Titleholder history

This page lists all players who have held one of eight professional titles, from the formation of the Meijin title in 1937 (Showa 12) until now.

Players get a unique color if they have won 3 or more titles T - Qualified for lifetime title F - Player's first title L - Player's last title (for retired players only) ↑ - Tournament not held (refer to notes) (Name) - Winner of non-title championship Notes Y - Youngest record O - Oldest record F - First in history

2015（Eio-sen formed） - now

Season	Eio-sen Apr - Jun	Meijin-sen Apr - Jun	Kisei-sen Jun - Jul	Oi-sen Jul - Sep	Oza-sen Sep - Oct	Ryuo-sen Oct - Dec	Osho-sen Jan - Mar	Kio-sen Feb - Mar	Notes
	Eio	Meijin	Kisei	Oi	Oza	Ryuo	Osho	Kio
2023 (Reiwa 5)	Term 8 Sota Fujii	Term 81 Sota Fujii	Term 94 Sota Fujii	Term 64 Sota Fujii	Term 71 Sota Fujii	Term 36 Sota Fujii	Term 73 Sota Fujii	Term 49 Fujii S. or Ito T.	Fujii becomes 7-crownY/Ryuo - MeijinY(5th)/8-crownF Watanabe loses all titles after 19 years
2023 (Reiwa 4)	Sota Fujii	Watanabe Akira	Sota Fujii	Sota Fujii	Takuya Nagase	Sota Fujii	Sota Fujii	Sota Fujii	Tanigawa is crowned 17th Lifetime Meijin
2021 (Reiwa 3)	Sota Fujii	Watanabe Akira	Sota Fujii	Sota Fujii	Takuya Nagase	Sota Fujii	Sota Fujii	Watanabe Akira	Fujii defends his first titleY/becomes 3-crownY/4-crownY/5-crownY
2020 (Reiwa 2)	Masayuki Toyoshima	Watanabe Akira	Sota FujiiF	Sota Fujii	Takuya Nagase	Masayuki Toyoshima	Watanabe Akira	Watanabe Akira	Delayed start of Meijin-sen and Eio-sen (from June) Fujii wins his first titleY(17 years 11 months)/becomes 2-crownY
2019 (Reiwa 1)	Takuya NagaseF	Masayuki Toyoshima	Watanabe Akira	Kazuki KimuraF	Takuya Nagase	Masayuki Toyoshima	Watanabe Akira	Watanabe Akira	Kimura wins his first titleO(46 years old) Toyoshima becomes Ryuo - Meijin (4th)
2018 (Heisei 30)	Term 3 Taichi TakamiF	Amahiko Sato	Masayuki ToyoshimaF	Masayuki Toyoshima	Shintaro SaitoF	Akihito Hirose	Watanabe Akira	Watanabe Akira	Eio-sen is promoted to title status 8 different players hold 8 titles (at end of Kisei-sen) Habu loses all titles after 27 years and 9 months
2017 (Heisei 29)	－	Amahiko Sato	Yoshiharu Habu	Tatsuya SugaiF	Taichi NakamuraF	Yoshiharu HabuL	Toshiaki Kubo	Watanabe Akira	Habu wins his 99th title and qualifies for Lifetime 7-crownF
2016 (Heisei 28)	(Term 2) (Amahiko Sato)	Amahiko SatoF	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Watanabe Akira	Toshiaki Kubo	Watanabe AkiraL	Ryuo challenger changed
2015 (Heisei 27)	(Term 1) (Takayuki Yamasaki)	Term 73 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 86 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 56 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 63 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 28 Watanabe Akira	Term 65 Masataka Goda	Term 41 Watanabe Akira	Eio-sen is formed as a non-title championship
Season	Eio	Meijin	Kisei	Oi	Oza	Ryuo	Osho	Kio	Notes
	Eio-sen Apr - Jun	Meijin-sen Apr - Jun	Kisei-sen Jun - Jul	Oi-sen Jul - Sep	Oza-sen Sep - Oct	Ryuo-sen Oct - Dec	Osho-sen Jan - Mar	Kio-sen Feb - Mar

1988 (Ryuo-sen formed) - 2014

Season	Meijin-sen Apr - Jun	Kisei-sen Dec - Feb Jun - Jul	Oi-sen Jul - Sep	Oza-sen Sep - Oct	Ryuo-sen Oct - Dec	Osho-sen Jan - Mar	Kio-sen Feb - Mar	Notes
	Meijin	Kisei	Oi	Oza	Ryuo	Osho	Kisei
2014 (Heisei 26)	Term 72 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 85 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 55 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 62 Yoshiharu Habu	Term 27 Tetsuro ItodaniF	Term 64 Masataka Goda	Term 40 Akira Watanabe
2013 (Heisei 25)	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Akira Watanabe	Akira Watanabe	Habu wins his 21st Oza title Noriuchi becomes Ryuo - Meijin (3rd)
2012 (Heisei 24)	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Akira Watanabe	Akira Watanabe
2011 (Heisei 23)	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Akira Watanabe	Yasumitsu Sato	Masataka Goda
2010 (Heisei 22)	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Akihito HiroseF	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Toshiaki Kubo	Toshiaki Kubo	Habu wins 19th Oza title in a row
2009 (Heisei 21)	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Koichi Fukaura	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Toshiaki Kubo	Toshiaki Kubo
2009 (Heisei 20)	Yoshiharu HabuT	Yoshiharu Habu	Koichi Fukaura	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira WatanabeT	Yoshiharu Habu	Toshiaki KuboF	Nakahara is crowned Lifetime Oi - Lifetime Kisei
2007 (Heisei 19)	Toshiyuki MoriuchiT	Yasumitsu Sato	Koichi FukauraF	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Yoshiharu Habu	Yasumitsu Sato	Nakahara is crowned Lifetime Oza - 16th Lifetime Meijin
2006 (Heisei 18)	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Yasumitsu SatoT	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Yoshiharu HabuT	Yasumitsu Sato
2005 (Heisei 17)	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Yasumitsu Sato	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira Watanabe	Yoshiharu Habu	Toshiyuki Moriuchi
2004 (Heisei 16)	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Yasumitsu Sato	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Akira WatanabeF	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu
2003 (Heisei 15)	Yoshiharu Habu	Yasumitsu Sato	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Toshiyuki Moriuchi	Koji Tanigawa
2002 (Heisei 14)	Toshiyuki MoriuchiF	Yasumitsu Sato	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Tadahisa Maruyama
2001 (Heisei 13)	Tadahisa Maruyama	Masataka Goda	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yasumitsu Sato	Yoshiharu Habu
2000 (Heisei 12)	Tadahisa MaruyamaF	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Takeshi Fujii	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu
1999 (Heisei 11)	Yasumitsu Sato	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Takeshi Fujii	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu
1998 (Heisei 10)	Yasumitsu Sato	Masataka Goda	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Takeshi FujiiF	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yonenaga is crowned Lifetime Kisei
1997 (Heisei 9)	Koji TanigawaT	Nobuyuki Yashiki	Yoshiharu HabuT	Yoshiharu Habu	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Tanigawa becomes Ryuo - Meijin (2nd)
1996 (Heisei 8)	Yoshiharu Habu	Hiroyuki MiuraF	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu HabuT	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu
1995 (Heisei 7)	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu HabuT	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Habu becomes 7-crownF Kisei-sen is now held once a year
1994 (Heisei 6)	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu HabuT	Habu 6-crownF/Ryuo・MeijinF Nakahara is crowned Lifetime 10-dan
		Yoshiharu Habu
1993 (Heisei5)	Kunio YonenagaL	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Yasumitsu SatoF	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu
		Yoshiharu Habu
1992 (Heisei 4)	Makoto NakaharaL	Koji Tanigawa	Masataka GodaF	Yoshiharu Habu	Yoshiharu Habu	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu	Goda becomes lowest-ranked titleholder (4-dan)
		Koji Tanigawa
1991 (Heisei 3)	Makoto Nakahara	Koji Tanigawa	Koji Tanigawa	Bungo Fukusaki	Koji Tanigawa	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshiharu Habu
		Yoshikazu Minami
1990 (Heisei 2)	Makoto Nakahara	Nobuyuki Yashiki	Koji Tanigawa	Koji Tanigawa	Koji Tanigawa	Yoshikazu Minami	Yoshiharu Habu
		Nobuyuki YashikiF
1989 (Heisei 1)	Koji Tanigawa	Makoto Nakahara	Koji Tanigawa	Makoto Nakahara	Yoshiharu HabuF	Kunio Yonenaga	Yoshikazu Minami
		Makoto Nakahara
1988 (Showa 63)	Term 46 Koji Tanigawa	Makoto Nakahara	Term 29 Keiji MoriL	Term 36 Makoto Nakahara	Term 1 Akira ShimaF	Term 38 Yoshikazu Minami	Term 14 Yoshikazu Minami	10-dan title is reformed into Ryuo
		Term 52 Torahiko Tanaka FL
Season	Meijin	Kisei	Oi	Oza	Ryuo	Osho	Kisei	Notes
	Meijin-sen Apr - Jun	Kisei-sen Dec - Feb Jun - Jul	Oi-sen Jul - Sep	Oza-sen Sep - Oct	Ryuo-sen Oct - Dec	Osho-sen Jan - Mar	Kio-sen Feb - Mar