953 through 1956, and received the Order of the Precious Crown from the Japanese government in 1999.
Even near the end of her career, Sugiuchi continued making history. In July 2025, at 98 years, four months, she became the oldest player ever to record an official professional victory, surpassing the record previously held by her late husband, Sugiuchi Masao.
Reflecting on her retirement, Sugiuchi said: "I have striven my best until today under the conviction that 'Go is an art and a lifelong discipline,' but I have made the judgment that playing a game for six hours without a break is unreasonable for me."
Other Retirements
Several longtime professionals also retired during 2025, including Akedo Kazumi, Sato Masaharu, Matsumura Ryuichi, Enda Yoichi, and Takano Hideki. Several received honorary promotions upon retirement in recognition of their long careers.
Remembering Go's Elders
The Go world also mourned the loss of several respected professionals during the year.
Among them were Sumino Sachiyo, whose professional career also spanned more than 80 years; Kanashima Tadashi; Takamure Tetsuro; Miyashita Suzue, a former Women's Amateur Honinbo champion; Hashimoto Yoshimi; and Koyama Shizuo, remembered not only as a strong professional but also as a popular television quiz champion. Koyama's son, Koyama Ryugo, and grandson, Koyama Kuya, continue the family's distinguished Go tradition.
Together, their retirements and passing marked the close of an era, even as a new generation—led by record-setting teenager Kuwabara Itsuki—began writing the next chapter in Japanese professional Go.