5 professional Shogi players came in 1999.

Mr.Yasuaki TSUKADA with 8th dan grade
Mr.Takahiro TOYOKAWA with 5th dan grade

Mr.Shinya SATO with 4th dan grade
Mr.Yusuke INA with 4th dan grade
Ms.Chisa HAYAMIZU with 1st kyu grade

5 professional Japanese chess players came in 1998.

Mr.Taku MORISHITA with 8th dan grade
Mr.Toshiaki KUBO with 5th dan grade
Mr.Daisuke SUZUKI with 5th dan grade
Mr.Hideyuki TAKANO with 4th dan grade
Ms.Tomoko KUZU with 1st Kyuu grade

They have the event in the center of the street ! They close a main street from the Tendo Station to the Tendo Spa. One professional Shogi player play with about 20 children at the same time. Tendo is famous as the town of Shogi in Japan. So we can play using the kind of Shogi piece "Horiumegoma" not plastic pieces. The "Horiumegoma" is the most expensive Shogi piece. It costs about from 10,000 yen to 500,000 yen. Sometimes over 1,000,000 yen !!!

Not only many boys but also many girls take part in this event because of the Shogi boom these days in Japan. Tendo City is the town of Shogi piece. There are Shogi clubs in all schools. So people can have a connections with Shogi in their childhood. And they have a school of Shogi game at the building "Palte" next to the Tendo Station. For tourists, they prepare a place to play freely in the "Tourism Association in Tendo" in the 2nd floor of Tendo Station.

Woman professional Shogi player come this time. More chance to play women professional shogi players, more girls want to become professional Shogi players, I think...

After the game, professional Shogi players advice children about this game. And children can get the authorization paper about this game which write down by themselves. Children can play with a professional Shogi player using very expensive Shogi piece "Horiumegoma" and get the present as the authorization paper. I think that it become very good memory for children.