The 37th Ryuo Tournament Title Ceremony
The Title Ceremony of the 37th Ryuo Tournament, supported by Nomura, was held on January 29 in Tokyo. The ceremony celebrates all players that participated in the Ryuo Tournament, a professional shogi tournament, and officially confers the title of “Ryuo,” on the winner. The now four-time consecutive Ryuo champion Sota Fujii was presented with his official title and the Ryuo Cup. The winners from each class during the elimination rounds were also presented with medals.
Fan messages delivered at the venue
To amplify the excitement surrounding the Ryuo Tournament, during the best-of-seven tournament for the title, Nomura collected messages from fans of each shogi player as well as messages supporting shogi in general. In total, Nomura collected over 500 messages via on-site collection boxes during the nationwide tournament and Nomura’s own official SNS accounts.
These messages were compiled into a celebratory full-page spread in the Yomiuri Shimbun published on the morning of the Title Ceremony. At the ceremony itself, Ryuo Sota Fujii and his challenger 8-dan Yuuki Sasaki were gifted their respective message boards. On-site display panels also had fans queuing up to read the various messages.
It’s on: The 38th Ryuo Tournament
The 38th Ryuo Tournament is already underway.
If current Ryuo Sota Fujii can defend his title once again, he will qualify for the title of “Lifetime Ryuo” at retirement. Only two other shogi players in history have achieved this feat.
But it won’t be easy – both experienced professionals and elite amateurs will be battling for a chance to become the new Ryuo. Nomura looks forward to continuing our support.
