Kunio Naitō

is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan.

Shogi professional Promotion history The promotion history for Naitō is as follows: 6-kyū: 1954 1-dan: 1956 4-dan: October 1, 1958 5-Dan: April 1, 1961 6-dan: April 1, 1962 7-dan: April 1, 1963 8-dan: April 1, 1967 9-dan: February 4, 1974 Retired: March 31, 2015

Titles and other championships Naitō appeared in major title matches a total of thirteen times and has won four major titles. He has won the Kisei and Ōi titles twice each. In addition to major titles, Naitō won thirteen other shogi championships during his career.

Awards and honors Naitō has received a number of awards and honors throughout his career for his accomplishments both on an off the shogi board. These include awards given out annually by the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) for performance in official games as well as other JSA awards for career accomplishments, and awards received from governmental organizations, etc. for contributions made to Japanese society.

Annual Shogi Awards 1st Annual Awards (April 1973March 1974): Technique Award 10th Annual Awards (April 1982March 1983): Technique Award 22nd Annual Awards (April 1994March 1995): Masuda Award (for the Side Pawn Capture, Bishop-33 variation)

Other awards 1979: Shogi Honor Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional) 1983: 25 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years) 1983, September: Kobe Culture Special Award 1987: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (Awarded by JSA in recognition of winning 800 official games as a professional) 1991, November: Nishinomiya Citizen's Culture Award 1998: 40 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for forty years) 2000: Special Shogi Honor Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of winning 1,000 official games as a professional) 2000, November: Hyōgo Prefecture Honor Award 2008: 50 Years Service Award (Awarded by the JSA in recognition of being an active professional for fifty years) 2010: Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Rays