Masataka Sugimoto
Masataka Sugimoto is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8-dan. He is a former non-executive director of the Japan Shogi Association.Early life
Sugimoto was born on November 13, 1968, in Nagoya, Japan. In 1980, he finished third in the 5th and entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school that same year at the rank 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional.
Sugimoto was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1985 before obtaining full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 1990 after finishing the 7th 3-dan League with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses.JSA director
Sugimoto is a former member of the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors. He was elected to a two-year term as a non-executive director at the association's 63rd General Meeting in June 2012.The promotion history for Sugimoto is as follows:
- 1980, August: 6-kyū
- 1985, February: 1-dan
- 1990, October 1: 4-dan
- 1995, December 6: 5-dan
- 2000, July 11: 6-dan
- 2006, February 10: 7-dan
- 2019, February 22: 8-dan
Sugimoto received the Japan Shogi Association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2015 in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years.