Daisuke Murakawa

2.1. Initial career and rise

In 2005, Murakawa won the 7th Honinbo Shusaku Cup, an unofficial tournament. The following year, in 2006, he made his first appearance in the main tournament of one of the Seven major titles, the 32nd Gosei tournament, though he was defeated by Yamashita Keigo in the first round. He secured consecutive victories in the unofficial Nakano Cup, winning the 6th edition in 2009 and the 7th edition in 2010.

His performance in 2010 was particularly notable: he qualified for the main tournament of the 15th Samsung Cup (an international tournament) and achieved a remarkable 16-game winning streak. On November 5, 2010, Murakawa challenged Yuki Satoshi for the 54th Kansai Ki-in First Place title, winning two consecutive games to capture the title. This made him the first teenager to hold the Kansai Ki-in First Place title, setting a new record for the youngest titleholder and earning him an immediate promotion to 7 dan due to title acquisition rules. In recognition of these achievements, he received the Kansai Ki-in's Risen Award (Fighting Spirit Award) and Consecutive Wins Award for the first time.

In 2011, on September 22, Murakawa won the 7th Sankei Pro-Am Tournament by defeating Kurahashi Masayuki in the final, securing both of Kansai Ki-in's unique titles at the time. Four days later, on September 26, he clinched the 36th Shinjin-O title, defeating Anzai Nobuaki 2-0 in the best-of-three final. This victory brought the Shinjin-O title back to Kansai Ki-in for the first time in 18 years since Yuki Satoshi's win. However, in the 55th Kansai Ki-in First Place title defense, he lost to Sakai Hideki 0-2 and failed to retain the title. His performance, including the Shinjin-O title and leading the Kansai Ki-in with 35 wins that year, earned him his first Kansai Ki-in Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.

In February 2012, Murakawa, along with Ida Atsushi, became the first Japanese players to advance from the preliminary rounds to the main tournament of the 4th BC Card Cup World Baduk Championship, an international competition. In October, he lost to Sakai Hideki again in the Kansai Ki-in First Place title match. Later that month, he won his second consecutive Sankei Pro-Am Tournament, defeating Nakano Yasuhiro. On November 8, he defeated Komatsu Hideki in the final preliminary round of the 38th Meijin tournament, marking his first entry into the league of one of the Three Major Titles (Kisei, Meijin, Honinbo).

2.2. Title challenges and significant victories

Murakawa's pursuit of major titles intensified in 2013. On March 28, he defeated Sakai Hideki in the final preliminary round of the 38th Kisei tournament, earning his first entry into the Kisei league. This achievement meant he was simultaneously part of two of the three major Go leagues. He maintained his position in the 38th Meijin League with a 4-4 record, finishing 6th. On October 5, he achieved his first victory in an all-professional tournament by winning the 20th Agon Kiriyama Cup, defeating Shida Tatsuya in the final. This was also the first Agon Kiriyama Cup victory for a Kansai Ki-in player. In the 38th Kisei tournament, he led the B League with a 4-1 record, advancing to the challenger's playoff, but was defeated by Yamashita Keigo on November 14.

In 2014, Murakawa was seeded into the 10th Chunlan Cup, an international tournament, where he defeated Lian Xiao of China to reach the top 16 before losing to Shi Yue. He retained his spot in the 39th Meijin League. On September 11, he defeated Hayashi Han-jie in the final of the 62nd Oza tournament's main bracket, earning his first challenge for a Seven Major Title against Iyama Yuta, who then held six titles. On October 30, he won the Sankei Pro-Am Tournament for the third time, defeating Seto Taiki. In the 39th Kisei tournament, he again reached the challenger's playoff but was defeated by Yamashita Keigo on November 13. The 62nd Oza match against Iyama Yuta began on October 21. Murakawa won games 2 and 4, and on December 16, he won the decisive fifth game, capturing the Oza title. This marked his first Seven Major Title win in his first attempt. He became the fourth Kansai Ki-in player to win the Oza title, the first since Hashimoto Shoji in 1980, and the first Oza titleholder outside the Kitani dojo, the Four Heavenly Kings of Heisei, or Iyama Yuta since O Meien in 2002.

In 2015, Murakawa entered the S League of the 40th Kisei tournament, the highest tier of the new four-stage league system, based on his previous year's performance. He also maintained his position in the 40th Meijin League and reached the semifinals of the 40th Gosei tournament. In the Kisei S League, he finished 2nd with a 3-2 record, advancing to the challenger's playoff tournament. He defeated Yamada Kimio but lost to Yamashita Keigo (the S League's top seed) on November 9, failing to become the challenger. On November 19, in the 63rd Oza title defense, he lost to Iyama Yuta (who then held four titles) 0-3, losing the title.

On March 1, 2016, Murakawa defeated Gu Li, one of China's strongest players, in the 10th game of the 17th Nongshim Spicy Noodles Cup World Go Championship. On May 18, he defeated Yamashita Keigo to earn the right to challenge for the 41st Gosei title. However, on July 28, he lost 0-3 to Iyama Yuta (who then held seven titles). In the 41st Meijin League, he finished 2nd with a 6-2 record, with his only loss coming against the eventual challenger, Takao Shinji. He finished 3rd in the 41st Kisei S League, ensuring his retention, and reached the semifinals of the Tengen tournament.

In 2017, Murakawa maintained his position in the 42nd Meijin League with a 4-4 record, but he was relegated from the 42nd Kisei S League after a 2-3 record, marking his first relegation since entering the Kisei League in the 38th term. However, on May 15, he won the 8th Okage Cup (an unofficial tournament) for the first time.

On January 25, 2018, Murakawa defeated Shida Tatsuya in the final of the 56th Judan tournament's main bracket, earning another challenge against Iyama Yuta (then a seven-crown holder). However, on April 12, he lost 0-3. In the 43rd Kisei A League, four players, including Murakawa, finished with 5-2 records. Murakawa, being the highest-ranked among them, finished 1st. In the challenger's playoff tournament, he lost to Onishi Ryuhei on October 8. On December 18, he won the 14th Sankei Pro-Am Tournament for the fourth time by defeating Kiyonari Tetsuya in the final. This was the last edition of the Sankei Pro-Am Tournament, making Murakawa its final champion.

2.3. Recent activities

In 2019, Murakawa once again earned the right to challenge for the 57th Judan title, continuing his series of title matches against Iyama Yuta, having lost his three most recent challenges to Iyama. However, on April 19, he defeated Iyama Yuta 3-1, capturing the Judan title. This was his second Seven Major Title, achieved five years after his Oza win, and led to his promotion to 9 dan the following day. This Judan match was also the last major title match of the Heisei era. In the 44th Kisei S League, Murakawa finished 4th with a 3-2 record among four players tied at that score, due to his lower seeding.

In 2020, Murakawa defended his 58th Judan title against Meijin and Oza titleholder Shibano Toramaru. This was his first Seven Major Title match against a player other than Iyama Yuta. On June 25, he lost the title 1-3. In the 45th Meijin League, he was relegated with a 2-6 record. His continuous eight-term presence in the Meijin League, which began in 2012, came to an end. On November 5, in the 64th Kansai Ki-in First Place title match, he challenged Yo Seiki (who was defending the title for the third consecutive time) but lost 0-2.

In 2021, Murakawa's performance in the 45th Kisei S League was a 3-2 record, placing him 3rd. He lost in the semifinals of the 59th Judan tournament to Yo Seiki on January 14, marking the first time in four years he did not challenge for a Seven Major Title. He reached his personal best of semifinals in the 68th NHK Cup TV Go Tournament, losing to Yo Seiki on March 14. In the 46th Kisei S League, he again finished 3rd with a 3-2 record.

In 2022, Murakawa was relegated from the 47th Kisei S League with a 1-4 record, finishing 6th. He challenged Yo Seiki, who was seeking his sixth consecutive Kansai Ki-in First Place title in the 66th Kansai Ki-in First Place title match, but lost 0-2 on October 17. On December 11, he won the 2022 Kansai Go Open (an unofficial tournament), defeating Iyama Yuta by half a point in the top-class final.

In 2023, he was relegated from the 49th Kisei S League with a 1-4 record.

4.1. Won titles and championships

Daisuke Murakawa has won a total of nine titles throughout his professional career, including two of the Seven Major Titles.

• Oza: 1 (2014)
• Jūdan: 1 (2019)
• Agon Kiriyama Cup: 1 (2013)
• Kansai Ki-in First Place: 1 (2010)
• Shinjin-O: 1 (2011)
• Sankei Pro-Am Tournament: 4 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2018)

Unofficial Titles:

• Okage Cup: 1 (2017)
• Nakano Cup: 2 (2009, 2010)
• Kansai Go Open Top Class: 1 (2022)
• Pair Go Championship: 2 (2016 with Oh Keii, 2020 with Okuda Aya)

4.2. Major tournament results

• Kisei League: 8 terms in total
  • 2-league system (25th-39th terms): Reached challenger's playoff 2 times (38th-39th terms), entered league 2 times (38th-39th terms)
  • 4-tier league system (40th term-present): Reached challenger's playoff tournament 3 times (40th, 43rd, 49th terms), entered S League 6 times (40th-42nd, 44th-46th terms)
• Meijin League: 9 terms in total (38th-45th, 50th terms)
• Gosei: Challenger (lost) 1 time (41st term, 2016)
• Jūdan: Challenger (lost) 1 time (56th term, 2018)
• Kansai Ki-in First Place: Challenger (lost) 4 times (56th, 60th, 64th, 66th terms; 2012, 2016, 2020, 2022)
• Sankei Pro-Am Tournament: Runner-up 2 times (11th-12th terms; 2015-2016)

4.3. Awards received

Murakawa has received numerous awards from the Kansai Ki-in:

• Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award: 4 times
• Risen Award (Fighting Spirit Award): 6 times
• Nihon Bunka Kaikan (Consecutive Wins) Award: 1 time
• Nagai Award (Future Potential Award): 3 times
• Yoshida Award: 3 times
• Rookie of the Year Award: 1 time