Abstract

Sota Fujii's first picture book! His journey with shogi from age 5

● His encounter with shogi: His journey from age 5
● Events at children's tournaments, meeting his mentor Masataka Sugimoto, and his days in the Shogi Promotion League
● His path as a professional shogi player
● Tell me! Sota Fujii's secrets
● Sota Fujii's album

This picture book brings the journey of shogi player Sota Fujii to children. From the trigger that led him to take the path of shogi in his childhood, to becoming a professional shogi player, achieving 29 consecutive wins, becoming the youngest title winner, and becoming the first player in history to hold eight titles... Based on Sota Fujii's own stories, we convey his thoughts during his numerous achievements and the brilliance of each moment, along with colorful illustrations. Furthermore, it is packed with content, including interviews and reading pages introducing his history.

Author’s Information

Shogi player Sota Fujii was born on July 19, 2002, in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture. In 2016, he became the youngest player ever to be promoted to 4th dan professional status. As a professional shogi player, he has set numerous records, including 29 consecutive wins, becoming the youngest player to win a title at the Kisei tournament, winning the Meijin title, and achieving all eight major titles simultaneously.

Shozo Yamamoto was born in 1952 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Chairman of the Japan Children's Literature Association. He handles both the text and illustrations, and has numerous picture books, including "Doubutsu Genki ni Juuisan" (Kodansha). His five-volume series "Doubutsu Fushigi Hakken" (Discovering Mysteries of Animals) (Kumon Publishing) won the 34th Japan Children's Literature Association Special Award, and his book "Fukaku, Fukaku Horisusume! " (Dig Deep, Digging Deeper! ) (Kumon Publishing) won the 1st Japan Children's Book Research Association Award.

Kana Yamada was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. She graduated from the Picture Book Creation Department of the Japan College of Children's Education. Her picture books include "Mimitabu-chan" (WAVE Publishing) and the "Delicious Events Picture Book Series" (Holp Publishing), and her illustration work includes "My Friend is the Ghost of the Library" (Kin no Hoshi Sha). She won the 60th Gozan Junior Painting Encouragement Award for her kamishibai (picture-story show) "Tenten-chan the Malayan Tapir" (Kyoiku Gageki).