Bungo Fukusaki
Bungo Fukusaki is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. He is a former and Ōza major title holder.
Early life
Fukusaki was born on December 6, 1959, in Moriguchi, Osaka. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school under the guidance of shogi professional at the rank of 5-kyū in 1975. He was promoted to 1-dan in 1976 and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 1978.Shogi professional
In 1979, Fukusaki won the 3rd tournament for his first championship as a professional.Fukusaki first appearance in a major title match came in 1986 when he challenged Kunio Yonenaga for the 25th title. Fukusaki won the match 4 games to 2 for his first major title. The following year, however, he was unsuccessful in his first title match defense, losing to Michio Takahashi 4 games to none.
Fukusaki's next appearance in a major title match came in 1991 when he challenged Kōji Tanigawa for the 39th Ōza title. Fukusaki defeated Tanigawa 3 games to 2, but once again was unable to defend his title the following year, this time losing to Yoshiharu Habu.
On March 8, 2012, Fukusaki defeated Kenji Kobayashi in a Ryūō Class 4 game to become the 44th professional to win 600 official games.
On April 1, 2025, the announced Fukuzaki had met the conditions for mandatory retirement for "Free Class" players and his retirement would become official upon completion of his final scheduled game of the 20252024 shogi season. Fukuzaki's retirement became official upon losing to Kōzō Arimori on April 22, 2025, in a 38th Ryūō Group 6 game. He finished his career with a record of 678 wins and 814 losses for a winning percentage of 0.454.
Promotion history
Fukusaki's promotion history is as follows:- 5-kyū: 1975
- 1-dan: 1976
- 4-dan: October 11, 1978
- 5-dan: April 1, 1980
- 6-dan: April 1, 1981
- 7-dan: April 1, 1982
- 8-dan: May 26, 1990
- 9-dan: October 28, 2005
- Retired: April 22, 2025