Oza

The Oza ("Throne") is one of the older titles in Japanese professional Go, originating in 1953 and sponsored by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Japan's leading financial newspaper. The format features a single-elimination preliminary whose winner challenges the defending Oza in a best-of-five title match, with a winner's prize of approximately 14 million yen. Kato Masao holds the record with eight consecutive titles (1982-1989), earning him the rank of Honorary Oza. The title gained historic significance in 1994 when Cho Chikun captured the Oza to become the first player ever to have held all seven major Japanese titles.