Kiō (棋王) is one of the eight major title tournaments in professional shogi.
The tournament started in 1974 as a continuation of the Strongest Player Tournament [ja] (最強者決定戦 (Saikyōsha Ketteisen)) held from 1961 to 1973, which itself was a continuation of the 9-dan, 8-dan and 7-dan Tournament [ja] (九, 八, 七段戦 (Kyū, Hachi, Nanadansen)) held from 1954 to 1956 and its successor the Japan Cup [ja] (日本一杯争奪戦 (Nihon'ichihai Sodatsusen) held from 1957 to 1960.
[1] Lifetime (Eisei) Kiō is the title given to a player who won the championship five times in a row.
Active players may qualify for this title, but it is only officially awarded upon their retirement or death.
In 2017, Akira Watanabe won his fifth title in a row to join Habu as the only professionals to have accomplished this feat.