Akio Ishikawa

Early life and apprenticeship Ishikawa was born in Shinjuku, Tokyo on March 5, 1963. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional in 1977. He was promoted to apprentice professional 1-dan in 1980, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in 1986.

On April 3, 2023, the announced on its official website that Ishikawa had met the Free Class criteria for mandatory retirement and that his retirement would become official upon completion of his last scheduled official game for the 20232024 season. His retirement became official on September 14, 2023, upon completion of his game against Naoya Fujiwara. Ishikawa finished with a career record of 552 wins and 559 loses for a winning percentage of 0.497.

Promotion history The promotion history for Ishikawa is as follows: 6-kyū: 1977 1-dan: 1980 4-dan: May 14, 1986 5-dan: July 16, 1991 6-dan: July 30, 1998 7-dan: October 23, 2007 Retired: September 14, 2023

Awards and honors Ishikawa received the JSA's "25 Years Service Award" in 2011 in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years.