Shintarō Saitō

Honestly, when I first came across Shintarō Saitō I had to do a double-take at the birth year — 1993, from Nara, and already climbing to the very top of professional shogi? That's the kind of trajectory that makes you realize just how brutal and beautiful this game is. There's something fitting about a guy from ancient Nara — a city that's been quietly doing things its own way for over a millennium — choosing one of Japan's most cerebral traditions and just going all in. His playing style feels like a reflection of that: measured, deep, not flashy, but the kind of pressure that builds until the opponent cracks. He made 8-dan and took the Oi title, and watching him grind through top-tier matches, you get the sense he genuinely loves the process more than the trophies. In a world of viral highlights, that kind of quiet intensity is genuinely rare.

Shintarō Saitō is a Japanese professional shogi player born on April 21, 1993, in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. He is classified under the genre of professional shogi (棋士). Further details regarding his career history, agency affiliation, and personal background are not publicly disclosed.

Name (English)

Shintarō Saitō

Name (Japanese)

斎藤慎太郎

Reading

さいとう しんたろう

Born

April 21, 1993 (age 33)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Rooster (酉)

Origin

Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan

Occupation

Professional Shogi Player

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%8E%E8%97%A4%E6%85%8E%E5%A4%AA%E9%83%8E

Tags

• From Nara Prefecture
• Shogi Player

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.