Sakura Ishimoto
{{Short description|Japanese shogi player (born 1999)}}
{{Infobox shogi professional
| name = Sakura Ishimoto
| native_name = 石本さくら
| maiden_name =
| image = File:Ishimoto sakura shogi.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Ishimoto at a {{ill|human shogi|ja|人間将棋}} event in November 2019
| born = {{birth date and age|1999|1|27|mf=yes}}
| hometown = Suita, Osaka Prefecture
| nationality =
| pro_date = {{event date and age|2016|09|01|1999|01|27}}
| badge_no = W-57
| teacher = {{ill|Nobuo Mori|ja|森信雄}}
| teacher_rank = 7-dan
| lifetime_titles =
| title =
| rank = Women's 2-dan
| no_titles =
| tournaments = 1
| notable_students =
| jsa = 57
| female = yes
| website =
}}
{{nihongo |Sakura Ishimoto|石本 さくら|Ishimoto Sakura|born January 27, 1999}} is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 2-dan.
Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship
Ishimoto was born on January 27, 1999, in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/player/lady/57.html|script-title=ja:女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら|title=Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura|language=ja|trans-title=Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}} She first became interested in shogi when she was a fourth-grade elementary school student after seeing some classmates playing the game. She decided that she wanted to learn how to play the game and started attending a local shogi school shortly thereafter.{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/news/2016/09/9_14.html|script-title=ja:石本さくらさんが9月から女流2級に|title=Ishimoto Sakura-san ga Kugatsu kara Joryū Nikyū ni|language=ja|trans-title=Sakura Ishimoto to be Women's Professional 2-kyū from September|date=September 1, 2016|publisher=Japan Shogi Association]|access-date=November 12, 2019}}
In 2010, she finished runner-up in the girl's division of the 4th {{Interlanguage link|Elementary School Student Girl's Meijin Tournament|ja|日本女子プロ将棋協会#GSP事業}} as well as in third place in the 3rd {{Interlanguage link|Elementary School Komehime Meijin|ja|将棋のアマチュア棋戦#女子の学生棋戦}} tournaments as a sixth-grade elementary school student.{{cite web|url=http://joshi-shogi.com/gsp_blog/2010/08/post_9.html|url-status=dead|script-title=ja:LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: 2010年全国大会結果|title=LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: Nisenjūnen Zenkoku Taikai Kekka|language=ja|trans-title=LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: 2010 national tournaments results|date=August 22, 2010|publisher=The Ladies Professional Shogi Players' Association of Japan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316100510/http://joshi-shogi.com/gsp_blog/2010/08/post_9.html|archive-date=March 16, 2013|access-date=November 12, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/tournament/komahime_meijin/3/index.html|script-title=ja:第3回小学生駒姫名人戦|title=Dai Sankai Shōgakusei Komahime Meijinsen|language=ja|trans-title=3rd Elementary School Komahime Meijin Tournament|year=2010|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}} Two years later in 2012, she won the girl's division of the 33rd {{Interlanguage link|All Japan Junior High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament|ja|将棋のアマチュア棋戦#小・中学生棋戦}} as a second-year junior high school student.{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/tournament/junior_highschool/33/joshi.html|script-title=ja:第33回全国中学生選抜将棋選手権大会 [女子決勝トーナメント]|title=Dai Sanjūsankai Zenkoku Chūgakusei Senbatsu Shogi Senshuken Taikai [Joshi Kesshō Tōnamento]|language=ja|trans-title=33rd All Japan Junior High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament Girl's Championship Tournament|year=2012|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}}
Ishimoto was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) Kansai Branch's training group system. Although still an amateur player, she defeated a number of women's shogi professionals in the preliminary rounds of the 3rd (2013) and 4th (2014) {{ill|Women's Ōza|ja|女流王座戦}} tournaments.{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/match/jo_ouza/3/yosen.html|script-title=ja:第3期リコー杯女流王座戦 一次予選|title=Dai Sanki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Ichiji Yosen|language=ja|trans-title=3rd Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 1st Preliminary Round|year=2013|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/match/jo_ouza/3/nizi.html|script-title=ja:第3期リコー杯女流王座戦 二次予選|title=Dai Sanki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Niji Yosen|language=ja|trans-title=3rd Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 2nd Preliminary Round|year=2013|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/match/jo_ouza/4/yosen.html|script-title=ja:第4期リコー杯女流王座戦 一次予選|title=Dai Yonki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Ichiji Yosen|language=ja|trans-title=4th Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 1st Preliminary Round|year=2014|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/match/jo_ouza/4/nizi.html|script-title=ja:第4期リコー杯女流王座戦 二次予選|title=Dai Yonki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Niji Yosen |language=ja|trans-title=4th Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 2nd Preliminary Round|year=2014|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}} In 2016, she was promoted to Class B1 of the training group system when she was a 17-year-old third year senior high school student, thus meeting the criteria for the rank of provisional women's professional 3-kyū. She petitioned the JSA, with shogi professional {{ill|Nobuo Mori|ja|森信雄}} as her sponsor, to be allowed to compete as a women's professional and was awarded the rank of 2-kyū and full professional status based on her prior performance in the 2013 and 2014 Women's Oza tournaments.{{cite news|author=|url=http://mainichi.jp/articles/20160902/k00/00m/040/014000c|url-status=dead|script-title=ja:17歳高3の石本さくらさんが女流プロ棋士に|title=Jūnanasai Kosan no Ishimoto Sakura-san ga Joryū Puro Kishi ni |language=ja|trans-title=17-year-old, third-year senior high school student Sakura Ishimoto becomes women's professional shogi player|date=September 1, 2016|newspaper=Mainichi Shimbun|agency=Kyodo News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902095443/http://mainichi.jp/articles/20160902/k00/00m/040/014000c|archive-date=September 2, 2016|access-date=November 12, 2019}}
Women's shogi professional
Ishimoto defeated Kanna Suzuki in the finals of the 3rd {{ill|Yamada Women's Professional Challenge Cup|ja|YAMADA女流チャレンジ杯}} in August 2017 to win her first tournament as a professional.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S13144603.html|url-access=subscription|script-title=ja:石本女流初段･三枚堂五段がV 将棋･YAMADA杯|title=Ishimoto Joryū Shodan･Sanmaidō Godan ga V Shōgi･Yamadahai|language=ja|trans-title=Shogi Yamada Cup: Women's shogi professional Ishimoto 1-dan and Sanmaidō 5-dan each win first tournament as a professional.|date=September 21, 2017|newspaper=Asahi Shimbun|access-date=November 12, 2019}} She advanced to the finals of the same tournament the following year, but was unsuccessful in her attempt to repeat as tournament champion, losing to Saya Nakazawa.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO34341830Q8A820C1GS9000/|script-title=ja:将棋のYAMADA杯 大橋四段が初優勝|title=Shōgi no Yamadahai Ōhashi Yondan ga Hatsuyūshō|language=ja|trans-title=Ōhashi 4d wins Yamada Cup for first championship as a professional|date=August 22, 2018|newspaper=The Nikkei|access-date=November 12, 2019}}
=Promotion history=
Ishimoto's promotion history is as follows.{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/player/lady/57.html#jsTabE04_02|script-title=ja:女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら 昇段履歴|title=Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura Shōdan Rireki|language=ja|trans-title=Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto Promotion History|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=December 16, 2020}}
- 2-kyū: September 1, 2016
- 1-kyū: February 20, 2017
- 1-dan: March 9, 2017
- 2-dan: December 14, 2020
Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.
=Major titles and other championships=
Ishimoto has yet to appear in a major title match, but she has won one official non-title women's professional shogi tournament.{{cite web|url=https://www.shogi.or.jp/player/lady/57.html#anc02|script-title=ja:女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら 優勝履歴|title=Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura Yūshō Rireki|language=ja|trans-title=Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto Championship History|publisher=Japan Shogi Association|access-date=November 12, 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- ShogiHub: [http://shogihub.com/players/346 Ishimoto, Sakura]
{{Women's Professional Shogi Players|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishimoto, Sakura}}
Category:Japanese shogi players
Category:Japan Shogi Association players