Masao Sugiuchi

Masao Sugiuchi (杉内雅男, Sugiuchi Masao; October 20, 1920 – November 21, 2017) was a professional Go player.

Masao Sugiuchi
Full name	Masao Sugiuchi
Nickname	The God of Go
Kanji	杉内雅男
Born	(1920-10-20)October 20, 1920 Miyazaki, Japan
Died	November 21, 2017(2017-11-21) (aged 97) Tokyo, Japan
Residence	Tokyo, Japan
Teacher	Ichiro Inoue
Turned pro	1941
Rank	9 dan
Affiliation	Nihon Ki-in

Biography

Born in Miyazaki, Japan, in 1920, Sugiuchi became a professional in 1941. By 1959, he had reached 9 dan. His nickname was "the God of Go" (Japanese 碁の神様, Go no Kami-sama)^[1] because of his serious style and strait-laced personality. In December 2004, he became the oldest Nihon Ki-in professional to reach 800 career wins. He was married to Kazuko Sugiuchi (née Honda), one of three professional go-playing sisters, who ended her own career as a professional Go player in 2025, at the age of 98.^[2]

Masao Sugiuchi died in Tokyo on November 21, 2017, at the age of 97.^[3]

Runners-up

Title	Years Lost
Current	4
Honinbo	1954, 1958
Tengen	1976
NHK Cup	1982