Life In 19x19

I just found, by chance, a reference to a XX century player, Kitamura Fumio, apparently the first, although I have vague memories of another one, player professionally qualified in both Shogi and Go since Honinbo Sansa.

Two things...

First, does anyone have kifu of his? On either game.

Second, SL has him as a 5th dan in Shogi. The association says he was 6th dan before his death... seventh a few years later? Is that an honorary degree?

I'm a bit puzzled with Japanese honorary degrees. Some seem logical (Hans Pietsch, Fukuda Keiko's in judo). Others seem a bit weird, like trying to catch up with... regrets long past?

Anyhow, I decided that since I'd found the info I could update SL, but I'm not sure about that 7th dan. Can anyone shed light?

Take care.

Ferran wrote:I just found a reference to a XX century player, Kitamura Fumio, apparently the first player professionally qualified in both Shogi and Go since Honinbo Sansa.
Does anyone have kifu of his? On either game.

Shogi kifu can be found e.g. on shogidb2.com/player/北村文男 .
Maybe he never played any official Kansai Kiin go games.

vier wrote:Shogi kifu can be found e.g. on shogidb2.com/player/北村文男 .
Maybe he never played any official Kansai Kiin go games.

Thanks a lot.

Regarding official games, I think he should at least have played in the Kansai ooteai. The old system with 1-3dan being amateurs had been obsolete for a while, already, by then.

Take care.