Akihiro Murata

Akihiro Murata (村田 顕弘, Murata Akihiro; born July 14, 1986) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 6-dan.

Akihiro Murata
Native name	村田顕弘
Born	(1986-07-14) July 14, 1986 (age 39)
Hometown	Uozu, Toyama
Career
Achieved professional status	October 1, 2007(2007-10-01) (aged 21)
Badge Number	267
Rank	6-dan
Teacher	Shōdō Nakada [ja] (7-dan)
Meijin class	C1
Ryūō class	4
Websites
JSA profile page

Early life and apprentice professional

Murata was born on July 14, 1986, in Uozu, Toyama.^[1] He learned how to play shogi when he was about five years old from his father.^[2] In 1998, Murata took the entrance exam for the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school, but failed;^[3] he tried again the following year and was accepted at the rank of 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional Shōdō Nakada [ja].^[3][4]

Murata was promoted to the rank of 3-dan in 2004 at the age of eighteen,^[3] and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan three years later after winning the 41st 3-dan League with a record of 15 wins and 3 losses.^[2][3][4][5]

Shogi professional

Promotion history

Murata's promotion history is as follows:^[6]

• 6-kyū: September 1999
• 4-dan: October 1, 2007
• 5-dan: March 6, 2012
• 6-dan: November 7, 2017