Sota Fujii

Okay, let me geek out for a sec, because Sota Fujii is the closest thing real life has to a final boss. He turned pro at 14, ripped off 29 straight wins like a kid speedrunning a game everyone else takes decades to master, and then just kept collecting titles until he held all eight at once in 2023. What gets me is the calm. He plays moves the engines call best, then sits there afterward sounding almost bored, no swagger, no theatrics. I love that he's still basically a train-otaku who picks his "battle snacks" with the same care as his openings. We're watching a generational talent in real time, and honestly, future shogi fans are going to be so jealous we got to.

Sota Fujii is a Japanese professional shogi player affiliated with the Japan Shogi Association, born on July 19, 2002, in Seto, Aichi. He became a professional 4-dan player in October 2016 at the record youngest age of 14 years and 2 months, and in 2017 set an all-time record of 29 consecutive wins in official matches. By October 2023 he had captured all eight major shogi titles simultaneously — the first player in history to do so — before losing the Eio title in 2024 to hold seven crowns.

Name (English)

Sota Fujii

Name (Japanese)

藤井聡太

Reading

ふじいそうた

Born

July 19, 2002 (age 24)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Cancer / Horse

Origin

Seto, Aichi, Japan

Blood type

A

Agency

Japan Shogi Association

Active years

2016–present

Occupation

Shogi player

Elementary school

Seto City Konori Elementary School

Junior high

Nagoya University Faculty of Education Affiliated Junior High School

High school

Nagoya University Faculty of Education Affiliated High School (withdrew January 2021)

University

Did not enroll

Debut

October 1, 2016 — promoted to professional 4-dan at the record youngest age of 14 years and 2 months

Awards & achievements

• 2017 Japan Shogi Award — Newcomer of the Year (10th)
• 2017 Japan Shogi Award — Most Wins (10th; 29 consecutive wins, all-time record)
• 2020 Japan Shogi Award — Most Valuable Player (13th)
• 2021 Japan Shogi Award — Most Valuable Player (14th)
• 2022 Japan Shogi Award — Most Valuable Player (15th)
• 2023 Japan Shogi Award — Most Valuable Player (16th)
• 2023 Prime Minister's Commendation (for achieving the first-ever simultaneous capture of all eight shogi titles)

Timeline

1. 2002Born in Seto, Aichi
2. 2010Joined the Tokai Training Group as a first-grader and became a student of Masataka Sugimoto (now 8-dan)
3. 2016Promoted to professional 4-dan at the record youngest age of 14 years and 2 months
4. 2017Achieved 29 consecutive wins in official matches, setting the all-time record
5. 2020Won the Kisei title at age 17 years and 11 months, setting the record for the youngest-ever title winner
6. 2020Also won the Oi title, holding two crowns simultaneously
7. 2021Won the Eio and Ryuo titles, holding four crowns
8. 2022Won the Osho and Kio titles, holding six crowns
9. 2023Won the Meijin and Oza titles, becoming the first player in history to hold all eight major titles simultaneously
10. 2024Lost the Eio title, returning to seven crowns

Spouse

Unmarried

Hobbies

• Riding trains (railfanning)
• Model trains
• Number puzzles
• Hot springs

Specialties

• Shogi (tsume-shogi / chess puzzles)
• Mental arithmetic

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://www.shogi.or.jp/player/pro/307.html
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%97%A4%E4%BA%95%E8%81%A1%E5%A4%AA

Tags

• Shogi
• From Seto, Aichi
• Japan Shogi Association
• Eight-crown simultaneous holder (2023)
• Record youngest title winner
• Prodigy player
• Train enthusiast

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.