Tomoka Nishiyama earns right to become shogi’s first female kishi player

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. – In what could amount to breaking shogi’s glass ceiling, female professional Tomoka Nishiyama obtained the right to become a kishi and compete in the open category of professional shogi, on Saturday when she won the Hakurei title for the fifth time.

Nishiyama, 31, who holds four titles in the joryu kishi system for women, would become the first female kishi if she exercises her right.

Kishi and joryu kishi operate under different professional systems. While joryu kishi is a status for only women, both men and women can become kishi.

In June 2025, the Japan Shogi Association introduced a new system under which a woman who wins the elite Hakurei title five times is given the right to become a kishi of a fourth dan rank or higher.

In the fifth match of the best-of-seven Hakurei title series on Saturday, Nishiyama beat challenger Kana Fukuma, 34, who also holds four joryu kishi titles, in 118 moves, winning the series with a 4-1 record.

After the match, held in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nishiyama said, “I can’t give an answer right now,” when asked if she will exercise her right to become a kishi. She is slated to announce her decision within two weeks.

Professional shogi player Tomoka Nishiyama holds a news conference in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday. | JIJI

At a news conference later, Nishiyama said that gaining the right, a development that has the potential to revive women’s shogi, gave her “a renewed sense of resolve.”

“This isn’t an issue only for me, so I’d like to consider it calmly,” she added, indicating that she would decide whether to exercise the right after consulting people around her.

Before the introduction of the new system, there were already two other ways for a joryu kishi to become a kishi. One is to perform well in a competition series among third-dan players at Shoreikai, a professional shogi training institution, and the other is to pass a transfer exam.

After joining Shoreikai in 2010 at the age of 14, Nishiyama narrowly missed a chance to become a kishi. She left Shoreikai in 2021 at age 25.

Nishiyama also failed in a transfer exam, held between September 2024 and January 2025, recording two wins and three losses against five fourth-dan players.