Minoru Kitani
| Minoru Kitani | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Minoru Kitani |
| Kanji | 木谷実 |
| Born |
January 25, 1909 Kobe, Japan |
| Died | December 19, 1975 (aged 66) Japan |
| Teacher | Tamejiro Suzuki |
| Pupil | List of Minoru Kitani pupils |
| Turned pro | 1924 |
| Rank | 9 dan |
Minoru Kitani (木谷 実 Kitani Minoru?, January 25, 1909 – December 19, 1975) was one of the most celebrated professional Go players and teachers of the game of Go in the twentieth century in Japan.
He earned the nickname "the Prodigy" after winning a knockout tournament. He defeated eight opponents from the Kiseisha in a row during 1928. He played a celebrated match with then retiring Honinbō Shūsai. The Nobel Prize winning author Kawabata Yasunari used this game in his novel "The Master of Go". In 1954 he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, but soon recovered. His condition came back in 1964, after which he retired from professional play. He was given the Okura Prize in 1967.
Segoe Kensaku, a friend and rival of Kitani, nicknamed him "the Great Kitani" due to his extraneous efforts relating to go.
He was a young prodigy, who quickly attracted attention after the founding in 1924 of the Nihon Ki-in. He became a great rival to, and friend of, Go Seigen, after the latter was brought to Japan from China.
Go and Kitani were the vanguard of the Shinfuseki or "New Opening" theory, a period roughly 1933-6 which saw great innovations in Go opening theory.
Go Seigen and Kitani played in the Kamakura jubango, from 1939, the most celebrated jubango of the century. It ended in Go's decisive victory. Kitani's career never quite recovered; he was also hampered by bad health, in the form of a heart condition. He was later noted for a style of spectacular idiosyncrasy, with great emphasis on secure territory.
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