Issei Takazaki

2.1. Childhood and Education

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Born in Nichinan, Miyazaki on February 12, 1987, Issei Takazaki demonstrated exceptional talent for shogi from a young age. In 1998, as a sixth-grade student (though he was in fifth grade at the time of the actual competition) at 宮崎市立大宮小学校_{Miyazaki Public Omiya Elementary School}^Japanese, he competed in the 23rd Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament. In a highly competitive field, Takazaki defeated Kōhei Funae in the finals to clinch the championship. This tournament was particularly notable for the number of future professional shogi players among its participants. Besides Funae (who was then a fifth-grader and runner-up), other future professionals included Makoto Tobe (sixth-grader, 3rd place), Kōta Kanai (sixth-grader) and Taichi Nakamura (fourth-grader) who reached the East Japan Best 4, and Tetsurō Itodani (fourth-grader) who reached the West Japan Best 4. Additionally, Akihito Hirose (sixth-grader) lost to Tobe in the East Japan tournament, and Amahiko Satō (fifth-grader) lost to Itodani in the West Japan tournament.

2.2. Apprentice Professional Period

Following his victory in the Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament, Takazaki was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school (奨励会_shōreikai^Japanese) in September 1998, entering at the rank of 6-kyū. He trained under the mentorship of professional shogi player Kunio Yonenaga, who later became an Eternal Kisei. During his early apprenticeship, Takazaki initially commuted from his hometown to the Japan Shogi Association's headquarters in Tokyo by plane for regularly scheduled games and meetings. For a period, he also lived at Yonenaga's home as a {{lang|ja|内弟子|uchi-deshi|live-in apprentice}}, a traditional form of intensive training and mentorship.

Takazaki's ascent through the ranks was remarkably swift initially; he was promoted to 1-dan in April 2000, just a year and a half after joining the apprentice school. This rapid progress hinted at the possibility of becoming a "junior high school shogi professional," a rare achievement in the shogi world. However, his pace of promotion slowed after reaching 1-dan, and it took him five and a half more years to achieve the rank of 4-dan. On October 1, 2005, he officially obtained full professional status and the corresponding rank of 4-dan after finishing tied for first in the 37th 3-dan league with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses. Despite the slowdown, he was the second fastest among the aforementioned group of Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament participants to turn professional, following only Akihito Hirose. This achievement also marked a significant milestone, as Takazaki became the first person from Miyazaki Prefecture to become a professional shogi player.

3.1. Professional Debut and Early Promotions

Takazaki officially debuted as a 4-dan professional on October 1, 2005, following his strong performance in the 37th 3-dan league. His early professional career saw him continue to improve his standing. He was promoted to 5-dan on February 2, 2010, after achieving an 8-1 record in the 68th C Class 2nd group Junisen (2009年度), securing his first promotion in the Junisen after four years of professional play. Subsequently, he was promoted to 6-dan on May 15, 2012, based on the rule of achieving two consecutive promotions in the Ryuo Sen ranking battles. On September 18, 2020, Takazaki reached the rank of 7-dan, a promotion earned through the cumulative number of wins, further cementing his position as a respected professional shogi player.

3.2. Tournament Performance

Takazaki has had several significant achievements and memorable matches throughout his professional career in major shogi tournaments:

• In the 21st Ryuo Sen Ranking Tournament 6th group (2008年度), despite an initial loss, he embarked on a remarkable seven-game winning streak in the promotion play-off, successfully advancing to the 5th group. In the decisive final match on October 1, 2008, he defeated Amahiko Satō, who was in excellent form at the time, having just won the Shin'ō-sen and ranking second overall in wins and winning percentage among all shogi professionals prior to the match.
• During the final 10th round of the 67th C Class 2nd group Junisen (2008年度), Takazaki faced Michio Ariyoshi, then 73 years old, in a crucial match. A victory for Takazaki would have secured his first promotion, while Ariyoshi was in danger of relegation, potentially leading to his retirement. Takazaki lost this match, missing out on promotion that season. It was later revealed that even if Takazaki had won, Ariyoshi would not have been relegated due to other results.
• In the 57th Oza Sen (2009年度), Takazaki successfully navigated the preliminary rounds, defeating strong opponents such as Takashi Hashimoto and Naohisa Nakata. He advanced to the challenger determination tournament, where he overcame then-Kiō Toshiaki Kubo to reach the best 8, before being defeated by Takeshi Fujii in the quarterfinals.
• In the 51st Oi Sen (2010年度), Takazaki qualified for the main league by winning his preliminary matches against Keiji Mori, Akira Shima, Chikara Akutsu, and Yoshiyuki Kubota. In the league, he achieved a record of 2 wins and 3 losses, securing victories against Makoto Tobe and Hiroyuki Miura, but falling to prominent players like Yoshiharu Habu.
• The 76th C Class 1st group Junisen (2017年度) saw Takazaki achieve an impressive 9 wins and 1 loss. Despite this strong record, he narrowly missed promotion due to his lower ranking compared to Takuya Nagase and Yuki Sasaki, who also had 9-1 records and secured the promotion spots.
• A highlight of his career came in the 79th C Class 1st group Junisen (2020年度), where Takazaki achieved a perfect 10 wins and 0 losses, securing his promotion to B Class 2nd group. In his final match of the season, which was against Taichi Takami, Takazaki had already secured his promotion, while Takami needed a win to achieve self-reliance for his own promotion. In a fiercely contested game that lasted over 23 hours, Takazaki ultimately emerged victorious. This performance exemplified the "Yonenaga philosophy," a principle often attributed to his mentor Kunio Yonenaga, advocating that a player should compete with full effort and determination even in a game that might seem like a "digest game" for oneself, especially when it holds significant importance for the opponent. This unwavering commitment to competitive integrity is a hallmark of his professional approach.