Kunio Yonenaga

was a Japanese professional shogi player from May 2005 to December 18, 2012. He received an honorary title Lifetime Kisei due to his remarkable results in the Kisei title tournament.

In 2008, Yonenaga announced he had suffered cancer since 2008 spring. He reported his cancer diagnosis on his website occasionally which later turned into a book Cancer Note (published in 2009).

Yonenaga was one of early shogi professionals who played with computer shogi publicly. In 2012 after he had already retired, Yonenaga played a game with , a computer shogi software, and lost. Yonenaga authored his last book I lost about this game.

Yonenaga died on December 18, 2012, from prostate cancer at a hospital in Tokyo.

Titles and other championships Title Years Held Meijin 1993 10 dan 1984–1985 Kisei 1973, 1980, 1983–1985 Oi 1979 Kioh 1979, 1981—1984 Osho 1983–1984, 1990

Title Years Held NHK Cup 1979 Nihon Series 1980, 1984, 1986

Honours Medal with Purple Ribbon (2003) Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2013)