Kisei

Established in 1976 and sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Kisei ("Go Sage") is the highest-paying annual Go title in the world, with a winner's purse of 43 million yen (roughly US$275,000). The format involves extensive preliminaries leading to a tiered challenger league, whose winner faces the defending Kisei in a grueling best-of-seven title match. The title carries unique rank implications: qualifying for the Kisei league earns automatic promotion to 7-dan, and capturing the title itself elevates a player to 9-dan. Kobayashi Koichi held the title for eight consecutive years (1986-1993), while Iyama Yuta surpassed that with nine straight wins (2013-2021). Alongside the Meijin and Honinbo, the Kisei forms Japan's "Big Three" titles.