Tomoka Nishiyama to Become Japan's 1st Woman Professional Shogi Player

Tomoka Nishiyama is set to make history as the first woman to join Japan’s regular professional shogi ranks, breaking a longstanding gender barrier in the traditionally male-dominated board game. The 31-year-old, who holds four women’s shogi titles, announced her decision on Monday morning.

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Tomoka said she had chosen to become a kishi, or professional shogi player, after spending two weeks considering her options. Her decision marks a significant milestone for women in Japanese professional shogi.

“I received warm words from many people. I also realized how strongly I wanted to compete against strong players and aim higher,” she said.

There are two distinct categories of shogi: kishi, for both men and women, and jōryu kishi, which is for women only. There had been no women who had qualified as a kishi since then, since JSA was founded in 1924.

Key Highlights:

• Tomoka becomes the first woman to enter Japan’s regular professional shogi ranks
• She earned eligibility after winning the Hakurei women’s title for the fifth time
• Tomoka will officially become a fourth-dan professional on April 1, 2027

To allow another path for amateurs and women's professional players, it was a prerequisite for players wanting to become professionals to complete the association's apprentice program or pass a kishi transfer examination.

In 2025 the association set up a second system, however, where players could become professionals if they managed to win the Hakurei in the prestigious women's event five times. The Japanese, Tomoka, won the title a fifth time on Oct. 10, but initially held back from doing so on her right to play as a kishi. On April 1, 2027, she will officially gain the title of professional fourth dan.

Tomoka is also looking forward to fighting title fights in the women's division as she also pursues her new career.

“The women’s professional title system has a history of more than 50 years,” Tomoka said. “The senior women players have always been kind to me. They’ve also taught me about the difficulties of being a woman in shogi.”

“I’m very aware that the history built up by those players is what has allowed me to be where I am today.”

Tomoka, from the city of Osakasayama, Osaka Prefecture, has long been one of the leading figures in women’s shogi, holding the rank of women’s fifth-dan and winning 24 titles, the third-highest total in the history of women’s professional shogi.

Her path to the professional ranks has been marked by repeated setbacks. Tomoka entered the Japan Shogi Association’s apprentice system in 2010 and rose to third-dan, coming within one step of qualifying as a kishi. However, she was unable to secure promotion through the highly competitive third-dan league and withdrew from the system in 2021.

She made another attempt through the kishi transfer examination between 2024 and 2025, which requires candidates to win three matches against five newly qualified professionals, but narrowly failed, finishing with two wins and three losses.

“I imagine that my younger self would be surprised to see me here,” she said, reflecting on her long journey to kishi status. “But now that I’ve been given this opportunity, I want to do my best.”