This week (16 April 2014) a survey showed that Manchester City football players had the highest average annual salary of any sportsmen worldwide, ahead of Yankees and Dodgers baseball players. Their average pay from salary alone, not counting endorsements, was a smidgeon under 9 million US dollars each.

The average salary on the same basis for the top ten Japanese go players in 2013 was US$339,770, roughly one thirtieth of that.

Rather worse was the fact Iyama Yuta hogged most of the money, and Man City players on average earned almost 100 times more than the person in 10th place.

That 10th placed player was Shida Tatsuya, the only young(ish) star to appear in the list. For a 23-year-old to make the salary of a middle-ranking bureaucrat might look good, but it doesn't look so good for the middle-aged players above him, and for those way below, one hopes the Nihon Ki-in provides a food bank.

The list, which I have converted to dollars, is:

1. Iyama Yuta 1,613,207
2. Cho U 355,164
3. Takao Shinji 302,291
4. Yamashita Keigo 300,176
5. Kono Rin 227,460
6. Xie Yimin 142,905
7. Hane Naoki 137,714
8. Kobayashi Satoru 109,119
9. Mizoguchi Tomochika 107,541
10. Shida Tatsuya 102,121


Eight out of ten born in Japan, BTW.

Woot! One of the older generation, Kobayashi Satoru, still in the top ten. It makes me feel good. I hope we get to seen another older player make a short comeback to win a couple of titles like we did in the early '90s with Fujisawa Shuko.

How did these numbers compare to the last few years prior, and have they been adjusted for inflation and international earnings?

I've never heard of Mizoguchi Tomochika. Is that Mizokami Tomochika?

Oh, here is last year's list: 2012 Nihon Kiin prize money list.

Some portion of that is from winning the Masters tournament which is limited to the older generation.

Interesting to see Kobayashi referred to as the older generation. Intellectually I know he is. But I have not really followed the Japanese professional scene for a couple of decades. In my mind the older generation is made of those players who were established when I started playing, the current generation is the one who were around in the '70s, such as Kobayashi Koichi and Ishida Yoshio. Kobayashi Satoru falls into the class of new players along with Cho Chikun. I don't even know the names of many of those born after him.

All completely wrong, of course, as I fully realize. But it is interesting the tricks the mind can play.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

What sources of income are included in these numbers? Is it just tournament winnings and game fees or are such things as teaching, TV commentary, royalties for books, etc. also included?

How do these numbers compare with the earnings of go pros from China and Korea?

Obviously tournament prize money only - anything else is private.



I don't know yet, but hitherto it's always been much lower (although a lower income can still mean a higher standard of living in certain countries).